Little Women

Little Women – Four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy grow up with Marmee in Concord, Massachusetts during the American Civil War and, being taught progressive ideas about the role of women, the girls must traverse society and decide what paths they all want to lead.

Little Women (1994) – Director: Gillian Armstrong

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2616196

Rating: U

Running Length: 115 mins

Starring: Winona Ryder, Christian Bale, Susan Sarandon

Genre: Period, Drama, Romance

REVIEW: ‘LITTLE WOMEN’

Based on the much-loved classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, ‘Little Women’ follows the trials and tribulations of four sisters living in civil war-era America. With their father off fighting, the running of the house and raising of the children is left to matriarch Marmee who fills the girls’ heads with thoughts of equality and fairness in an unequal and unfair society. Each sister has her own personality, some liking the idea of marriage, others preferring to focus on their careers, things that many young people can relate to, even almost 150 years later.

The story of ‘Little Women’ is told through the eyes of second-eldest sister, Jo, whose bold ambition to be a novelist outweighs any romantic aspirations she may have and despite an initial liking for next-door heart-throb, Laurie (Christian Bale), her career is what she really wants to focus on. Her sisters are all different with youngest, Amy (Kirsten Dunst), and eldest, Meg (Trini Alvarado), taking much of the limelight, leaving Beth (Claire Danes) to simper in the background, presumably due to her eventual ending which sadly makes it less impactful for viewers who instead of sympathising with her, simply experience things through Jo’s reactions.

Overall, ‘Little Women’ is a solid tale of love, life and loss in a romanticised period setting and, while this may not be everyone’s idea of entertainment, for those it is, it will undoubtedly be enjoyed from start to finish.

CONTENT: IS ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

Jo sees her younger sister Amy crying and goes to her. Amy tells her ‘Teacher struck me’ and shows Jo her hand which has a large, red welt on it. The scene then cuts to the pair being with the rest of the family where Amy tells them ‘Mr Davies says it’s as useful to educate a woman as to educate a female cat’.

Amy is upset when her older sisters are invited to the theatre but she is not. When they get home, Jo finds out that Amy has put the manuscript of her novel into the fire; she becomes incensed, screaming at Amy ‘I’m gonna kill you!’, ‘I hate you!’ and ‘You’re dead!’ Amy cries at Jo’s outburst and clearly regrets her actions. After this, Jo doesn’t forgive Amy until an accident makes her realise how much she loves her.

When Meg attends a ball, she socialises with other girls who look down on her a little for her plain clothes which she sews herself. One tells her of a shop that sells silk but another girl says ‘The Marches haven’t bought silk in years, they have “views” on slavery’, implying that progressive, anti-slavery views are to be sneered at.

When Meg steps out at the ball, she is wearing a dress like the other girls would wear which shows a fair amount of skin (for the time). While there, she sees a male friend, Laurie, who comments sarcastically about her attire, saying ‘Don’t cover up, there may be one or two gentlemen who haven’t seen all of your charms’. After this, he apologises for his remarks.

A major character lies in bed, dying. A loved one speaks to them, willing them to get better but they are resigned and accepting of death. The other character gets up to close a window and, when they turn back, they are dead. This scene is very sad and could be upsetting for kids.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘LITTLE WOMEN’ FOR KIDS?

A romantic drama with a positive feminist angle will no doubt entertain older members of the audience but its slow pace and old-fashioned ideals will be a struggle for younger viewers. Therefore we feel that while its content is suitable for all ages, we recommend it as appropriate for ages 10 and over.

• Violence: 0/5
• Emotional Distress: 3/5
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (chaste romances)
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 1/5 (Jo’s angry outburst at Amy due to her burning her manuscript could be upsetting for some young children)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of feminism, equality, the status of women in society, standing by your principles, a single-parent family, being accepted for who you are, love, romance and the importance of family.

Words by Laura Record

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