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Monday, November 25, 2019

Little Women (1994)

While their father (Matthew Walker) is off serving as a chaplain in the Civil Warfour sisters in Massachusetts live in genteel poverty along with their mother (Susan Sarandon): Jo (Winona Ryder in an Oscar nominated performance)Meg (Trini Alvarado)Beth (Claire Danes) and Amy (Kirsten Dunst who morphs into Samantha Mathis). Based on the beloved novel by Louisa May Alcott and directed by Gillian Armstrong. Considering its many adaptations for filmTV and the stagetimeless seems as good a word as any to describe LITTLE WOMEN. While not the definitive version (and not my favorite adaptation)the film is a scrupulously artful rendition of the novel. Warm and winningthe ensemble acting with a couple of exceptions is superior. I found Sarandon's Marmee out of placeperhaps too contemporary and Trini Alvarado's Meg rather benign. But those are minor quibbles. The atmospheric lensing of Geoffrey Simpson (SHINE)the art direction of Richard Hudolin and production design of Jan Roelfs and score by Thomas Newman (SKYFALL) all contribute to the movie's success. With Christian Bale, Gabriel ByrneEric StoltzMary Wickes and John Neville.

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