Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel, Little Women, has been re-imagined many different ways throughout the years. Published in 1868, it still captures audiences today. While parts of the plot stay the same, the way that the plot and the characters are presented change.
Both the 2019 and the 1994 versions were directed by female directors, Greta Gerwig (2019) and Gillian Armstrong (1994). In an industry where we don’t see many female directors represented, Gerwig and Armstrong may understand Jo and Alcott’s struggle to be a published writer, to achieve commercial success, and to be taken seriously better than most. Still, what did the 2019 film do well, and what did the 1994 film do better?
2019: Amy
Many are talking about the new way that Amy has been presented. In a sense, she’s a mirror image of Jo, also head-strong, smart, an artist, and logical. Both Amy and Jo say a similar line about marriage - that it’s as much (if not more) about economics than about love. In the book and previous films, Amy was often considered the least popular March sister; however, that may change after the 2019 film.
In the 1994 film, Amy comes across as strong, mischievous, loving, but a bit spoiled. However, adult Amy disappears a bit in the story. In the 2019 film, we see that adult Amy isn’t in the shadows at all, and we can see why Laurie could have ended up with her.
1994: Beth
Beth starts out as healthy in the 1994 version, and we see her as timid but very loving. When Laurie’s grandfather gifts her the piano, Beth expresses intense joy and surprise that she’s so loved. In this scene, all of the March sisters show how much they care for Beth, something we see less of in the 2019 film.
Also, in the 1994 film, we see multiple moments that show how close Beth and Jo are, such as when Beth comforts Jo about her cut hair or revels in all of her stories. In the 2019 film, we get a little of the Jo/Beth connection, but largely Beth serves as more plot device than character–bridging the past and the present together, and getting Jo to write Little Women.
2019: Representation of Artistic Talents of All Sisters
In the 2019 version, strong emphasis is put on all four sisters and their talents. Jo is the writer, Meg the actress, Beth the musician, and Amy the visual artist. All four are talented, and all four once created together when they did the plays.
Jo believes strongly in her art; it’s part of who she is, part of her passion. Additionally, it’s her way to earn money and help support her family, something that Louisa May Alcott actually did. Because Jo believes so much in her art, she doesn’t quite understand why Meg is so quick to leave her acting behind. However, in the end of the 2019 version, we see three of the sisters coming together again, using their artistic talents to teach children and create a school together.
1994: Professor Bhaer
Sure, the professor is a dashing young professor and French in the 2019 version, which may make him seem like the more likely choice. But the Professor Bhaer of the books was German and middle-aged. He seemed an unlikely match for Jo, which is partly why Alcott put them together. The 1994 film stayed more faithful to this.
In the 1994 film, we see a relationship developing between the Bhaer and Jo. We also hear Jo’s letters to her sisters about her feelings for Bhaer. The professor is goofy and generous. They start as friends. While an older man, it’s a sweeter connection, like a deep friendship with a dash of romance stirred in.
2019: Marmee and Jo’s Relationship
Marmee and Jo have a heart-to-heart that shows us that the two are actually pretty similar. Marmee is almost always presented as the ever-patient and wise mother figure, but we learn that Marmee had to work to be that way.
We learn that she gets angry and is spunky, showing us that these are traits that Jo may have inherited from her. In 1994, we see a little spunk in Marmee, but not to the same extent we see in the 2019 version.
1994: The March’s Family’s Specific Economic Status
In both films, we know that the March family lives in a big house next to wealthy neighbors, but they, themselves aren’t wealthy. We know that they have more than the Hummel family, but that they are relatively poorer than their friends (Laurie, Meg’s friends, and Amy’s school friends). However, we learn a considerable amount more in the 1994 version.
The March family was once wealthier, and that Meg (being the oldest) remembers it best, which is why she has such a hard time with having so little now. Also, both Jo and Meg work outside of the home to support their family. Jo works for Aunt March. Meg works as a governess. When they have that wonderful Christmas meal, it means so much to them because it feels like a miracle. It’s like a return to their prior comfort, which means a lot when they give up this one miraculous gift to those less fortunate.
2019: Meg’s Happily-Ever-After Economic Woes
One area we see more in the 2019 version is that Meg isn’t necessarily fully content in her marriage. She still yearns for beautiful things (as she did earlier), and wishes that she could have them.
The 1994 version presents married Meg as very happy and content, but this darker tone in the 2019 film seems more realistic. Meg seems poorer than her family, too, hinting that Meg may have a hard road ahead of her.
1994: Historical Context and Race
Little Women happens during the Civil War. While mentioned in the 2019 version, it serves of more importance in the 1994 version. When Marmee and the March sisters curl together to hear from father, we feel more of the threat that he could have been harmed on the battlefield. Additionally, once the war is over, we actually see soldiers walking home in their gear, sad and tired.
While discussions of race may not be at the forefront in the film, they are mentioned. When Meg stays with her friends before she goes to the ball, and they decide to dress her, she protests. They want to dress her in silks, and she’s against that because she says that the silk is created by enslaved people in the South or by Chinese children in factories. It’s only when her friend assures her that this silk was created in the North that she allows herself to be dressed up.
2019: Infusing Fiction with Fact, The Alcott Story
The director and the cast did additional research. This resulted in Laura Dern (Marmie) actually using words that Louisa May Alcott’s mother wrote in a letter. The ending is probably the most important way fact was infused into the fiction. Jo talks about the ending of the book to a publisher.
Pressured to marry off her heroine, she jokingly says how it will end with the umbrella in the rain while she bargains for rights to her book and money. This is something that happened to Alcott since she had wanted Jo to not marry, but had to do it for the audience. It’s a nice tongue in cheek moment, and it works.
1994: Jo’s Resistance to Change
Part of the reason why Jo doesn’t want Meg to marry is that she likes their life as it is, she doesn’t want change. Also, when Laurie proposes, she is upset because he’s changing their dynamics.
She wants things to stay as they are, and only reluctantly, is she willing to change. In her mind, her time with her sisters and Laurie is precious. A key part of her arc is learning and accepting that all things must change, even things and times that you love.
