This was the fifth adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's semi-autobiographical two volume hit - there were two silent versions in 1917 and 1918, both lost. Robin Swicord (The Jane Austen Book Club) is the adapter on this one, which features Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Trini Alvarado and Kirsten Dunst (and, grown up, Samantha Mathis from The Thing Called Love - somehow not a good Dunst adult version), with Susan Sarandon as mother. Plus, Eric Stoltz, Cristian Bale, Gabriel Byrne. John Neville is the grandfather and it's a pleasure to see The Man Who Came to Dinner's Mary Wickes as the great-Aunt.
Photographed by Geoffrey Simpson (Under the Tuscan Sun, Shine, Fried Green Tomatoes, Green Card) with a fairly atypical but good score from Tom Newman.
Er. I'm not an expert on the subject but it seemed fine to me, Ryder quite capable of anchoring it, Dunst already a capable veteran by this time (had done Interview with the Vampire already).
There's also a 2017 version which I was unaware of with to me an unknown principal cast. It's quite well rated. Alcott's sequel 'Little Men' was also filmed with undistinguished results.
Dunst is in Roofman coming soon, Civil War from Alex Garland, 2019 series On becoming a God in Central Florida.
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