It is astonishing that a woman in those times knew enough to keep her copyright, which she managed to do. That they have hopes, dreams, and ambition as well as just love.Īlcott was an exceptional artist. There is no antagonist in Jo’s life, but what we see is her trying to defy the system she lives in and show the world that women are meant for more than just love and romance. So near the ending, when we see Jo chase after her supposed love interest and ask him to marry her, and cut to the next scene where we are left to wonder whether that actually happened we are left to look at her marriage with a more critical lens than we have ever been exposed to. Louisa never married, having Jo marry, in the book, as a result of her editor as well as letters she received from fans. But what makes this particular adaptation of Little Women so important, so modern and compelling is that she tried to look at Jo as Louisa writing her story having lived her life. The text was treated with a Shakespearan adherence because so many of those lines are etched into memory. Gerwig used the slash device in the screenplay to indicate what words would be said at the same time and created a sort of flowing river that takes you on a journey as you watch and listen. It’s quite possibly one of the most life-inducing parts of the film when the sisters are all talking over each other but it feels like a messy, fun orchestra where not one word is out of place. One of the most interesting devices she used for the dialogue is the device of the slash to indicate overlap between lines. Her ability to draw out well-rounded characters and deliver larger-than-life stories, even in an adaptation, is certainly clear. Gerwig is no stranger to writing a great screenplay, having written ‘Ladybird’ and co-written ‘Frances Ha’, both with stellar storytelling skills. Little Women 2019 | Image source: MovieMaker It would’ve been easy to stick a couple of dates here and there to indicate timelines but Gerwig chose to do something much more creative that magnifies the difference between memory and reality and how we interact with them. The cooler tones signify the mundanity of adulthood, reality, the sisters going their own ways, Beth dying from illness, and Jo’s struggle to achieve her dreams. Warm tones best represent the warmth and love of childhood, times spent with her family and sisters, her dreams of becoming a writer. How does one get the audience to distinguish between these two timelines as they trade places back and forth? Well, the warmer tones represent the past and the bluish tones represent the present. She struggles with letting go of the ways things were in her girlhood and the Gerwig wanted to focus on the fact that maybe memories are perhaps rendered more whimsical than the moments might have been. Jo, who presumably narrates the story in the book, never quite settles with change as easily as her sisters. The memorable, funny, and heartwarming incidents of their childhood could be perceived as memories or flashbacks. We see her struggling to make a living as a writer, her lifelong ambition, and working as a teacher to support her family. Little Women starts not with the iconic first line from the book, with Jo, a character based on Alcott, complaining that “ Christmas won’t be Christmas without presents,” but with 21-year-old Jo rushing through a crowd to a publisher’s office. Gerwig is able to execute this flawlessly and this back and forth between girlhood and adulthood provides nuance to the tone that isn’t as prevalent in the book. Both these timelines move forward from their origin point once they have been established. In the movie, we have two separate timelines that start in 1861(past) and 1868(present). The first half of the novel follows the March sisters when they are young girls, and the second half consists of their adulthood. Little Women 2019 has a non-linear narrative: I’ve watched hours of interviews so there’s almost too much to talk about in the sense of the amount of work and thought put into this piece of art. is immaculate in a brilliant way that recalls the term genius. The blocking, tone, color, dialogue, writing, etc. Gerwig’s second directorial piece leaves little to be desired. The book has been adapted for the screen seven times and Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, the 2019 adaptation was one of the best films to grace that year. I have read and re-read the book countless times and I have laughed and cried along with the 4 March sisters to the point where the book defines some of my childhood. The book ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, based on her own life, has never been out of print since it was first published in 1868.
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