I really wanted to see the next of Greta gerwig after his wonderful ‘Lady Bird’ (2017) and the fact that he repeated again with Saoirse Ronan for the title role she gave an extra dose of anticipation for the filmmaker’s adaptation of ‘Little Women’, the immortal novel by Louisa May Alcott. You can see the result tonight at 10:45 p.m. on Antena 3.
With Jo (Ronan) at the center of the action (the shot with which we see her for the first time is vibrant like few others), we travel to the 19th century to see the story of four sisters and their transition from teenagers to women, jumping from time to time to learn about and deepen their concerns, interests and experiences.
For the cast, Gerwig had great and talented actresses: Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen give life to the four sisters. What’s more, Laura dern like Marmee, Meryl strepp like Aunt March and Timothée Chalamet as Laurie they make up the main cast of the film.
A film with its own voice
It is not easy to face a text like Alcott’s considering that there are a good handful of previous film and television adaptations. Some of which have remained in the annals, like George Cukor, with Katherine Hepburn as Jo, released in 1933; or that of Gillian Anderson, whose Jo played Winona Ryder in 1994. And that’s just talking about the movies.
Thus, Gerwig’s challenge for the 2019 version, the one at hand, consists of making a new reading of a text that, beyond its anchoring in a specific moment (the American Civil War), it is universal in its themes, values and claims. The script is bold and intelligent when it comes to reformulating the work for the new generation but with utmost respect for the starting material.
A reformulation that is a trend in period fiction, usually in the key of comedy. Obviously we do not go to the extreme of, say, the fascinatingly anachronistic revisions (and in a millennial and later key) of ‘The Great’ or ‘Dickinson’, but an elaboration that, without losing exquisiteness in the adaptation, is aware of the audience receiving the two and a quarter hours of footage.
Cinema in capital letters
Of course, much of the success in this regard is achieved thanks to the role of the sisters. The Ronan thing is a pure demonstration of technique and talent, but his companions are not far behind. They manage to convey naturalness, spontaneity and capture the complex nuances of characters with which it is easy to fall into the trap of stereotyping.
On a directorial level, the film is flawless: structurally accurate, splendid in recreation, photography, and music. Despite his relatively short resume, Gerwig’s dropouts and choice of planes are already beginning to be recognizable, building an enviable “house brand”.
Released in late 2019, the film achieved gain a foothold in the hearts of viewers in the very complicated Christmas campaign. Obviously, it could not compete with box office engulfers such as ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ or ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’, but it was not badly received, with 218 million dollars of collection against a budget of 40.
At the Oscars 2020, ‘Little Women’ achieved six nominations: best adapted screenplay, movie, lead actress (Ronan), supporting actress (Pugh), soundtrack and costumes. Unfortunately, he only managed to materialize the last one.
In short, ‘Little Women’ is one of the best movies of 2019– An exciting, intoxicating and excellent adaptation of Alcott’s novel that demonstrates Gerwig’s supreme intelligence as both a screenwriter and a director. A gem to review whenever possible.