Little Women: Big Accomplishment
Meg. Jo. Amy. Beth. A recounted story of these four girls was released on Christmas Day this past year. The film, “Little Women,” illustrates the making of the novel by Louisa May Alcott and inspires all types of people to embrace their interests, no matter how different.
Grossing an impressive $16,755,310 on opening day, “Little Women” played in 3,308 theaters. The screenplay has earned $74,031,009 since its release. Compared to its budget, $40,000,000, the film profited prolifically, nearly doubling its expendiure.
The actresses from Little Women include Saoirse Ronan as Jo, with Emma Watson playing Meg. Timothée Chalamete is Laurie, Florence Pugh is Amy and Eliza Scanlen is Beth. Together, these five talented actors bring a moving tale to life.
The film begins with Jo’s presentation of one of her stories to a publisher. She is discouraged and doesn’t react well when both the publisher and a beloved colleague are unappeased by her work. For this reason and to spend time with her ill sister, she travels home.
There, she writes the book that would become an American classic. Jo includes her experiences at home in her story, her three sisters as the main characters.
The story told is the story that Jo writes in the movie and is also the story that the movie is about. From ice skating with a boy to acting in home-held plays, its various accounts of domestic triumphs and struggles shape her novel. A story of finding love, loss and one’s self, it is unique because it is reality.
A defining feature of the film is its transitions between the actual story of the four young women and the journey of Jo leading up to her writing the novel.
Skillfully implemented details indicate which part of the film is which, such as how Jo’s hair undone indicates that she is a character in the Little Women story, and how when her hair is in an updo, she is the author at a later date, writing the story.
While sometimes confusing, these setting shifts capture the attention of the audience. The creators of the film successfully convey this distinctive feature which has never been accomplished.
Society would prosper if they heeded the message of individuality that Little Women most poignantly illustrates. Whether with eye-catching costume design or intricate plot organization, all aspects of this film convey a message applicable to many of the world’s problems. Meg March put it best when she said to Jo: “Just because my dreams are different than yours, it doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.”