Little Women 4K Review (Sony Pictures)

Little Women is a 1994 drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong (Starstruck, High Tide, Not Fourteen Again, Charlotte Gray, and Fires Within). It was written and produced by Robin Swicord (Wakefield, The Promise, Practical Magic, Matilda, Shag, Memoirs of a Geisha, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). It’s based on novel from author Louisa May Alcott. There’s been around 18 different adaptations over the years. The budget was $18,000,000 and it grossed $50,085,123 worldwide at the box office. When her husband is away at war, Marmee (played by: Susan Sarandon from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Client, Dead Man Walking, Ray Donovan, The Hunger, The Witches of Eastwick, and Bull Durham) is left alone to raise their four daughters. These Little Women includes Jo (played by: Winona Ryder from Girl Interrupted, Alien Resurrection, Heathers, Beetlejuice franchise, Stranger Things, Edward Scissorhands, Reality Bites, and Dracula), Meg (played by: Trini Alvarado from Paulie, The Frighteners, Little Children, The Babe, and All Good Things), Beth (played by: Claire Danes from William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, Homeland, Home for the Holidays, The Rainmaker, U Turn, Terminator 3, Shopgirl, and My So-Called Life), and Amy (played by: Kirsten Dunst from the Spider-Man franchise and Samantha Mathis from Pump Up the Volume). As time goes on, the sisters share some of the most cherished and painful memories of self-discovery. Marmee with the help of Aunt March (played by: Mary Wickes from The Man Who Came to Dinner, White Christmas, Postcards from the Edge, and Sister Act franchise) guides them through various issues of independence, romance and virtue!!!! The 1994 version of Little Women is still the best adaptation from the classic book. It’s been adapted almost 20 times at this point so it’s very impressive that it’s still the highest quality one. Director Gillian Armstrong added something different to Little Women, it stands out more. The script takes you through a variety important and dramatic situations. It’s one of the better dramas from the 90’s. Winona Ryder is amazing as Joe. She’s the wild child from the family and she’s always been unpredictable. She deals with growing up, tragedy, and everything that life gives her. Claire Danes as Beth has the toughest role and character here. She is always sick and very fragile while all her sisters keep experiencing more. She is a fighter but you just really feel for her. Danes is great in Little Women and she always gets my respect when it comes to this performance. Amy is the sibling that changes the most in this. She’s shown in different stages, Kirsten Dunst is the younger version from the beginning and Samantha Mathis is the older one later on. This is some excellent casting, these two together just killed it. Trini Alvarado as Meg is the most normal girl from the family. She does whatever that is expected from her. Susan Sarandon as Marmee is top notch, she’s raising all these girls while their father is gone. She makes sacrifices and she does whatever it takes to keep this family going. The chemistry between the main cast is what really drives the production. There’s so many familiar faces in Little Women. The all star supporting cast includes Christian Bale (American Psycho), Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects), Eric Stoltz (Pulp Fiction), John Neville (Urban Legend), Mary Wickes, Donal Logue (Blade), and John Shaw (Watchmen). There’s a little bit of everything in Little Women. It covers so much in this, these characters go through it here. It still has fantastic replay value to it. It’s nice to see it get upgraded to 4K after all these years, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and list the special features from Sony Pictures! This 2160p.(1.85:1) transfer is from a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. Little Women has been released so many times on home video but this is a nice improvement from the past. It’s a little darker than the other versions but it’s still very sharp. It has a variety of audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0, and English: Dolby Digital 2.0 on the UHD. The audio is great for what it is, this drama isn’t exactly action packed or anything. All of the dialogue is crisp, the emotions are elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Gillian Armstrong. It has around 2 minutes of “Deleted Scenes” which includes “Jo Teaches French to Kids” and “Marmee Comforts Beth” with optional audio commentary. It has the archive almost 7 minute “The Making of Little Women”. It has the archive little over 8 minute “Costume and Production Design”. It has the “Theatrical Trailer”. It comes with a slipcover and a digital code. It’s also included in the Columbia Classics Volume 5 set. It’s available everywhere right now including MovieZyng.com, CHECK IT OUT!!!!