What makes it different from others?

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

I didn't know that this movie would be so long, but seeing as how I didn't want it to end, that means I must have been watching a great movie! It was great to see a lesser known Oscar winning film. It was just so enjoyable to see a film that was realistic that didn't really have a single storyline but instead just showed a slice of life story. A true work of art is timeless and this actually fits the bill very nicely. I admit that the costumes and locations are old, but most of the morals taught in the film (and original book) still hold up today. It actually kind of reminded me of "A Christmas Story" with all the little subplots going on.I can't want to really compare Louisa May Alcott to Jane Austen. There were just a lot of movies based on classic novels about women in the 1800's. Even the title is sincere. It really does tell the story of little women who are learning to grow up. I especially like the plot involving Jo trying to get a novel published. Hey, when you're a writer in real life you know what it's like to be a writer! As an early Technicolor film, it was so beautiful looking. It was so unique for its day. We even get to deal with some pretty dark topics like infants dying. It's as great as it was back then as it is now. ***1/2

It's difficult to watch this version of "Little Women" without comparing it to the 1933 film starring Katherine Hepburn. One can understand why they chose to remake the film, especially since this version benefits from color film.There are other aspects of this film that compare favorably to the earlier film. Although June Allyson, as Jo, is not as convincing as Hepburn for me, her portrayal is very earnest. Other actors in the cast are noteworthy, especially Margaret O'Brien, who plays Beth, the shy musical sister. Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor play the other two sisters, completing a stand-out foursome.C. Aubrey Smith also deserves recognition for his portrayal of the elderly neighbor Mr. Laurence, who befriends Beth. It is one of the warmest moments of the film.This is a wonderful coming of age story based on a classic novel.

I'd heard this was the weakest screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel. However, after 90 minutes of wonderfully sentimental tear-jerking moments, to say nothing of the Academy Award winning Art Direction-Set Decoration and Oscar nominated Color Cinematography, I thought those assessments must be wrong.Unfortunately, the last fourth of the film, which focuses primarily on the Jo March character, proved that those critics were right. I think the reason for this is that June Allyson just couldn't carry it as well as (e.g.) Katharine Hepburn did in the original; of course, few could. It's still a very good family drama.This version was produced and directed by eventual Irving G. Thalberg winner Mervyn LeRoy, with a screenplay by Victor Heerman, Sarah Y. Mason and Andrew Solt. In addition to Ms. Allyson, the cast includes Peter Lawford, Margaret O'Brien, Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh, Rossano Brazzi, Mary Astor, Lucile Watson, C. Aubrey Smith, Leon Ames, and Harry Davenport (among others). Harlan Briggs and Will Wright, who plays a kindly storekeeper, appear uncredited.The March family consists of four daughters, Jo (Allyson), Beth (O'Brien), Amy (Taylor), and Meg (Leigh), their mother they call Marmee (Astor), their crotchety and rich Aunt (Watson), and absent (at the beginning and for most of the film) Reverend father (Ames), who's gone off to war. They live next door to the Laurences, Laurie (Lawford) lives with his grandfather James (Smith) because his parents are no longer living.In this version: Jo is the outgoing tomboy who's an artistically creative writer, the second oldest daughter to socially proper Meg who, unlike Jo, is interested in the opposite sex; Amy is a self centered braggart and the youngest, Beth, is a talented piano player who is shy. Because Laurie is lonely, he watches the March family activities through his window. Soon, however, Jo and Laurie are fast friends, running, chasing and playing with one another as two boys would, earning Jo some rebuffs from Meg and Aunt March and growing affections from Laurie.Mr. Laurence is thought to be as stern and crotchety as Aunt March but Jo, and later Beth, learn that their assessment is all wrong. He becomes a good neighbor to them, allowing shy Beth to utilize his piano without an audience that would frighten her. Even though the Marchs themselves are struggling without father's income, Marmee helps those even less fortunate setting a good example for her daughters, who follow her lead.Unfortunately this leads to Beth contracting Scarlet Fever shortly after Mr. Laurence had gifted his piano to her in return for her gift of slippers to him. Dr. Barnes (Davenport) is able to help her pull through while the family, which now includes the Laurences, gathers.Much to Jo's dismay, Meg dates Lieutenant Brooks (Richard Stapley, aka Wyler) whom she eventually marries; father, who returned shortly after Beth's recovery, performed the service. The event leads Jo to despair (e.g. the family is breaking up) which causes Laurie to confess his love for her. When Jo says that she doesn't, couldn't love Laurie in that way, he is heartbroken and storms off.Jo decides to go away to pursue her writing. She's to live in Mrs. Kirke's (Connie Gilchrist) boarding house where she meets Professor Bhaer (Brazzi, almost unrecognizably young in one of his first English speaking roles). Ellen Corby plays the maid, Sophie. He expands her world considerably by taking her to the theater, the opera, the ballet, etc.. He also tells her that the fantasy writing she's done for various murder magazines and the like is not very good, that she's got talent but she's wasting it. This brings her to tears in part because she'd just learned (from a visit) that Aunt March was taking Amy to Europe instead of her.Jo returns home because Beth is again ill. However, she takes the professor's advice and writes a book about her youngest sister. At the film's end, Bhaer brings Jo a copy of her published novel, during a rain storm of course, which leads to the predictable, romantic ending.

Very colorful film of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel about the March family girls--Jo (June Allyson), Beth (Margaret O'Brien), Amy (Elizabeth Taylor) and May (Janet Leigh). It also involves their neighbor Laurie (Peter Lawford) and Prof. Behr (Rossano Brazza).First off this is NOT a faithful adaptation of the book--the original novel runs over 500 pages so a lot was cut out. For some reason Amy (the youngest in the book) is now the second youngest with Beth becoming the youngest! The change is not needed. Also most of the cast is far too old--Allyson was playing a teenage girl and she was 32 when she did this! Taylor and Leigh (two wonderful actresses) seem totally lost in this. The picture is far too pretty also. The March family is supposed to be living in poverty--but they live in a HUGE house and all the girls have beautiful clothes on! Still, as a glossy Technicolor big budget production it works.Everything (and everybody) looks beautiful. There's always something beautiful to see on the screen. The movie moves fairly quick and there's good acting by Allyson (who captures Jo's personality beautifully), Lawford and Brazza (who, unfortunately, doesn't pop up till the last half hour). O'Brien though is perfect in every scene she's in. She has the impossible role of a saintly little girl bur pulls it off. So, as an adaptation of the book it's bad but as a movie it's lots of fun and so beautiful! I give it an 8.