Plot: What’s it about?
Since her husband is off serving his country, Marmee March (Mary Astor) 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 (Janet Leigh) is a mother’s dream, conservative and ladylike, who wants a normal life, with a loving husband and children, and then there’s Amy (Elizabeth Taylor), who longs to be swept off her feet by a debonair man. Beth (Margaret O’Brien) may be frail and usually ill, but that doesn’t stop her from living life the best she can, and then there’s Jo (June Allyson), 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?
Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel has been adapted to the screen numerous times, with this version released in 1949. I prefer the 1933 edition of Little Women however, as this adaptation seems to be a basic lift from that production. The bulk of the same scenes have been filmed in both versions, as if this is a simple colorized update. That is not good news, as each rendition of the novel’s material should have a unique take on the subject matter. The case with this version is that it uses the 1933 release as a blueprint of sorts, but steers off the path at times, especially in terms of tone, which really lessens the experience. Little Women is a tale of hardships and good times, happy moments and tragic events, a slice of real life if you will, a balance between the emotional spectrum we all experience. But this version of Little Women chose to focus more on the happier times, so it kind of glosses over the more tragic situations. Some remain intact, if just because the story would collapse with them, but this is a brighter take on Little Women, to be sure. The characters are also quite thin, as if minimal time was taken to adapt the classic tale for the cinematic screen. I do like Little Women, but this filmed version isn’t worthwhile. So with a couple of other, superior takes on the material available on DVD, its hard to recommend this release.
Video: How does it look?
Little Women is presented in full frame, as intended. This presentation looks better than expected, but some flaws are still evident. The age of the material hasn’t caused many problems, though some softness and worn spots can be seen. But the print looks pretty good, with only minor debris and marks to mention. I found colors to be stable and consistent, though time has softened the hues to an extent. Even so, the colors are bright enough and flesh tones look good also, with natural hues throughout. No real troubles with contrast either, as black levels come across as stark and accurate, at least in most scenes. Given the age of the material involved, I would say this is a more than solid visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
The original mono option is clean and has a solid overall sound, but keep in mind, this is a mono track from 1949. I heard some harshness at times and as expected, the audio is thin in places, but no serious flaws are evident with this mix. The music gets a shade loud, but remains on the mark and while the sound effects don’t need much, they sound terrific here. The main element is dialogue and it stays clear throughout, with no volume or clarity issues to report. This disc also includes a French audio option, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, Bahasa, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some talent files, a text essay on the different Little Women films, and an audio only track of the 1950 Lux Radio Theater production of Little Women. The radio program adds a lot to value to the release and in truth, I think it is a more worthwhile addition to this disc than the featured film itself.
