Poll: Great Adaptations of LITTLE WOMEN

A previous post on this blog mentions the various "Great Adaptations" of films based on novels Turner Classic Movies will be featuring this month. Possibly the most quintessential American novel, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, has also been made into a number of popular films, two of which will be airing this month. My personal favorite is George Cukor's LITTLE WOMEN (1933) starring Katharine Hepburn as Jo. My friend Megan, on the other hand, much prefers the June Allyson version, which also stars Elizabeth Taylor and Margaret O'Brien (1949). The most recent adaptation of the classic is the 1994 Winona Ryder version. 

Which is your favorite?

George Cukor's LITTLE WOMEN (1933)

Jo: Katharine Hepburn
Meg: Frances Dee
Beth: Jean Parker
Amy: Joan Bennett
Marmee: Spring Byington
Laurie: Douglas Montgomery
Professor Bhaer: Paul Lukas
Aunt March: Edna May Oliver 

Pros: Katharine Hepburn is Jo March - tomboy, Yankee, headstrong, devoted to family. The music and the gentleness of the black and white picture captures the warm feel of Alcott's original story.

Cons: Overall, the film can seem a bit melodramatic. Spring Byington, as much as I love her, does not give her best performance here. They also completely omit the exchange between Jo and Amy when Amy burns Jo's writing and they quarrel and then Jo saves Amy when she falls through the ice. I don't actually know if Cukor actually read the whole book, despite Hepburn's prodding....