Today’s Christmas, Chicago’s streets were empty and there was no one. I took the red line subway and went to Music Box alone to watch the 35mm premiere of Little Women. I thought that the whole theater would be empty, but I was dumbfounded when I entered. The main theater was filled with hundreds of seats. I was very moved at that moment. I felt the charm of film art. People don't even want to go out at Christmas, but their love for movies cannot be changed.
In 2017, Greta Geweig made a hit movie called "Miss Bird", produced by A24, and was nominated for an Oscar that year. But what's interesting is that when shooting "Miss Bird", Greta used the Arri Alexa Mini, a digital machine. Two years later, after the boyfriend's film "Marriage Story", this new film "Little Women" uses Arricam St with Cooke S4 lens and film machine. Under the magic power of 35mm, the retina is delighted again. Thank you very much for the efforts of the Music Box Theater and the director in Chicago. Fortunately, you can see the 35mm version in the movie theater today.
The way the movie timeline is handled is interesting. I think Greta has a high chance of getting an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay, and the chances of winning the prize will be great. Greta completely adopted the contrast between the past and the present on the timeline, interlacing memories and reality. Such processing is very clever. Because we know that most of the adaptations cannot be compared with the original works. The reason is roughly because if film art competes with literature and art in narrative, then it will definitely be defeated. Many of Kubrick’s works are adapted from literary works. For example, his "Barry Linden" has achieved the ultimate in composition and photography, but after reading it, it has not reached a particularly high expectation value, and Compared with the original work, it is much bleak.
Greta is probably aware of the common problem of the original movie. After she separated the timeline, the audience can directly feel the contrast between the protagonist’s heart and the encounter in the movie during the movie. If this is processed in linear time, it is very It's hard to express. For example, when Jo sees Laurie, he suddenly recalls the scene. So the audience sees first, and then sees because. Not because, so. Movie viewers who have finished reading the original probably also liked this approach.
In the composition of the film, Greta has also raised a notch, compared to the last feature film "Miss Bird". At Beth's funeral, Amy was proposed, the scene where Laurie and Amy hugged, and the scene of party dancing is reminiscent of 19th century oil paintings, exquisite and classical. The use of soundtracks, especially classical music, has reached its extreme. The editing is also perfect. The scene of Laurie and Jo dancing, the level of editing has highlighted the skills of the director and editor. Greta is not from a major, and it is very impressive to reach the current level.
Many contrasts in the play also affect the audience. For example, Jo woke up in the past and Beth disappeared. He went downstairs and found that Beth was still eating, and nothing happened. But suddenly the picture changed, and now it was Beth who had passed away due to illness. When Jo wrote again to express his feelings to Laurie, Laurie suddenly appeared to inform him of his marriage. Just when the audience felt sad for Jo, Friedrich appeared in the beginning of the movie again, with a happy ending, but the conversation between the editor-in-chief and Jo at the end of the movie gave people an open mind.
Whether it is Miss Bird or Jo. They all represent Greta's point of view: Women must have absolute control over their lives. "Miss Bird" liked Kyle and took the initiative; the crazy pursuit of Laurie in "Little Women" means that if you don't want to get married, you don't want to get married. They all represent Greta's feminism.
Watching the entire movie, the biggest feeling is that life is full of sweetness and torture. At the most difficult time, the whole family lived in embarrassment, his father was forced into the army, Beth fell ill and passed away, Jo's writing was not loved, and Amy was a marginal figure in the family. But after all, it was happiness again. Father came home, Amy and Laurie fell in love, Meg was also happily married, and Jo's novel finally came out.
The most touching scene is when Jo recalls the happy scene of the four sisters on the beach. Suddenly, she transitioned back to the present day. The seriously ill sister leaned on herself. She said: I like to hear you read what you write. Can you write something for me? I kept crying in the theater, and there were sobbing sounds around me from time to time.
There is also a very moving picture at the end. Neighbor Laurence is standing in front of his house, and he is reluctant to enter the door for a long time. He remembers Beth who used to go to his house to play piano. Jo said that I will accompany you in the future. Yes, all the pain and sorrow in this world turned into a puff of smoke in the end, taking our souls away.
After the screening, the whole theater burst into deafening applause. After watching the movie, I cried many times, but also laughed many times. This is probably the epitome of our lives, full of love and torture, sweetness and sadness.
———————————————————
Thank you for reading my film review! I came to the United States when I was 15 years old. I am a high school 4 in the United States this year. I am also a movie lover. I just finished a short film last month and delivered it to the Cannes Film Festival. If you are interested in me, you can follow my WeChat public account: Andysspace Thank you! ! (? My WeChat QR code, long press to follow, thank you!)
View more about Little Women reviews
