Little Women (1949 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little Women |
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Australian Theatrical Poster
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| Directed by | Mervyn LeRoy |
| Produced by | Mervyn LeRoy |
| Screenplay by | Andrew Solt Sarah Y. Mason Victor Heerman |
| Starring | June Allyson Peter Lawford Margaret O'Brien Elizabeth Taylor Janet Leigh Rossano Brazzi Mary Astor |
| Music by | Adolph Deutsch Max Steiner (musical score) |
| Cinematography | Robert H. Planck, A.S.C. Charles Schoenbaum, A.S.C. |
| Editing by | Ralph E. Winters |
| Studio | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | Loew's Inc. |
| Release date(s) | March 10, 1949 |
| Running time | 121 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,776,000 |
| Money made | $5,910,000 |
Little Women is an American movie from 1949 that's a mix of comedy and drama. It's based on the famous novel Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott in 1868 and 1869. This movie version actually used some of the script and music from an older Little Women film made in 1933.
It was filmed in bright Technicolor, a special color process that made movies look vibrant. Mervyn LeRoy was the director and also produced the film. The story for the movie, called a screenplay, was written by a team: Sally Benson, Victor Heerman, Sarah Y. Mason, and Andrew Solt. The music you hear in the film was created by Adolph Deutsch and Max Steiner.
This movie was also the first American film for Italian actor Rossano Brazzi. For another actor, Sir C. Aubrey Smith, who had been in movies for many years, Little Women was sadly his last film; he passed away in 1948.
Plot
The story takes place in the town of Concord, Massachusetts, during the Civil War. We meet the four March sisters: Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth. They live with their mother, Marmee. Their family isn't very wealthy because their father lost their money and is away serving in the Union Army. Marmee teaches her daughters to be kind and help others, especially during Christmas.
- Meg is the oldest and more traditional sister.
- Jo is a lively, aspiring writer who loves to tell stories and put on plays. She's independent and a bit of a tomboy.
- Beth is shy, gentle, and loves to play the piano.
- Amy is the youngest, who sometimes wishes their family had more money and fancy things.
Jo becomes good friends with Theodore "Laurie" Laurence, the grandson of their wealthy, but sometimes grumpy, neighbor, Mr. Laurence. One winter, Mr. Laurence is so impressed with Jo's honesty and how she cheers up Laurie that he invites the March sisters to a big party at his grand house. At the party, Meg gets attention from John Brooke, Laurie's tutor. Jo dances with Laurie, while Amy and Beth watch excitedly. Mr. Laurence is kind to Beth, who reminds him of his granddaughter who passed away. He even lets Beth play his grand piano. The evening ends a bit sadly when Amy and Beth overhear some snobby guests talking unkindly about Marmee.
As time goes on, Laurie starts to like Jo as more than a friend, but Jo tells him she only sees him as a friend and doesn't plan to marry. Jo also tries to stop Meg from getting too close to Mr. Brooke, because she's worried marriage will change their sisterly bond. Beth is very thankful when Mr. Laurence gifts her a beautiful piano, and they become close friends.
One spring, Marmee gets news that Mr. March is injured and in a hospital in Washington, D.C. Jo asks her rich Aunt March for money for Marmee's train ticket. They argue because Jo doesn't speak to her aunt with the formal respect Aunt March expects. Aunt March does help, but not before Jo cuts off her long hair and sells it to get money for Marmee's trip. While Marmee is away, Beth gets very sick with scarlet fever. The sisters are scared and realize how much they need their mother. Marmee returns just as Beth starts to get better. Laurie then surprises everyone by arranging for Mr. March to come home.
A few months later, Meg marries Mr. Brooke. Laurie asks Jo to marry him again, but she turns him down. She explains she's not comfortable with high society and wants to focus on her writing. Laurie is very disappointed and travels to Europe. Jo feels sad about Meg getting married and Laurie leaving, so she moves to New York to try and become a writer.
In New York, Jo meets Professor Bhaer, a kind German tutor. He introduces her to museums and opera. He reads her stories but tells her they are too focused on just being exciting. Jo is upset and tells him she feels abandoned by Laurie and sad that Aunt March took Amy to Europe instead of her. Professor Bhaer comforts Jo and advises her to write from her heart. Jo decides to go home because Beth is very sick again.
Back home, Jo finds out that Beth is dying. She spends weeks caring for her brave sister. After Beth passes away, Jo writes a novel called My Beth to help with her sadness and sends it to Professor Bhaer. Later, Meg, who now has twins, tells Jo that Laurie and Amy fell in love in Europe and are getting married. Jo is happy for them but realizes how lonely she feels.
Laurie and Amy return as a married couple, and the family has a joyful reunion. Professor Bhaer arrives with Jo's novel, which he helped get published. But when Laurie answers the door, Bhaer mistakenly thinks Jo married Laurie and starts to leave. Jo runs after him, they share their feelings, and he proposes. Jo happily says yes and brings him into the warm house to join her family.
Cast
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Production
How the Movie Was Made
A famous movie producer named David O. Selznick was first planning to make this film. He even started filming in September 1946. However, after making a very big and difficult movie called Duel in the Sun, Selznick felt he couldn't manage another large production. So, he sold the movie idea and script to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio. If Selznick had made the film, the actors would have been different. For example, Jennifer Jones might have played Jo.
The screenplay, which is the script for the movie, was adapted by Andrew Solt, Sarah Y. Mason, and Victor Heerman. Sally Benson also helped with the script.
Differences from the Book
This movie version has some changes from Louisa May Alcott's original novel:
- Sisters' Ages: In the movie, Beth (played by Margaret O'Brien) seems much younger than Amy (played by Elizabeth Taylor). But in the book, Beth is actually a year older than Amy. The actresses playing the sisters in the movie also had a wide range of real ages.
- Jo and Laurie's First Meeting: In the movie, Jo and Laurie first see each other when Jo is taking breakfast to a poor family, the Hummels. She later visits Laurie when he's sick. In the book, they meet for the first time at a New Year's Eve party.
- The Party: When the March girls go to the New Year's Eve party in the movie, all four sisters attend. In the novel, only Meg and Jo go.
- Amy's School Trouble: In the book, Amy gets in trouble at school when her teacher, Mr. Davis, hits her hand with a ruler because she hid limes in her desk. In the movie, she gets in trouble for drawing pictures on her slate, but she is not hit.
- Missing Scenes: Some scenes from the book, like a group picnic, Amy falling through the ice, and details of Amy and Laurie falling in love in Europe, are not in this movie.
Release
Little Women was originally planned to be released in 1948. However, its first showing (premiere) was delayed until March 1949. It was shown as a special Easter movie at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City. It's thought that the delay happened so the movie could be part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 25th anniversary celebration.
The movie was very successful and became one of the films that made the most money in 1949. According to MGM's records, it earned $3,425,000 in the United States and Canada, and $2,495,000 in other countries. This meant the studio made a profit of $812,000 from the film.
See also
- List of films and television shows about the American Civil War
- Little Women (1917 film)
- Little Women (1918 film)
- Little Women (1933 film)
- Little Women (1994 film)
- Little Women (2018 film)
- Little Women (2019 film)
