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Little Women

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Little Women

Released Mar 10, 1949

2h 1m

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

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75%

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8 Reviews

82%

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5,000+ Ratings

The March sisters -- Meg (Janet Leigh), Jo (June Allyson), Beth (Margaret O'Brien) and Amy (Elizabeth Taylor) -- struggle to make ends meet in their New England household while their father is away fighting in the Civil War. Despite harsh times, they cling to optimism, often with neighbor Laurie (Peter Lawford) as a companion. As they mature, they face burgeoning ambitions and relationships, as well as tragedy, all the while maintaining their unbreakable bond.

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TIME Magazine

A shade less ambitious than its 1933 predecessor (which starred Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett), it still jerks tears with easy efficiency.

Mar 23, 2011

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

The tender story, with its frank and unashamed assault on the emotions, still has its effective moments at times when the sentiment doesn't grow a little too thick.

Mar 31, 2009

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

If anything, it has hauled back much too briskly on the strings of the heart and has strained a few muscles in the process. Its consequent agony shows.

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Elsa Branden

Photoplay

In its handsome Technicolor remake of Louisa May Alcott's perennial favorite, Metro has carefully preserved the Victorian flavor, the lavender-and-old-lace mood.

Rated: 2/3

Aug 20, 2021

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Fotogramas Staff

Fotogramas

The film never survives its horrifically cheesy tone. [Full Review in Spanish]

Rated: 2/5

Nov 19, 2019

Full Review

TV Guide

This version is a well-handled retelling of the classic Louisa May Alcott tale.

Rated: 2.5/4

Mar 23, 2011

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The H

nothing to see here at all

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

10/20/23

Full Review

Sachin E

Unnecessary and corny remake

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/28/23

Full Review

Rosana B

Algum tempo ansiava por assistir esse de 49, amei muito essa versão, bem como todas as outras, algumas situações e cenas foram mais abruptas e rápidas, mais nada que prejudicasse o desenvolvimento, ambientação perfeita e roteiro bem fiel a obra original, com alguns cortes, inevitável, o livro é longo... Lindo, lindo, um romance a frente de seu tempo, com mulheres fortes e determinadas, principalmente Jô, baseada em si mesma... Falta a versão de 1933...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/23/22

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the worst movies I've ever seen. The director totally butchered one of the most beloved tales of all time. Written as a beautiful coming of age story, this version is ruined by poor casting--June Allyson was 32 when she played Jo, and, poor editing--many important story components missing. This is a tale that is best told as a mini-series, but short of that, there are much better versions out there.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

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steve d

Hurt by the fact that so many better versions have come out since.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Mervyn LeRoy's 1949 Technicolor version of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel is taken from the same screenplay of the 1933 version. June Allyson is Jo, Elizabeth Taylor is Amy, Margaret O'Brien is Beth, and Janet Leigh is Meg. The colors pop with vitality and the performances are all wonderful; it just lacks the sentimental edge of its predecessor. The support of Lucile Watson and C. Aubrey Smith is every bit as wonderful as that of Edna May Oliver and Henry Stephenson in the first but Peter Lawford, Mary Astor, and Rossano Brazzi look like they walked into the set of the wrong picture.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Mervyn LeRoy

Director

June Allyson

Jo

Peter Lawford

Laurie

Elizabeth Taylor

Amy

Margaret O'Brien

Beth

Janet Leigh

Meg

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Synopsis

The March sisters -- Meg (Janet Leigh), Jo (June Allyson), Beth (Margaret O'Brien) and Amy (Elizabeth Taylor) -- struggle to make ends meet in their New England household while their father is away fighting in the Civil War. Despite harsh times, they cling to optimism, often with neighbor Laurie (Peter Lawford) as a companion. As they mature, they face burgeoning ambitions and relationships, as well as tragedy, all the while maintaining their unbreakable bond.

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Producer: Mervyn LeRoy
Screenwriter: Andrew Solt, Sarah Y. Mason, Victor Heerman
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 10, 1949, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Runtime: 2h 1m

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