Even if it is slightly embarrassing, I think I might have to admit that Little Women might just be my favorite movie of all time (I don’t know if there is more than one version, but I am referring to the one with Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and….Christian Bale). I have actually avoided reading Louisa May Alcott’s book for fear of tarnishing my view of the movie. Little Women was released when I was 7 years old, and I was immediately hooked. It went on permanent, heavy rotation, right along with Sleeping Beauty, The Worst Witch, Heidi, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Clueless. I loved the soundtrack so much that my parents finally tracked it down for me, but it was on CD and we only had cassette capabilities at the time, so we got my cousin to transfer the CD to cassette for me (I think he must have used one of those handheld tape recorders with the little microphone…I bet that was annoying for him).
Being an only child, LW allowed me to glimpse into the life of a “real” family. To me, this was not a movie, with actors simply playing their parts; this was what the rest of the world got to experience (and take for granted). I saw the fun they had, the arguments, the good times and hardships. I watched them fall in love and marry. It seemed to me that I was peering through a window, watching this family grow up together. When I watched LW as a child, I mostly wanted to be Amy–to be a talented artist, go away to Europe and marry a rich man. I think I even wore a clothespin on my nose a couple of times. Sometimes when I watched, I wanted to be Beth, because everyone loved her so much and she was such a kind person.
I now own the movie on DVD (and it has a special feature that shows the entire movie without dialogue–only the soundtrack, and I LOVE that). I have gone back twice to watch Little Women in my adulthood. The first time was when I bought the DVD. I came home from Best Buy, ripped off the plastic, and stuck it in the DVD player. I watched passively. It was the movie I remembered from my childhood. Just last night, however, I watched it again–this time, through the eyes of an adult. As a child, I understood the plot, but many of the exchanges went over my head. I knew what was happening, but only on a basic level. Watching it again–as if I couldn’t quote the whole thing right along with the actors–it was fresh. I listened deeply to all the conversations taking place, and I saw a whole new movie. I saw Amy as well-meaning, but selfish and immature (even taking into account that she’s the youngest). As a kid, I couldn’t believe Jo turned down Laurie’s proposal–they seemed made for each other! But he was like a brother to her–they were too alike. And oh, how I love Professor Bhaer! As I’m growing up, I find myself wishing I was Jo–I crave adventure (and I love writing and Transcendentalism), but for some reason, it’s just not happening for me yet. But, life is what you make of it, so I suppose I will have to go out and have more adventures.
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