A presentation about a book "Little women" and its characters

1. Little Women
(2019)
Written and Directed by Greta Gerwig

2. “Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts.
And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty.
I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for.”
—Jo March

3. Introduction
Characters analysis
Themes
Important Scenes
Director’s interpretation
The film and the book
Reflection
Production design
Table of contents

4. Introduction
The movie “Little women (2019)” is the seventh film adaptation of the beloved coming-
of-age novel “Little Women” written by Louisa May Alcott - with screenplay and
direction by Greta Gerwig.
In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each
determined to live life on her own terms -- is both timeless and timely. Portraying Jo,
Meg, Amy, and Beth March, the film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson,
Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, with Timothée Chalamet as their neighbor Laurie,
Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.
Little Women received six Oscar nominations in 2020, which is a significant feat for a
film that was produced and directed by women.

5. The story tellsof how the sisters grow up, find
love,and find theirplace in the world. Four
sisters and their mother at home. Their father is
fighting in the war. Louisa May Alcott semi-
autobiographical novel has captured young
women and the young at heart for years.
While on the surface a simple story about the
four March sisters journeys from childhood to
adulthood, Little Women centers on the conflict
between two emphases in a young woman's life—
that which she places on herself.
Four sisters representing 4 different life choices
of women. There is no right or wrong. They are
all equally beautiful and worthwhile.

6. Emma Watson as Meg Saoirse Ronan as Jo March
Eliza Scalen as
Beth March FlorencePugh as
Amy March
The
cast
TimothéeChalametas
Theodore'Laurie'
Laurence
Meryl Streep as Aunt
March
Laura Dern as Marmee
March
Louis Garrel as
ProfessorFriedrich
Bhaer

7. Character Analysis

8. Joe March
Played By Saoirse Ronan
JosephineMarch is the second March sister and
the main character of Little Women, Jo is an
outspoken tomboy with a passionfor writing.Her
character is based in large part on Louisa May
Alcott herself.
At a time when women's lives were restricted to
hearth and home, Jo represented thepossibilityof
anotherkindof life.
Of the four March sisters, Jo was easily the least
traditionalfemale character: she was vocal about
thinkingfor herself, took pride in shunningfemale
manners and fashion,and was unlikely to succumb
to the pressures placed on women at that time.

9. Meg March
Played by Emma Watson
Margaret Marchis the eldestof the four Marchsisters.
Meg represents the conventional and good. She's also the
most typical of the sisters – we think of her as everything
that you might expect a nineteenth-century American girl
from a good family to be. Meg loves luxury, nice things,
dainty food, and good society. She also has a dreamy
romantic side and a love of elegance.
Yet while Meg envies the luxurious, indulgence lifestyles
of her wealthy friends, in actuality she often feels most
comfortable in the practical domesticity of her humble
home.

10. Beth March
Played by Eliza Scanlen
Elizabeth March is the second youngest
March sister. Beth was kind, sweet, shy and
quiet.She is known for her musicality and
pleasant ways.
Beth said her desire would be to stay with
their mother and father and to take care of the
family. So she did. She felt she had nothing
more to wish for.
She developed scarlet fever, which is caused
by a bacterial infection,resultingin a rash,
loss of skin and weakening of the immune
system which eventually lead to her passing
away..Beth's dyinghad a strongimpact on
her sisters, especially Jo.

11. Amy March
Played by Florence Pugh
Amy Curtis March is the youngestMarch
sisterin LouisaMay Alcott'sclassicLittle
Women,herself based on Alcott's own
youngest sister, May. Of all four March
sisters, Amy is the one most concerned with
adhering to the rules and acquiringthe
trimmingsof high society.Amy starts as a
young lady who is quite often very much vain
and spoiled.Out of all the sisters, she is most
probably the opposite of Jo.Whilenurturing
her artistic dreams, Amy strives to embody
selflessvirtuesof generosity,maturity,and
kindness.

12. Laurie
Played by Timothée Chalamet
Theodore Laurence, also known as Laurie
and Teddy, was a friendof theMarchfamily.
He had a close relationshipwith the whole
family. He was the husband of Amy Laurence
and He shared a close friendshipwith Jo
March.Laurie had a very kind heart, always
givinggifts and food to the March family. In
fact, his personalitywas very similar to Jo's.

13. 13
Characters and their
relationship with one another

14. The four March sisters are very close but their
relationship are varied and complex.
Jo is the main character. She seems to be very
close with her younger sister Beth. Jo and Beth
both are quite opposite of each but they seem to get
along pretty well. Jo seems to inherit Beth’s role
as the “angel in the house” which, inturn, helps Jo
to become more comfortable with her femininity.

15. Jo’s relationship with her other two sisters, Meg and Amy, are equally lovable but involve more
conflict. As the two oldest sisters, they both share a lot of experiences. They become young women and
enter into the society together. Because of their poverty, they begin taking extra responsibilities. Due
to these shared experiences, they seem to have a great bond between them.
Jo and Amy are the most explosive pairing of the March sisters. Jo despises and is intolerable to
Amy’s attempt of being snobbish and proper while Amy’s really little Jo seems to treat her a bit
condescendingly. On the christmas eve, they met and wanted to scream on each other’s face how much
they hate each other. Amy and Jo have fiery tempers. But their faith and love for the family
continually hold them together, despite all the things that may put them apart.

