#TBT: Little Women and Strong Female Characters

Little Women is one of those movies that burrows deep into your soul. Gillian Armstrong‘s film is an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel, and it is easily one of the best film adaptations of a piece of literature ever made. Set during and after the American Civil War in the cozy New England setting of Concord, Massachusetts, the beloved story follows the four March sisters– Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy– as they navigate their own paths from childhood to adulthood, balancing ambitions, disappointments, love, and turmoil along the way. What better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than with the March sisters?

Full disclosure: I adore this film with uncommon ardor. The March sisters are as familiar and comforting to me as old friends, and this film soothes the soul like a cup of hot cocoa wards off a winter chill. Ever since I first saw the movie as an eight-year-old, the March sisters have been at my side, just as they have for generations of girls who also grew up feeling as though they had friends in Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.

Little Women should be required viewing for all young girls because it features a cast of strong female characters who try to determine how to put their talents to use in the world. The action is anchored in “Orchard House,” the March family home. (Armstrong actually used the real Orchard House, where Alcott wrote and set the novel.) Jo March (played to perfection by Winona Ryder in what is one of the best performances of her career– it earned her an Oscar nomination) is a woman in a man’s world. But that doesn’t stop her from pursuing her passions with devotion– she will do whatever it takes to be the writer she dreams of becoming. Gentle and strong Meg (Trini Alvarado) chooses the well-trodden path of home and hearth as a Victorian housewife. As an artist, Amy (Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis) travels, cultivates her skills, and must learn that being passionate does not mean being silly. And then there’s Beth (a sweet Claire Danes). Oh, Beth. She is the soul of the March family, and though she remains at Orchard House, it is clear that is all she ever wanted. Finally, Marmee (a powerful Susan Sarandon) is their mother who spouts gender theory like it’s her job. She is a strong role model whose inspiring words of wisdom give Yoda a run for his money. Happily, the film even passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors.

But it would be a mistake to categorize this film as a “women’s movie.” On the contrary, Little Women is a universal story of growing up. Christian Bale‘s boyish and charming Laurie, the boy next door, deals with growing pains of his own. He feels trapped by the adult expectations placed on his shoulders, especially when his heart is in music, but his familial destiny is in business. (You can keep Batman; Christian Bale will always be adorable Laurie to me.) Gabriel Byrne is the kind and generous Friedrich Bhaer, a professor who has fled the political turmoil of mid-19th-century Germany and searches for acceptance in an America that fixates on the accent of his tongue, rather than the keenness of his mind. Eric Stoltz is the calm and thoughtful John Brooke, whose priggish propriety is challenged when he loses his heart to Meg. It’s worth noting, too, that these are all gentlemen who maintain positive relationships with women: they all deeply respect and support the ladies in their lives, and vice versa.

I could go on and on about this film. (I haven’t even mentioned Thomas Newman’s exquisite score, and how it perfectly evokes the world of the March sisters and captures the bittersweet core of the film.) What makes this film so successful is the fact that it takes its source material seriously. In Armstrong’s view, the novel isn’t a silly, quaint little girl’s story; rather, it’s an empowering, achingly human tale that is as gripping, heartwarming, and challenging as the complex emotional lives of its heroines. You believe and completely buy into the special bond between the March sisters. By the end of the film, they feel like family, too. And like any good family, the March sisters encourage us to “embrace your liberty, and see what wonderful things come of it.” Watch Little Women— or watch it again– and celebrate supportive networks of family and friends that inspire us whenever our souls need to be uplifted.

Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures