Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (2018)/Little Women(1981 & 1987 anime)/Little Women(1994)/Little Women(1949)

2018

Directed by 

Clare Niederpruem

Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)  

Louisa May Alcott

Clare Niederpruem

Kristi Shimek

CAST:

Sarah Davenport as Jo March

Aimee Lynne Johnson as Young Jo

Allie Jennings as Beth March

Reese Oliveira as Young Beth

Melanie Stone as Meg March

Taylor Murphy as Amy March

Elise Jones as Young Amy

Lucas Grabeel as Laurie Lawrence

Stuart Edge as Brooke

Ian Bohen as Freddy Bhaer

Lea Thompson as Marmee March

Bart Johnson as Papa March

Adam Johnson as Duke Senior

Michael Flynn as Mr. Laurence

2018 is the 150th anniversary of Little Women.  Before it became required reading, mom already made me watch the version with JUNE ALLYSON, ELIZABETH TAYLOR, JANET LEIGH, and MARGARET O'BRIEN, among others, in it, so I vowed to myself I would, if ever my hair would get healthier, to always donate my hair for medicinal purposes/wigs.  The place I've been donating my hair to ceased to exist, so my chopped hair's still here.  Maybe I'll just go to a hospital or something...wait, I'm digressing.  Why do I always do that?

Anyways, let me talk about the 2018 version(I just learned that there's a 2019 version, but I haven't seen it yet).  It's the fifth adaptation that I've seen, and I must say that I didn't expect to like it, but I do.

It is a great adaptation adjusted to our times, so it is more relatable.  I thought I was going to hate how SARAH DAVENPORT depicted Jo March, but towards the middle, I finally understood where she was coming from.  

I had one "issue" besides all of Jo's angsts. When Jo was about to get married(spoiler alert 😛) she said she couldn't believe she was breaking her own oath.  Hey!  She met Prof. Bhaer when she was twenty-nine years old.  They spent a lot of time together until she had to go home(still the same age).  Let's say they haven't seen each other for six to seven months(because the babies were sort of standing already), that's still before thirty, but the babies were already toddlers or a tad older on the wedding day.  So may I ask again, "What oath were you breaking, Jo?"

Anyways, that's such a minor...petty thing.

THE BOOK and the four(4) versions I watched before this one:

The Book

Of course, nothing beats this.  It's a classic. 

1949

My second favourite version

June Allyson as Jo

Peter Lawford as Laurie

Margaret O'Brien as Beth

Elizabeth Taylor as Amy

Janet Leigh as Meg

Rossano Brazzi as Professor Bhaer

Mary Astor as Marmee

with:

Lucile Watson as Aunt March

Sir C. Aubrey Smith as Mr. Laurence

Elizabeth Patterson as Hannah

Leon Ames as Mr. March

Harry Davenport as Dr. Barnes

Richard Stapley as John Brooke

Connie Gilchrist as Mrs. Kirke

Ellen Corby as Sophie

Uncredited

Olin Howland as Mr. Davis, Amy's teacher

Isabel Randolph as Mrs. Gardiner, snobbish woman at party

Will Wright as Mr. Grace, the store Proprietor

Harlan Briggs as Old Crony at Grace's store

1981

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34962656

I like this too, but between this and the 1987 version, I liked the latter better.

1987

1994

My FAVOURITE version

Winona Ryder as Josephine "Jo" March, an ambitious young woman, who longs to become a successful author.
Gabriel Byrne as Friedrich Bhaer, an older professor who falls in love with Jo while he works as a tutor in New York and eventually marries her.
Trini Alvarado as Margaret "Meg" March, the oldest March sister. She marries Laurie's tutor, John Brooke, and gives birth to fraternal twins: a boy, John (nicknamed "Demijohn" by Jo, which is shortened to "Demi"); and a girl, Margaret, called "Daisy" at home "so as to not have two Megs".
Kirsten Dunst and Samantha Mathis as Amy March, the youngest March child and quick-witted daughter. Instead of the brown hair and brown or green eyes of her three older sisters, she has golden curls and blue eyes. She later marries Laurie and becomes a successful painter. Amy was the only character played by two different actresses - Dunst portrayed her at twelve years old in the first half of the movie, Mathis as a young woman in the second half of the movie.
Claire Danes as Elizabeth "Beth" March, the third March daughter and the pianist of the family. She is shy, good, sweet, kindly, and loyal. At the young age of fourteen, she contracted scarlet fever, which weakened her heart and resulted in her death four years later at the age of eighteen.
Christian Bale as Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, the young neighbor who became Jo's best friend in their youth. Later, he tried, but failed, to convince her to marry him. He eventually falls in love with and marries Amy.
Eric Stoltz as John Brooke, Laurie's tutor and Meg's eventual husband.
John Neville as Mr. James Laurence, Laurie's grandfather and a kind neighbor of the Marches.
Mary Wickes as Aunt March, the only March family member who still had a lot of money. Upon her death, her estate is left to adult Jo, who transforms it into a school for boys.
Susan Sarandon as Abigail "Marmee" March, the mother of the March daughters and the loving wife of Mr. March.
Matthew Walker as Mr. March, the father of the four March daughters, Marmee's loving husband, and long-time devoted spouse.
Florence Paterson as Hannah, the loyal housekeeper of the March family since Meg was born. The girls think of her more as a good friend than a servant.
Janne Mortil as Sally Moffat, Meg's one and only good friend, who is quite rich and prosperous.