Little Women

Four sisters in Massachusetts during the Civil War with their father at the front. Gillian Armstrong's adaptation shifts the emotional centre onto Jo's determination to write. The story of how the film got made rhymes with its subject. It took twelve years to find studio backing. Producer Denise Di Novi recalled executives dismissing this kind of film as a needle in the eye, convinced it would draw no male audience. Columbia only agreed on one condition: Winona Ryder as Jo. Armstrong had turned it down several times before Di Novi and Amy Pascal convinced her it was not a repeat of her own My Brilliant Career. Ryder was nominated for Best Actress. Susan Sarandon plays Marmee, Christian Bale plays Laurie and Claire Danes plays Beth. Amy is played by two actresses, Kirsten Dunst young and Samantha Mathis grown, the only adaptation to split the part. Thomas Newman's score was also nominated. On a budget between 15 and 18 million dollars it grossed 95 million worldwide, which settled the studio's doubts. Who it is for: viewers who love classic adaptations and stories about sisters. Who it is not for: anyone wanting the novel's darker economic edge. This film chooses warmth first.