Little Women (2019): How (and why) Greta Gerwig changed the ending | Tom Nicholas

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Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation of Little Women is an engaging interpretation of the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Featuring mesmerising performances from Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Eliza Scanlen (among others), it is a brilliant introduction to the story of Jo March and her sisters for those who have yet to encounter the story of the March sisters before.

Yet existing fans of the book (or one of the seven previous film adaptations of it) will notice that Greta Gerwig also takes some liberties with the original text.

Most notably, Little Women 2019 plays with the novel's timeline, beginning the action partway though the action of Part Two of the book.

In tandem with this, the movie introduces a new framing device for the story which collapses the distance between Jo March (who Louisa May Alcott based upon herself) and the author of the novel as she existed in real life.

The result is a distinctly feminist, postmodern adaptation of Little Women which makes the material and economic workings of the literary industry which Alcott was forced to navigate to publish the novel an active presence in the film itself.

In this Little Women video essay, I draw on ideas surrounding postmodernism, feminism and materialism in order to unpack how and why Greta Gerwig might have made some of these bold directorial interventions.

Further Reading/Watching

The Trouble with the Video Game Industry by Oliver Thorne / @PhilosophyTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYkLVU5UGM8

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
US: https://amzn.to/2tsy14T
UK: https://amzn.to/2uVOJKm

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field
US: https://amzn.to/2svVPV3
UK: https://amzn.to/3alMT5R

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Twitter: @Tom_Nicholas
Website: www.tomnicholas.com

#LittleWomen #LittleWomenMovie #GretaGerwig

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