Why Greta Gerwig's Little Women is The Best

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Greta Gerwig's 2019 Little Women is far from the first adaptation. With so many version out there, why make another one? In this video I compare 4 film adaptations of Little Women to show what Greta Gerwig brings to the table with her new adaptation.
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[@gravityvertigo13579]

Meryl Sleep

[@kissingthimbles552]

i've always found it interesting how many of the film/series adaptations of little women focus on romance rather than the life of the four sisters as it was always intended to be. greta's adaptation does EXACTLY that. it tells a story of four loving sisters living life through the trials of growing up.

[@xhinoteque]

The change from a vivid color pallete to a opaque one to represent childhood from adulthood was just brilliant.

[@ahellahulabaloo5500]

In the end it isn't girl gets boy, it's girl gets book. Which is why I love this adaptation the most.

[@katiepreb3961]

I love the 2019 adaptation for many reasons but one thing about the dialogue I love is that the sisters talk all over each other, it's chaotic and messy and so true to life. Plus it reminds me of how I am with my sister. I cry every time I watch this one.

[@222222ania]

Greta took the time to understand each character. The cast is great. And Amy and Laurie's love story is finally described as love rather than some revenge plot to get back at Jo.

[@ahmedmustapha5051]

Haven't watched the other adaptations, but the sequence where Jo comes downstairs to find Marmee sitting w Beth (in the past) versus Marmee sitting alone (in the present) to reveal Beth's death was just brilliant. Greta Gerwig is a great director!

[@teng3989]

Beths death in Greta's version is much more heartbreaking to me because of how the narration paralleled the past and the present. You really get to feel that their childhood is gone.

[@susanalopez5052]

I love how Greta was able to completely change the ending without changing a single word from the book. She keeps it just ambiguous enough if you want to keep the happy romantic ending, but clear enough to lampshade and comment on how the original ending was always a product of its time. She was able to have her cake and eat it too and it’s just brilliant. It’s an adaptation made specifically for fans of the book, it changes nothing and still changes everything

[@MTech07]

You forgot to mention something really important. Everyone loves Jo, but the book gives justice to all of the sisters. Amy actually is similar to one of her actual sisters that become one of the author's bestfriends. All sisters are important in the story.

[@l.s.8793]

Actually we DO know that LMA didn't want Jo married. She says so in her letters, and says she regrets giving into the pressure of the culture of her time, adding that "Jo should have remained a literary spinster."

[@whatthefparon]

The "break up" scene of the 2019 version is more heartbreaking to watch. I felt not only Laurie's pain of not getting Jo's love but also Jo's heartbreak of losing their friendship. Chalamet and Ronan brought their A game in this scene

[@mbanerjee5889]

I like that Jo and Laurie's relationship is framed as friendship and gives Amy much more depth. I love the final scene showing Jo opening her school. You can choose to believe Jo got married but either way, it doesn't matter, she gets her happy ending.

[@skyguy0889]

"And while we don't know if this was the case..."

[@hunnerdayEDT]

I like how they humanized Amy.

[@engelstraene3]

I loved this video, and I agree with you on pretty much everything, but I kind of wish you also said something about Gerwig's handeling of Amy's character. I think it's partly due to Florence Pugh's fantastic acting and portrayal of the character, but I do feel like Gerwig was the first writer of one of the adaptions that truly understood Amy as a character, as a youngest sister, as who she is. Amy finally felt like an actual person that you could love and relate to or at least understand. To me, personally, that is one of the big reasons this adaption stands out to me.

[@akhilanarayanan3270]

i really liked your observation about the differences between "laurie proposes to jo" scenes from the different adaptations. Imo, gerwig's adaptation is the only one that actually does the book justice and frames it as a somewhat selfish and immature move on laurie's part and centers the tragedy around Jo's frustration at seeing her childhood friendship ruined by the pressures of marriage and adulthood. The other versions are sad and sweet, but they tend to focus on Laurie's romantic heartbreak and as a result, Jo's valid concerns about marriage with Laurie don't make a ton of sense and the audience is left a little confused as to why Jo (and the author) are rejecting what appears to be the most obvious romantic pairing. When they're walking around and arguing and Laurie is acting a little comical and immature (as in the book and the 2019 version), Jo's statement that they'd "quarrel" and be "miserable" makes sense and the audience appreciates that Jo is making a difficult, but ultimately correct decision. When they're cuddling together under a tree and quietly saying everything to each other whilst soft music plays in the background, the audience is told that they aren't a good match, but don't really see much evidence of it.

[@lauren_ea]

Each adaptation is a reflection of the time in which it was created, attuned to the tastes and cultural mores of the current audience and the filming styles and limitations of the day. You couldn't and wouldn't make a film like Gerwig's in 1949. Preference is going to be affected by what's familiar or what's nostalgic to the viewer.

[@DysnomiaFilms]

It was then that they realized... they were no longer little girls... They were little women...

[@BehindtheCurtain]

Gerwig's adaptation is the only Little Women that I've experienced, so watching clips side by side with other adaptations is a new experience for me. Obviously I'm biased, but Gerwig really has done something special with this story. Great video.