REIMAGINED: Greta Gerwig takes the novel, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and adds a contemporary energy making it an Oscar nominated film.
By Sarah Salmeron, Staff Writer
Classic novels hold their titles for many reasons, creating movie adaptations that appeal to audiences as well as hold onto their historical roots. This was a difficult task but was executed greatly by the Little Women director, Greta Gerwig. The movie was released on December 25, 2019, being a gift for all audiences to enjoy.
Little Women has 17 different movie adaptations to its name, yet Greta Gerwig has been one to stand out. It has raided social media on all platforms and was claimed to be one of the top ten films of the year according to Time Magazine. The film takes place during and post Civil War, showing the characters development throughout the years and events that led them to where they were. Gerwig showed the struggles families had to go through in order to maintain a comfortable living situation with a moderately large family. Unlike other adaptations of the 1868 novel, Little Women stayed true to the original storyline while adding a modern day flare. This successfully appealed to all ages and audiences, bringing classic literature into the lives of all.
Although the storyline does play an important role in a large scale adaptation, the casting in Little Women has given this film a great deal of publicity. The cast was filled with many inspirations, heartthrobs and talented actors such as Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Eliza March, and Timothee Chalamet that attracted viewers worldwide. Little Women displays an immense amount of women independency by using actresses that model their independence on a day to day basis. Although the film dealt with a lot of serious subjects such as war, health, social status, and sexism, a layer of humorous, whimsical times of being young was also included. Heartfelt moments shared with family and loved ones was also heavily portrayed all throughout the film. Although the film was centered around the true importance of family, it also held the message of forgiving yourself and allowing yourself to discover who you are and your own needs before you can truly focus on anything else.
Little Women has rightfully earned its title as one of the best film adaptations of the classic novel. Gerwig accomplished bringing back the 19th century into modern day society and appealing to audiences of all ages.