‘Little Women’ (2019): a rare case of a successful book-to-movie adaptation

Movie adaptations of novels are notorious for failing to do the book justice; but once in a blue moon, films are able to perfectly bring their books to life. “Little Women (2019)” is an impeccable example of this. The movie not only captures the loving feeling of the original novel by Louisa May Alcott; it elevates it. 

“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott follows the lives of four sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — as they grow up during the Civil war-era and  navigate marriage, sickness and sisterhood. Meg is sweet and beautiful, Jo is an adventurous tomboy, Beth is shy and quiet and Amy is mannered and pampered. The variety of distinct character traits appeals to a  diverse audience because every viewer can relate to at least one of the numerous personality types showcased. 

Greta Gerwig, the director of the film, avoided improperly translating the book to the movie, flawlessly executing the book’s vision through costume and set design that matched the time period, tasteful plot shifts that were absent in the novel, and most importantly, casting.

Gerwig chose to reunite Timothy Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan for the roles of Laurie and Joe, respectively. The two had starred together on “Lady Bird (2019)” and their chemistry on set clearly translated to the screen of “Little Women.” Gerwig also casted some characters based on the actors’ offstage personality. For instance, Emma Watson was chosen for the role of Meg partly because of her intelligence and sophistication off-screen, which is portrayed in Meg’s character throughout the movie. 

Though Gerwig kept most of the storyline the same, she altered the order of events. Contrary to the chronological timeline in the novel, the movie jumps back and forth between the sisters’ adolescent and adult years. As a result, viewers are able to better experience the nostalgia the adult women felt while reminiscing about their childhood.

Scenes cut back and forth between Jo’s past, as she is surrounded with her happy family at home in one moment and faces her forlorn future in the next, filling the film with Jo’s loneliness and grief for her dead sister. As Jo jumps between two times, the lighting is adjusted to parallel the mood. The scenes with her family use a golden hue, providing warmth and comfort, whereas her experience after Beth’s death uses blueish lighting to stress Jo’s soul-crushing isolation and her yearning for the past.

Furthermore, the characters in the movie exhibit greater depth and development when compared to the book. In the novel, Laurie is a static character, with his feelings for Amy considered unconvincing. But Chalamet managed to portray Laurie as a dynamic character with a genuine feeling, thus improving the role. Additionally, in the entirety of the novel, Amy is bratty and spoiled; however, in the movie, she matures into a more selfless figure that readers are able to empathize with. 

Arguably the most brilliant change Gerwig made in the film is Jo’s ending. A key controversy in Alcott’s novel is Jo’s marriage to Professor Friedrich in the end of the novel; the independence she worked for throughout the story disappeared in a matter of pages. Instead, Gerwig brought justice to Jo’s future as she remains single at the end of the movie and breaks free of societal norms. The only way in which Jo compromises is by putting a marriage scene in a novel she wrote to appease her publishers, but she refuses to compromise on her ideals in real life. With this change, the overarching theme of independence is depicted perfectly in the movie version. 

Gerwig’s movie is the seventh adaptation of the Little Women novel. The previous six were not necessarily flawed, but they followed the book much more literally, with little to no creative refinements. Gerwig was not afraid of adding her own twist to the timeline and characters, which helped the story resonate and leave a larger impact with the audience on a deeper level.