The Little Women Face - Off, Part 4

Hello friends, welcome or welcome back to the blog post series where I can geek out about one of my favorite things.

That of course being Little Women film adaptations, in this case comparing Little Women 1994 to Little Women 2019. If you are new here, or have fallen behind a little bit, here are the three earlier instalments of the series, Post 1 (where I set the stage and talk analyze the storytelling.) Post 2 (where we go into how the movies compare to the books, and their historical accuracy.) Post 3 (in which I compare all the characters).

This week we're getting into the nitty gritty, the little things that can make or break a film, cinematography, settings, costumes, and music. These are the little details we don’t tend to notice, but if we do notice them, it means something is wrong. These things all work together to make a film beautiful.

Cinematography (how the film looks)

 I want to make it clear that I am not a film expert by any means, I don’t know anything about cameras and editing as it pertains to film. So I am going to be judging this based on how I see it, and the things I found in my research, and have simply noticed in my many viewings of the two movies.

1994:

 This film definitely looks like it’s from the 90’s (but that's not a bad thing). The shots naturally have a grainer look. The color scale of the film is very warm and contributes to a very cozy feel (which is probably the first word I would use to describe this film in general) this color makes the film seem idyllic and separate from the rest of the world.

​Most of the shots are more close up and don’t span much space, almost seeming to imply the small scale of domestic life. That being said, there are some very tasteful and creative moving shots which I noticed upon a re-watch. Nothing really bad with the cinematography, but nothing ground breaking either.

​2019:

Research wise, I have found a lot more information on the cinematography of the 2019 film. First, it was shot on film instead of being shot digitally. Comparing it to another period film released in 2020 (Emma) we can tell that this was the right choice. It makes what we are seeing seem more real. 

Greta Gerwig chose to use color grading to really tell the story, in the parts of the movie that are set in childhood, the lighting is warm and golden, and the scenes of adulthood are darker and grayer

​She also chose to have the film shot on a larger scale, she said that a Civil War dramas about men would be shot on an epic scale, so there is no reason a domestic drama about women shouldn't be. She utilizes scale and color to add to the story, and I think it pays off.

Time to hand out points for the cinematography... 
1994 - This film gets 3/ 5 possible points.
2019 - I personally adore the cinematography of the 2019 film, so it’s getting 4/5 points, I’m sure there are things that true film buffs will notice that I don’t, so that’s why I’m going with 4.

Setting (the physical world amidst the story)

Sets/Setting add so much to the film, they add to the accuracy, they add to the aesthetic and they can help with overall storytelling. When I read books, I am a setting person. Setting is everything, so in movies it’s no different for me.

​1994:

Much of this film was shot in Canada in the summer. Almost all of the indoor locations were soundstages. The setting of this film doesn’t scream to me, though Plumfield is pretty nice and Orchard House looks good. There are some outdoor scenes, but not many and I feel like they don’t add much. ​

​2019:

This film was shot in Concord Massachusetts, Louisa May Alcott’s hometown. They shot at Ipswich beach, historical biomes that you can visit, real rural areas, places at Harvard and more. Although they did build some sets, so much of what we see in this film is real and accurate. I feel like this setting adds so much to the film, it makes it feel more genuine and real. It's a love letter to New England.

Time for the points! 
1994: 2/5 possible points, there is so much room for improvement when it comes to setting.
2019: 5 /5  I don't have any critiques, they did everything right.

​Costumes (what our actresses are wearing, it's more important than you would think)

Now, we get into possibly the trickiest topic there is. Costumes.

Historical costuming is quite the challenge. Trying to stay true to history, but making sure the costumes don’t hinder the storytelling. 

​People get really amped up about this, and I wanted to put a little disclaimer here. Yes, I appreciate respect for a historical time period, but at the end of the day the costumes don't make or break a film. I know many Little Women fans get very upset about the costumes, I want to break through that if possible and accept the fashions for what they are. At the end of the day, they are telling a story and what's more important is that they lend to the story not that they are one hundred percent historically accurate.

I have watched so much content on this topic over the years, but am going to try to tell it to you simply. Little Women film fashion is a rabbit trail we can go down for hours and hours, but I wouldn’t do that to you. But if you are curious I will link a bunch of Little Women fashion content at the end of this section.

​1994:

 The costumes in 1994 make sense but aren’t particularly eye-catching. Let me explain. In the Victorian era there were a lot of changes in fashion, just like today, fashions progressed quite quickly, but there are a few things that were mainstays, the first is the usage of corsets. Corsets were undergarments worn over a chemise, they kept the stomach and chest in and helped form the silhouette we associate with the Victorian Era. Dresses in the time period were long (at or past the ankles), and skirts were big, usually with hoops or bustles. The colors of this era were vast, and not just dark like we often assume, greens, purples, reds and oranges were all popular colors for gowns.
    
