How delighted I was to discover BBC had brought out a wonderful new adaption of Little Women in a three part miniseries...
This week my mom and few of my sisters sat down to watch this adaption of Little Women for the first time.
Today I would like to share my thoughts on this brand new adaption...
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First of all...let's meet the March Family...
Emily Watson played strong and gentle Marmee. Personally, I love her in this role. If, like me, you enjoy period drama, you may recognize her from Belle, Miss Potter and War Horse to name but a few...
"My child, the troubles and temptations of your life are beginning, and
may be many; but you can overcome and outlive them all if you learn to
feel the strength and tenderness of your Heavenly Father as you do that
of your earthly one. The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you
will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and
wisdom. His love and care never tire or change, can never be taken from
you, but may become the source of lifelong peace, happiness, and
strength. Believe this heartily, and go to God with all your little
cares, and hopes, and sins, and sorrows, as freely and confidingly as
you come to your mother."
~ Marmee to Jo, Little Women
Meg has always been my favourite character in Little Women.
I think I preferred her in the 1994 film adaption, but Willa Fitzgerald does a good job of playing Meg...
Maya Hawke was a wonderful choice for Jo! I really enjoyed her performance...
"I like good strong words that mean something..."
~ Jo, Little Women
Annes Elwy played the part of Beth to perfection. She was sweet, gentle Beth in every way...
Kathryn Newton played Amy. I always find it difficult when an actress plays both the part of a child and the grown woman.
Seeing Amy as a mature young woman just didn't work for me - I kept imagining her as a naughty, spoilt child!
Laurie... There is a boyish innocence about him in this adaption. Jonah Hauer-King played the part of mischievous Laurie quite well, but as with Amy, I found it difficult imagining him as an older Laurie.
And I do think he has some way to go when it comes to showing emotion in film. The part when he is refused by Jo felt so dreadfully unnatural!
Aunt March was played by Angela Lansbury. What a joy she was and brought an element of fun to the screen!
I love Michael Gambon (You may recognize him from Emma, Wives and Daughters, Cranford), and he really was a fantastic Mr Laurence!
One
aspect of this mini series I genuinely appreciated, was that there was
more interaction between Father and his family shown. I feel this draws
the viewer in to the story in a very real way - this is a closely knit
family and the bond between father, mother and daughters is plain to
see.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mini series. Even though I am something of a purist when it comes to film adaptions of classic novels like Little Women, I actually liked the fact that this adaption was not completely true to the book. Maybe it is because I have read the book so often...or seen the 1994 movie over and again that I quite appreciated the new twist!
I felt I could connect with each character in a special way.
The soft lighting, the scenes of the countryside and animals as well as the touches of lace throughout gave it real charm and made it feel very real which is ideally what you would like to see in any film!
I was, however, disappointed with the soundtrack of this particular BBC mini series. BBC usually does an incredible job of creating beautiful music for their work... Think of the soundtrack from Emma... Or the opening title in Call The Midwife.
However, Little Women sadly does not qualify. I found the choice of music somewhat random and a bit too modern...
This mini series could have done with another part...things were slightly rushed at the end so as to tie up any loose ends. But then maybe I simply would have liked this series to never end...{{smiles}}
If you decide to watch Little Women, let me know what you think.
Personally,
I would give this mini series 3/5 stars. The acting was a little forced
at times by one or two actors, but overall I thought it a lovely
version of one of my very favourite books.
"Now and then, in this workaday world, things do happen in the delightful storybook fashion, and what a comfort that is."
~ Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What is next on my list of period dramas to watch?
Goodbye Christopher Robin should be coming out in South Africa very soon... I have been eagerly anticipating this film and was dreadfully upset when it didn't show in theatres here.
Happy Sunday to you, dear readers...
Thank you for your sweet visits - it always brightens my day to have you stop by!
Blessings in Christ,
Kelly-Anne
