Of the three versions of Little Women (1933, 1949 and 1994), this one is the weakest. I agree with the experts that the problem is June Alyson as Jo. I understand that she doesn't have Katharine Hepburn's incomparable spirit in the 1933 version, or Winona Ryder's soulfulness in the 1994 version.
And yet this one is my favorite. Probably because it's the first one I saw. Maybe because it's shot in bright color on great MGM sound stages, giving it a comfortable, familiar look. Or maybe it's because Elizabeth Taylor in a blonde wig is so much fun.
But this is my favorite. And it's Christmastime and I love it.
This is the version that I'm most familiar with. My aunt gave me this movie one year for Christmas (I think my Mom told her I was reading the book) and somehow my sisters started liking it too so over and over we'd watch it. Surprisingly.
ReplyDeleteI liked Taylor in this, and I'm not much of a Taylor fan. Even so, my first movie experience of Little Women is the Hepburn version, and everyone else pales in comparison.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever see the miniseries with Susan Dey as Jo?