​1994 did a fantastic job with utilizing these elements of fashion. (which make’s Marmee’s quip about corsets even more unsettling.) The colors didn’t pop and none of the dresses stand out in my mind (with the exception of Jo’s red party dress), but they are quite accurate. 

Story wise, the dresses help us understand the March sister’s social standing, there are only a few dresses in the film and we see them worn over and over again (in an interview Winona Ryder said she had only three dresses, but this isn't true, though she did have very few). We also see younger sisters wearing dresses the older sisters wore in earlier scenes, and there is a necklace that different sisters wear at different points in the film, allowing us to assume that it’s a family heirloom (Jo and Meg are both wearing it in the above photos).

The hair is a little all over the place. There are some parts where the girls' hair is up and looking like ti should for working class Victorian American women, and other points where it's down and flying everywhere or in weird braids. Not sure what to think about that.

Despite the amazing historical accuracy with the dresses, I don't feel like they have much personality.

2019:

So 2019 won an Oscar for the costumes, but a lot of people in the historical fashion community were (understandably) livid. I touched on this in post 1, but the costumes in this film were not historically accurate. Jaqueline Durran who is a well respected costume designer designed these costumes.

​Based on my research I found that pretty much everything was wrong. Some of the actresses chose not to wear corsets, hemlines are much too short (see the above picture where we can see the petticoats on three sisters), hair is much too loose, and these girls own so many outfits. Some things were historically conscious like the coloring, but I think this isn’t very important when we look at what all wasn’t done in terms of historical fashion

Jo’s costumes use lots of menswear pieces, though while it suits her character, would not have been socially acceptable. 
  
​Unlike 1994, there was a lot of character that went into the fashion. Each sister had a color palette (Meg- purple and green, Jo - red, Beth - pink and brown, Amy - light blue), these palettes helped define the characters and their personalities. But each girl owns so many dresses it doesn't make sense considering the March’s economic standing.

Something they did with the costumes that I love, is that Laurie and Jo trade vests and hats. The two are often seen wearing the same pieces in different scenes, I think this shows who they are as characters much better and gives them a really sweet sibling-like  chemistry. But then again, in this time period women wouldn’t be allowed to wear men's clothes.

The costumes are beautiful and I do love them, but in continuity with the novel, they fall very short.

Time for points - if I’m being honest I don’t completely love either. 1994 - 4/ 5 points (could use more personality). 2019 2/ 2, sorry Jaqueline, the Oscar should have gone elsewhere.​

Costume Content Info-Dump

There is far too much for me to explain when it comes to the costuming, so here are some helpful and interesting resources if you would like more background on the subject.

This is a great comprehensive analysis of the issues in the costuming of 2019.

My personal favorite video on the matter of costuming, compares the two movies and critiques 2019 in a positive way.

This is a webinar comparing the costumes of 5 Little Women adaptations, it's long but very interesting and informative.

Here are a few articles on the topic.

https://www.varsity.co.uk/fashion/23332

here is a three part, very in depth blog post series about the costumes. ​https://curatorscurio.com/tag/little-women/

Music

The musical scores of both films is also very important. It brings a sort of magic to the movie. I’m not a music expert, so I will be talking about the scores based on what they add to the story and how they make me feel.

1994: Thomas Newman (The Help, Saving Mr. Banks, Finding Nemo) was the composer for the 1994 film. His music is light and airy using many string and woodwind instruments. The music almost feels like it’s from a Christmas movie. It’s nostalgic, warm, and feels like a cozy blanket. That being said, a lot of the score feels repetitive and doesn’t strengthen the story.

2019: Alexandre Desplat (The Boys in The Boat, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Girl With A Pearl Earring) composed the music for Greta Gerwig's Little Women. The score for this movie is more piano heavy than orchestral, like 1994 it feels light and feminine, unlike ‘94 emotion is translated so well through Desplat’s work. It does sound and feel very modern, but it was my top listened to album from last year… so I don’t think I’m one to complain.

Which one is most Little Women though? If I’m being honest, despite my undying affection for the 2019 soundtrack, I think 1994 works best in the context of the film.

The music doesn't overshadow the story, it only lends to it. 2019 on the other hand can at times feel like a rewind sort of video, the music doesn’t match the era, it feels added in, not natural.

So as much as it pains me I have to give the point to 1994. I’m only giving one point cause it's too tricky haha. I sincerely wish the composers of these films had taken the approach Pride and Prejudice 2005 took, designing the music based on real music of the time period.

That is all for this week my friends! Let me know what you think! Do you agree with my opinions? 

Sources -

Cinematography
https://youtu.be/bs5Nlm55Tc4
The Little Women Movie Companion (book)

Belle Thomas

Belle is the writer and dreamer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about reminding girls of their identity in Christ, classic books, history, Louisa May Alcott, and earl grey tea.