Oh, this isn’t what I thought it was going to be at all? I thought it was with… Bette Davis? And an adult drama? Little Something Else? The?
Anyway, this is a big-budget Hollywood movie, and it really shows. When this kind of thing works, it really works. And this really works.
There’s so many great actors in here. Janet Leigh, Mary Astor, Elizabeth Taylor…
The “little women” in question are teenagers — I think, but because of the casting it’s a bit difficult to say. The actors range in age from 12 to 32… but at least Elizabeth Taylor is 17 here.
Anyway! This is a pretty flawless specimen. It’s got laughs, it’s got sobs, it’s got romance. And all these perfect little details.
The ending drags, though.
Veteran director Mervyn LeRoy is thoroughly professional, but not very distinctive.
Little Women. Mervyn LeRoy. 1949.
Popular movies in March 1949 according to IMDB:
| Poster | Votes | Rating | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 5986 | 7.8 | The Set-Up |
 | 407 | 7.3 | Alias Nick Beal |
 | 4929 | 7.3 | Little Women |
 | 492 | 7.1 | Manon |
 | 2105 | 7.0 | Impact |
 | 2412 | 6.8 | Take Me Out to the Ball Game |
 | 587 | 6.8 | The Undercover Man |
 | 319 | 6.7 | The Blue Lagoon |
 | 374 | 6.7 | The Walking Hills |
 | 867 | 6.6 | Edward, My Son |
This blog post is part of the Decade series.