A miscast "Little Women", with a lot of expensive sets and photography; colorful and overproduced.
Margaret O'Brien is the best of the bunch; she can actually play a "Little Woman" believably. "Christopher Columbus!" but, June Allyson looks and sounds ghastly in this role; the "older woman cast as young girl" thing worked much better in silents, with fuzzy B&W photography. Peter Lawford's tutor looks as young as his character. And, my grandmother said, "If I ever came to the breakfast table with the make-up Elizabeth Taylor has on, I'd have gotten a licking!" They age into their roles with varying success, if you keep watching.
In my opinion, this movie will appeal mostly to followers of lavish period productions, or fans of a specific individual/filmmaker. I don't see how 1949's "Little Women" could be better than either the original book or another filmed version. And, why wasn't there room in the budget to dub in a decent "whistle" for Ms. Allyson?
***** Little Women (3/10/49) Mervyn LeRoy ~ June Allyson, Margaret O'Brien, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Lawford
Margaret O'Brien is the best of the bunch; she can actually play a "Little Woman" believably. "Christopher Columbus!" but, June Allyson looks and sounds ghastly in this role; the "older woman cast as young girl" thing worked much better in silents, with fuzzy B&W photography. Peter Lawford's tutor looks as young as his character. And, my grandmother said, "If I ever came to the breakfast table with the make-up Elizabeth Taylor has on, I'd have gotten a licking!" They age into their roles with varying success, if you keep watching.
In my opinion, this movie will appeal mostly to followers of lavish period productions, or fans of a specific individual/filmmaker. I don't see how 1949's "Little Women" could be better than either the original book or another filmed version. And, why wasn't there room in the budget to dub in a decent "whistle" for Ms. Allyson?
***** Little Women (3/10/49) Mervyn LeRoy ~ June Allyson, Margaret O'Brien, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Lawford