Little Women (1994): 30th Anniversary (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Feb 26, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
Gillian ArmstrongRelease Date(s)
1994 (November 19, 2024)Studio(s)
Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: D
- Extras Grade: C-
Review
Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel Little Women has been adapted eight times so far for the big and small screen, with two miniseries and Greta Gerwig’s 2019 adaptation just in the past seven years. For a source that was first adapted for the silver screen in 1918 as a silent film series, we need revisit the age-old question: Why does this novel have so much lasting power? For many reasons, but the one that interests me most is how Little Women has acted as a vessel for female artists to reflect. Not to the detriment of the source, mind you, but to the benefit. Alcott’s characterizations allow for wiggle room in authorial intent, and filmmaker Gillian Armstrong saw the opportunity to make the novel a freeing experience of sorts. The kind of film that feels like a personal and sometimes deeply sad depiction of how women must negotiate with a world not designed for them to succeed. It’s a marked difference from Greta Gerwig’s luscious, moving dramatism.
In 19th-century Concord, Massachusetts, the March sisters grow up during the American Civil War, where their father Robert (Matthew Walker) is currently fighting. There’s the responsible and eldest Meg (Trini Alvarado), the headstrong Jo (Winona Ryder), the soulful and quiet Beth (Claire Danes), and the lovesick, churlish Amy (younger Amy played by Kirsten Dunst and older Amy by Samantha Mathis). We watch the sisters navigate growing up, finding love, having children and discovering that the reality of adulthood has a limit for them. Meg respects and adores the life she builds with her husband John Brooke (Eric Stoltz) despite having little means, and Jo quickly grows out of Concord to enter the seemingly never-ending intellectual struggle to be respected. This happens all while Amy lives out Jo’s original plan of going to school in London. When all of these character arcs converge upon Beth falling ill with scarlet fever, the structural masterstroke of Alcott’s novel is laid bare. Every character has their time, and it only makes the entire affair richer.
Filmmaker Gillian Armstrong has had a long and storied career of depicting strong female lead characters navigating the world around them. But where she departed classic Hollywood dramatism is in the way she’s able to reflect our own human faults right back at us. For instance, Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version of Little Women is this triumphant, gorgeous little film that will make your heart sing. That’s not to say that Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation doesn’t have a similar effect, yet the degree of which it reminds us of how reality (one created and driven by men) is something we need to reckon with. Broad-stroke dramatism is often punctuated by a deeper sadness in her films, but it’s one that feels true.
Like all the great adaptations of Alcott’s novel, Armstrong’s Little Women is also a major coup in Hollywood casting. The 90s saw the birth and growth of the careers of the actresses involved. They would grow into household staples and childhood crushes before moving into more mature territory, like how Kirsten Dunst plays a churlish child here and we now know her for the psychologically complicated and difficult performances she’s given in her best roles. It really just makes the film feel even more like a source for so much, like the essential story needed to be told about women before these performers all grew into remarkable artists.
All in all, this adaptation stands tall as more than just strict adaptation. The authorial intent of Gillian Armstrong elevates the material without muddying the broad, everlasting messages of the source. Plus, you know, Winona Ryder could not be a better choice for the headstrong Jo. She’s able to cut right through the character to find the emotionally mature and powerful woman within.
Little Women was shot by cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson on 35mm film using Panavision cameras and lenses, captured spherically to provide a clear, robust image framed in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents the film in 2160p, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, with an HEVC encode that hovers between bitrates between 85-95Mbps and is framed in the original aspect ratio. Like the best discs from Sony Pictures, this new presentation is nothing short of stunning. There’s so much texture to be found in art director Jan Roelf’s vintage, picaresque sets, and costume designer Colleen Atwood’s period-accurate clothing. And as a Massachusetts native who lives only a couple of towns away from where Little Women takes place, I can say that cinematographer Geoffrey Simpson captures the rustic foliage, sweeping hills and lush color of this area. The film grain field is moderately thick and resolves wonderfully by the rock-solid encode. Dolby Vision HDR brings out the most in the primaries without completely altering the original look of the film.
As for audio, I do have some rather disappointing news. The included English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround track has a major error: both front speaker channels are completely dead. The rear surround channels work just fine and open up the score wonderfully, however the two front channels being dead clips the film’s entire soundscape. I’m not sure if Sony Pictures will issue a replacement disc for this error, however I’m sure our own Bill Hunt will report on it as soon as there’s an official announcement from Sony. Otherwise, the 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo track provides a more complete idea of what the film should sound like, although the dynamic range is limited to the two front channels.
Little Women tells the everlasting story of the March sisters with a one-disc 4K Ultra HD package that comes housed in a standard black Amaray case with a slipcover over it. The 4K disc is a triple-layered BD-100 disc and houses both the feature and supplements. Special features include:
- Audio Commentary with Gillian Armstrong
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Gillian Armstrong (Upscaled SD – 1:47)
- The Making of Little Women (Upscaled SD – 6:54)
- Costume & Production Design (Upscaled SD – 8:10)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:59)
All of the supplements included have been ported over from Sony’s 2020 Blu-ray. The featurettes were previously upscaled to 1080i and are presented here in HD. The audio commentary with director Gillian Armstrong is a worthy listen, as she breaks down the production history and how she was initially reticent to sign up for the adaptation. You can tell throughout the track that she was involved in every aspect of the production, really trying to make real all the things she loved in the story with the help of her collaborators, like Colleen Atwood. Again, this is the same track from the 2020 Blu-ray, but it’s certainly worth a listen if you’re interested. I quite enjoyed hearing Armstrong reflect on how important it was for the sisters to be mean and show jealousy, because that allows for reflection and growth. The deleted scenes are insubstantial and brief, same with the EPK-style featurettes.
Little Women has the holding power not just because of the source material, but also thanks to the deliberate, clear-throated direction of Gillian Armstrong. It was a delight to revisit this terrific adaptation, and Sony has done their due diligence by providing us with a stellar 2160p presentation. If you’re a fan of the film, don’t hesitate to pick this up.
- Sam Cohen
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