Writer/Director Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is coming out Christmas Day. Gerwig (Francis Ha, Lady Bird) has most certainly brought an important anti-patriarchal text to life for a whole new generation. Of course, it’s for all generations of film-goers. In an interview with Time, Gerwig explains how she used not only the text from Little Women but also drew from other books written by Alcott, even her letters, to write the script. In response specifically to the book, Gerwig says that she, “reread it as an adult and (she) was bowled over by how modern it was, how much it was about women, ambition, art and money. There were lines that could have been written yesterday.”
image via mental floss
As you may already know, the film has a powerhouse cast, with Saiorse Ronan playing Jo March, Emma Watson playing the humble Meg, Florence Pugh playing Amy, and Eliza Scanlen playing Beth. Across the street, peeking out the window is Timothée Chalamet as good ol’ Laurie, Laura Dern is playing dear Marmee, and Meryl Streep is the cold but well-meaning Aunt March. Could you ask for stronger actors?
image via bustle
What’s more, the characters eschewed in former adaptations are getting more attention. In the Time interview, writer-director Greta Gerwig says “Meg’s story doesn’t end when she gets married. She wants to be married and have children, but she is feeling like maybe she has made the wrong choice. That’s just as real a journey as anybody else’s. So I got to explore the most interesting part of Meg, which is what do you after you get the happily ever after?”
image via slashfilm
On Amy March:
“I found Amy to be utterly compelling and modern. From the time she’s a little girl, she is able to stand inside her own desires: I want to be the best painter in the whole world and I want to marry rich and I want a mansion. For so many female characters and for women in general, the idea that desire and ambition are shameful is everywhere. ”
image via Tumblr
On Jo March:
“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know who Jo March was. I don’t know if I wanted to be a writer, which is why I liked Jo March, or Jo March was a writer, so I wanted to be a writer, too.”
It’s great to hear Gerwig identify with Jo, and also give so much attention to the other characters. It will be refreshing to see all of the girls in a multidimensional light. But what about sweet Beth?! We know how she meets her fate, but the in-between, and the character development? I guess we will have to wait until Christmas day!
Featured Image Via Flickering Myth
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