16. ❖ Women’s struggle between familiallifeand personalgrowth.
❖ The danger of gender stereotyping.
❖ The necessity of work.
❖ The importance of being genuine.
❖ Poverty.
❖ Independenceand women’s rights.
❖ Morality and society.
❖ Value of sacrifice
❖ Women as artist.

17. Important plot scenes

18. Jo andLauriedancing:-
Jo stumbles upon Laurie
Laurie’sconfessionto Amy :- Although
subtle hintswere dropped, Laurie makes it
clear that he wants Amy to be his wife
Amy’sspeechon marriagebeingan economic
propositionto women:- Amy aspires to be an
artist but says it would be no use because as a
woman, she’d never make enough to support
herself and rather marries rich as that is the best
possible route.
Jo’smonologuedepictingfeminism:-Jo tells her mom
that she doesn’t want to be a housewife while fightingthe
urge to settle is a dilemma many women feel.

19. 19
Memorable Quotes

21. Production Design

22. Location - Concord, Massachusetts
Supervising location manager Doug Dresser. “By removing some of the modern elements, they mostly remain the
same, and that’s why it was wonderful tobe able toshoot there.”
the film’s Oscar-nominated production
designer, Jess GonchoR whose movies include The Devil Wears
Prada (2006) , A Quiet Place Part Two (2021), and to name a few, wanted to
update Little Women's 19th-century aesthetics to make it feel
contemporary.
● ThaT is why the time period in movie felt more modern than the
other Adaptations
● He was inspired by Allcot's real mansion where she authored
and set the narrative in her hometown, which served as the
visual inspiration for the film.
● HE Wanted to design a neighbourhood setting that would link
the estate of the Laurences with the humble March residence.
● The goal was to give each place awelcoming and inspiring atmosphere for the women. Therefore,
in the midst of a harsh Massachusetts winter, you have accessto food, clothes, a fire, art tools,
and literature.
● “I wanted them tolooklike someonewould wanttolive in there, right now and today.”

23. A crucial part of the movie was March's attic,
which serves as thesisters' pickwick club and
serves as the setting for their bonding and
melancholy.
The march’s residence
● In the movie, the march's residence is more than just a place where theyspend the
night. In the movie, a cosy house filled with love is shown as providing a moral hub
for both men and women
● THE DESIGN TEAM MakeS it livelier and a little bit bigger so that there is space for
the ladies to function brighter and more energetically
● Although the front of the March home is a little damaged and worn out, the
interior is filled with vibrant colour and a flow of good vibes. Each space has an
own personality.
H
o
m
e
e

24. Director’s interpretation

25. ● Thefilmmakerdemonstrateshow, inthepast, womenwere notpermittedto work andbe
independentlikemenHow the situationhas altered andevolvedovertime
Greta Gerwig
known for portraying the independent
free spirit of Lady Bird 🐞 (2017) and
BRINGING TO LIFE unconventional,
restless women in films like Frances
Ha (2012) sought to put her own
unique spin on Louisa May Alcott's
book.
“It’s the movies. I can do
whatever I want!”
● Gerwig'sdecidedto ignoretheromanticdesiresof all thesistersandconcentrateinstead
on their creativeaspirationsandstruggles intheface of a societythathas noplace for
themunlessthey marry.
● Gerwig'sadaptationfocused moreon theMarchsisters' adulthood, whereas earlier
adaptationstendedto be moreconcernedwiththe historicalcontextandhow thegirlsfit
withinit.
● Greta dugdeeper intothecharacter developmentandfocusedon how the girlsdealt with
puberty andadulthood.
G
e
r
w
i
g

26. Gerwig says. “My theory was always that
I do the book faithfully, then I wanted to twist it
and leave it open.
❖ It's obvious that Jo, in Gerwig and Alcott’s vision will
always be independent at heart.
In the end Finally, Jo and Bhaer share a passionate embrace. But as
the focus of the camera shifts to tenderly depict the printing of Jo's
book, Little Women, it becomes evident which option Gerwig has
selected for her main character.
Gerwig doesn't exactly silence Bhaer, the domineering,
paternalistic critic of Alcott's book, but she
definitely subdues him.
By transforming the youngest March sister, Amy, from the
brat of the novel to a full-fledged and sympathetic figure,
Gerwig and Pugh adda fresh perspective to the book and our
conception of ambitious women in the 19th century.
❖ Both persuasively advances a more universally human point,
namely that we flourish when those we love support us, and we
wither when that support is denied.
❖ More Importantly, both Alcott and Gerwig have understood
that in love, men must change and sacrifice as well.

27. Message of the film

28. ● Themovieemphasisesthat womenmaybe justas tough, resilient,andinflexibleas menand
that itis notnecessaryforthemto constantlybe firm,weak,andfrail
● Severalhavenotedthatthe novel'sthemes—suchas how a woman balancessociety's
expectationswith what shedesiresfor herself—aredistinctlyprogressivefor thelate
19th century.
● Italso says about thefamilyrelationswith each others
● Itsaysthat how peoplearoundthese littlewomen are helpingand
coordinatingso thatthey achievetheir goals
● Italso shows at theendwhere JoeMarchwantsto thetake
initiativeto build a school for both boysandgirls
● Thefilmalso reveals thatthere isonlyoneearnerinthe household ofthese
sixindividuals—thegirl'sfather, who is inthe militaryandliveselsewhere to
ensurethateveryonehasenoughto eat.
.
● Thefilmfocuseson thefact thathow each sisterholdson to each
inthere toughertimesandnevergivesup on each other'ssaysabout how
womenwishes to havean independentandworkinglife

29. 29
Thank You!