25 years later, what is missing in "Little Women"? (Down)

Harley 2021-12-24 08:01:07

The last part talked about the details of the 94 version of "Little Women" in terms of setting and character creation, which are more smoothly handled than the 19 version of "Little Women". The next part mainly talks about the story of Little Women, how the two directors chose their focus and the reasons for choosing this focus. thank you for your time!

story plot

The two versions of the movie have different settings in several important storylines. In the 94 version, Jo and Laurie’s first meeting was at the crossroads at the door of the house. Laurie sat in the carriage and looked at Jo with curious, inquisitive but courteous eyes. Our Jo sang with the sisters. Responding with unrestrained eyes and smiles, the first interaction between the two protagonists also hinted at the next direction of the relationship-only one-way.

Pictured is the 94 version of the movie

In the 19th edition, Laurie's proposal to Jo took place on a large lawn, while in the 94th edition, it was arranged in a forest. The proposal was the first turning point in the story. After that, Meg got married and Amy traveled to Europe to study, which made their stable life begin to fall apart. So in this scene, Jo's reaction to the proposal not only needs to take over the interaction and feelings between the two before, but also needs to bury clues for the future relationship between the two.

The picture above is version 94, and the picture below is version 19

As a result, the audience may yell at the surprised expression on hearing the proposal in the 19th edition-"Please, don't you really realize it?" The audience can see surprise and embarrassment on the face of Jo, played by Winona in the 94 version, and feel the two coexistence of ambivalence in her voice and body language, which is more acceptable to the audience: she is not She has no feeling for this excellent boy, she just has a clear reason for rejection "Neither you nor I can control our temper, we will kill each other when we are together!" Laurie's answer is "I promise you will win every quarrel" ( Do boys in love say such things so much?). In the 19th version, the director handled Jo's response vaguely , and the audience is likely to remain confused until the end of the film.

Pictured is the 94 version of the movie

With the marriage proposal as a foreshadowing, the audience can smoothly get along with the professor after the connection, and understand the reason why Jo and the professor have feelings. In version 94, the director arranged for more interaction between the two roles of Professor and Jo. The professor apologized for his words after a quarrel. Unlike Laurie's promise of concessions, Jo and the professor can communicate more equally and smoothly . At the same time, the professor encourages Jo to create works that come from life. At this time, this role has increased the two identities of leader and inspiration . Compared with the reason for Jo's creation of the novel given in the 19th edition-Beth's death, the arrangement of the 94th edition appears to be more cohesive.

Pictured is the 94 version of the movie

The director of the 94 version of Jo's face uses the voices of four sisters as narration, and uses a rotating lens to reflect the passage of time-day to night, past to present. At the same time, it implies that the creation of the novel comes from life, childhood and growth experience.


There are many confusing places in the 19th version of the movie that are not friendly to the audience who first encountered this story.

When Laurie and Amy reunited, Laurie sighed; Jo's attitude towards Laurie changed later; Laurie's attitude towards Amy changed; why Jo chose the professor in the end; Jo and Laurie? Did she accept her Teddy and her sister to marry so simply? If the director of the new version hopes not to confuse the audience, it can greatly reduce the interactive scenes between Jo and Laurie, but since Ronan and Sweet Tea are invited, how can we not let this combination sell some cheap modern hormones to the audience?

Pictured is the 19th version of the movie

The director of the 19th edition chose and emphasized the elements of love in Little Women, weakening feminism and race . The media of the 21st century has affected the ability of potential audiences to read information, and people pursue stimulus, sweetness and other non-heavy elements. Therefore, the director does not understand the charm of this masterpiece, but she also understands what elements will make audiences happy to spread and recommend on social media, and the rapid disappearance of information under social media also forces them to produce enough topicality and communication. Scenes and plots. As a result, the audience will find that the element that once occupied the main position is reduced to an insignificant line in the background. The highest light in the film-or the most feminist moment, is when Jo and the publisher fight for their own royalties and profits.

Pictured is the 19th version of the movie

Different from the flashback frequently used by the director of the 19th version, it uses tones to distinguish the memory from the present. In 1994, "Little Women" created a logical and safe world under the obvious classical narrative structure . It gave full play to the advantages of scene scheduling and provided the audience with a comfortable, satisfying and warm viewing experience. Let the audience rest assured and boldly look for clues hidden in the movie . The 19th edition of Little Women is obviously not able to please the fans of the original "Little Women", but it can attract a large number of fans who pursue visual pleasure. They get visual enjoyment. After they walk out of the cinema, they will post movie ticket photos on Instagram. Add a few hash tags: #littlewoman, #saoirseronan, #emmawatson, #timothéechalamet, #truelove, #feminist, and easily get hundreds of likes. However, these audiences cannot get the sense of interaction that follows the characters in the 94 edition, projecting themselves into the characters, drawing power from the characters, and then using this power to help themselves.


View more about Little Women reviews

Extended Reading
  • Margarete 2022-03-27 09:01:10

    The 94 version was wrong, but it was surprisingly good. The soundtrack is beautiful, the scenery is beautiful, and the actors are beautiful. The director of this version is also a woman.

  • Benjamin 2022-03-27 09:01:10

    The narration is smooth, the characters are vivid, and some adaptations are even higher than the original while restoring the original work. The romantic plot and the part that speaks for women should be added in the 1990s, adding a special sense of the times to this classic original work, so that it becomes more intimate. Maybe because the original author didn't want to find a partner for the heroine, he handled it a little hasty and sloppy, but the movie adds wonderful details to the story of Qiao and the professor. You can feel that the window of Qiao's soul was opened by the professor. The heart resonates deeply under the lead of Wen Zhe. And the story of Laurie & Amy also has a small seed of carriage dialogue, and it is more natural to come together later than the original. Maybe it's not 100% restored, or all the characters are perfect, but I really like this version.

Little Women quotes

  • Amy: We bear our souls and tell the most appalling secrets.

  • Laurie: Fellow artists, may I present myself as an actor, a musician, and a loyal and very humble servant of the club.

    Jo March: We'll be the judge of that.

    Laurie: In token of my gratitude and as a means of promoting communication between adjoining nations, shouting from windows being forbidden, I shall provide a post office in our hedge, to further incourage the bearing of our souls and the telling of our most appalling secrets. I do pledge never to reveal what I recieve in confindence here.

    Meg: Well, then. Do take your place Rodrigo.

    Jo March: Sir Rodrigo.