Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is perhaps one of the most influential novels of all time. In being so, it has raked up an astonishing number of adaptations over the years in film and TV alike. Spanning from 1917 to now, over 13 adaptations have gone to the big or small screen, even having an anime series! Some have gotten lost in the age of silent cinema and we may never see them again. Many others survive, and there are even more adaptations from other countries. These adaptations range from book-accurate to iterations that put the story in a more modern setting. But perhaps the most famous is the 1933 feature film starring Katherine Hepburn, the 1994 film starring Winona Ryder, and the most recent 2019 film adaptation starring Saoirse Ronan, directed by Greta Gerwig. However, one of the most overlooked adaptations of this classic story came out just two years before Gerwig's starring Maya Hawke as Jo and The Little Mermaid's Jonah Hauer-King as Laurie.
The 2017 'Little Women' Miniseries Explores the Other March Sisters
While the most successful and memorable adaptations of Little Women are feature films, they do have one drawback. Despite the heart, brilliant acting, and quick wit in Gerwig's stylish adaptation, the runtime will always cause things to be trimmed. This is just the nature of movie adaptations. And while the 2017 miniseries does the same, the three-episode structure gives breathing room for more of the novel to come to life on the screen.
All the sisters get more screen time, but Beth (Annes Elwy) perhaps gets the most impactful part of the expansion. By the time this adaptation has come around, we all know Beth March is going to die. In the first episode, Marmee (Emily Watson) introduces the March sisters to a poor German family, whom they give their Christmas meal to. This is, of course, the catalyst of the entire story; Jo meeting Laurie, and thus beginning their will-they-won't-they romance. But what is important about this is that Beth, who seems the only one that truly does care about the family, keeps going. Where other adaptations shy away from the reality of the situation, this adaptation doesn't. This is the time of the civil war, and a family starving, freezing, and dying because of scarlet fever is not pretty. The miniseries shows Beth finding out they've died, and it is as disturbing as it sounds, contrasting to all the other sister's character journeys. Beth, going to the Hummels' house alone, contracts scarlet fever, and while she survives initially, it severely weakens her, and she dies after struggling with her health for some time. While the other adaptations of the story focus on the main plot with Jo, this TV adaptation allows room for expanding her sisters' roles.
2017's 'Little Women' Is Full of Wonderful Performances
Where every adaptation of Little Women can succeed or fail is in the performances. Thankfully, this stacked cast delivers fantastic performances all around that carry the show to its familiar conclusion. Maya Hawke, who plays a similarly outcast character in Stranger Things, easily plays Jo March. She is combative with her sisters, even going as far as to hate (but still love) some. She is passionate about her writing, but even then, family comes first as Beth gets sick. And in the end, her story turns a bit tragic as she realizes her feelings for Laurie too late. It is well known that Alcott intended for Jo to live life as an independent woman, thwarted by publishers, and that was eventually implied in the 2019 adaptation. While this series does not offer up an independent Jo, it offers up the book's ending nicely. Hawke is endearing to watch as the iconic character, displaying the flaws that make Jo human and therefore one of the best characters of all time.
Before Jonah Hauer-King landed the role of Prince Eric in the live-action The Little Mermaid, playing in theaters now, he gave us his own version of Laurie. He is Jo's love interest for most of the story until she turns him down, and he eventually marries Amy (Ant-Man's Kathryn Newton) after they grow close together overseas in the wake of Beth's death. Hauer-King might have the toughest role in the production. Laurie has to be lovable, a bit of a troublemaker, but he must never be hated. That can be sometimes tough, especially as he ends up with Jo's sister after harboring romantic feelings for Jo for years. Beyond the two true leads here, all the other actors do a fantastic job as well. Meg is portrayed with care by the Scream TV show's Willa Fitzgerald. Emily Watson, Angela Landsbury, and Michael Gambon bring British prestige to the production and portray their characters Marmee, Aunt March, and Mr. Lawrence, respectively, with ease.
There's No Stopping the 'Little Women' Adaptations
It goes without saying, Little Women is a timeless classic. It is doubtful we have seen the end of continuing adaptations of this story. There will always be more adaptations of these kinds of stories. People will choose their favorites, no doubt usually going for the one that came out in their time. But that doesn't mean that others are not worth seeking out. Every adaptation of Little Women has at least something special going for it.
This adaptation by the BBC/Masterpiece was released a century after the first adaptation of Little Women hit the silver screen. Who knows how many adaptations of this story there will be in another 100 years? If anything, that shows that no matter how many times this is remade, people always want more of the March sisters. This adaptation flew relatively under the radar, especially in the wake of the Gerwig adaptation a few years after. But this one is also worth seeking out. Not just for how close it sticks to the book, but for the brilliant performances too.
Little Women is streaming on Britbox and Masterpiece and is also available on Blu-ray and DVD.