Plot: What’s it about?
Since her husband is off serving his country, Marmee March (Susan Sarandon) is left to tend for the family all alone. And with four daughters, that is no easy task, especially these four little women. With their mother and aunt to watch over them, these four girls experience many aspects of life, some joyful and some sorrowful. The girls may fall in love, have their hearts broken, or lose some close to them, but as long as they can keep a place for their loved ones inside their hearts, they’ll always be together. While the four girls are sisters, they certainly are different from one another. Meg (Trini Alvarado) is a mother’s dream, conservative and ladylike, who wants a normal life, with a loving husband and children, and then there’s Amy (played by Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis at different ages), who longs to be swept off her feet by a debonair man. Beth (Claire Danes) may be frail and usually ill, but that doesn’t stop her from living life the best she can, and then there’s Jo (Winona Ryder), who aspires to do more than be a housewife, she wants to be a writer. With these four very different styles, arguments are bound to happen, and they do. But after all the tears, smiles, and love, will these little women be able to make their dreams come true?
This is the most recent attempt to bring the classic Louisa May Alcott novel to the screen, and I feel it is easily the best of the several tries thus far. While this is a movie geared toward the female demographic, I think anyone who seeks powerful acting and a moving storyline will want to screen this movie. Sure, this is one of those movies it seems like only women would like, but the attention to detail and superb casting will make a believer out of anyone. The acting is first rate, and the sets and costumes also reveal how much care was taken when producing this film. This is a period piece, so the details pay off with a very realistic feel, which drives the movie’s tone and mood. While the writing is based on established material, I am glad to see the emphasis placed on the family bond, not on some other subject. This keeps the novel’s ideas in check, which in turn makes the movie that much better. I recommend this movie very, very highly, as the performances and attention to detail are amazing. If you’re skeptical, a rental should ease your mind, but with a disc like this, a purchase, even sight unseen, is a wise idea. I hope Columbia continues to update their early releases like this.
Gillian Armstrong is the director of this movie, and she seems to know what she’s doing, as the actors turn in marvelous performances, the production design is outstanding, and the cinematography is above average. While she does have several other movies under her belt, most of them are lower profile films. A brief sampling of her resume includes Mrs. Soffel, Fires Within, and High Tide. As far as the cast goes, this is one of the finest ensemble performances I have seen, bringing the emotion and subtle power of the novel to life on film. Winona Ryder (Girl, Interrupted and The Crucible) is inspiring here, I feel this is her best work to date, showing her talents off quite well. Trini Alvarado (The Frighteners, Paulie), Samantha Mathis (Super Mario Brothers, Broken Arrow), Claire Danes (Brokedown Palace, The Mod Squad), Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking, Thelma & Louise), Mary Wickes (Postcards From The Edge, Sister Act), and Kirsten Dunst (Drop Dead Gorgeous, Interview With A Vampire) infuse the family with passion and dedication, giving the women a realistic family feel. The supporting cast also includes Christian Bale (Metroland, Velvet Goldmine), John Neville (Dangerous Minds, Urban Legend), Eric Stoltz (Pulp Fiction, A Murder of Crows), and Gabriel Byrne (Stigmata, The End of Violence).
Video: How does it look?
Little Women is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As has become the norm with Columbia, the visual transfer is excellent, if not reference then damn close to it. The colors are warm and rich, inside a natural color spectrum, so the image appears as it would in real life, no over jazzed hues to be found. The contrast levels are perfect, with no detail loss at all and well rendered shadows. I couldn’t find any compression errors, and even print flaws are hard to find on this wonderful transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track for audio, and the track creates a very warm and enveloping mix. The audio is driven by dialogue, but the musical score is excellent and sets the tone for many scenes. While the subject matter doesn’t require a pulse pounding audio experience, the track is outstanding for this type of material. The surrounds see action on frequent cases, and the dialogue is clear and consistent.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This edition is replacing an earlier release, so if you want the goodies, make sure you look for the special edition label, or you’ll be stuck with just the movie. This new special edition is loaded with the extras we all love, including a running commentary by Gillian Armstrong, which is filled with information on the making of the movie. While there are some long pauses, most of the track is active, with Gillian’s interesting perspectives on her film. A gallery of deleted scenes is also found here, and these can be viewed with the director’s commentary as well. I find that commentary helps understand deleted scenes, so we know why they were cut, not just that they didn’t make the final cut. A six and a half minute featurette is on the disc as well, which contains interviews and some on the set footage also. Another featurette runs about eight minutes in duration, and looks at the costume and set design side of things, showing drawings and behind the scenes footage. A historical timeline, talent files, isolated musical score, two trivia games, production notes on the insert booklet, and theatrical trailers round out the supplemental section.
