The second filmed version of Louise May Alcott's novel is a sumptuous color coordinated classic which starred June Allyson, Elizabeth Taylor, Margaret O'Brien & Janet Leigh. Having seen the original Katherine Hepburn version many years ago & the closest one of note is the '94 version w/Winona Ryder, I admit I was a little trepidatious to visit this 1949 entry but boy was I happy I did. Allyson is a fireball as Jo, the reluctant, soon to be writer who has to be the matriarch of her clan as her father serves in the Civil War & Marmee has to keep the finances on a tight leash. Feeling like a play shot on film w/the main house set large on a sound-stage w/gorgeous backdrops accentuating the ambiance, this adaptation hits all the right notes. I dare you to keep a dry eye when young Meg visits her elderly neighbor to thank him for a recent present of a piano.
Review of Little Women
