POLL: Which Little Women Do You Prefer?

Louisa May Alcott's died 132 years ago today, in 1888, so I decided to post a poll about her most popular story; Little Women.

Rasha and I had watched the 1949 version over a decade ago and I loved it. Years later, we decided to watch the older version for comparison and I fell in love with the story all over again.

The script was the same obviously - since it was based on the book - but it felt different coming from different actors. Some lines were expressed better in one version than the other and vice versa.

The Characters:

Josephine March (Jo):

I didn't like June Allyson as Jo - come to think of it I didn't like her as anyone - her acting always felt like...well...acting. The way she portrayed Jo, made her seem very fake at the beginning and when her character developed over time, she neither matured gradually nor suddenly, but rather turned into another character all together.

On the other hand, when I saw Jo through Katharine Hepburn, she felt real and alive, so when she started growing in the film, she gradually matured. Even when faced with hardships, Hepburn's Jo hid it like a real person would and like her character should, while Allyson's Jo felt sorry for herself. Allyson turned her into a clone, with no natural feelings.

Hepburn's Jo didn't act manlier than the men, just as a tomboy like she was supposed to, unlike Allyson's Jo. She made Laurie seem a bit soft.

Margaret March (Meg):
I like Meg in the 1949 version, but in the 1933 version she seemed nicer. I also loved the relationship between Jo and Meg in the 1933. It made more sense to me why Jo was so upset that Meg was drifting away, while in the other version it felt like she was just being selfish.

Elizabeth March (Beth):
Beth oh Beth I disliked her in both films. In the 1933 version though, she wasn't as annoying as the other.
In the last conversation between Beth and Jo, the 1949 version portrayed by Margaret O'Brien was far moving, yet I prefered the older version because Beth didn't once make me feel she held Jo in a higher regard than her other sisters.

Amy March:
Amy was good in both versions, but Elizabeth Taylor was made for the part. Joan Bennett didn't seem spoiled nor ambitious enough to be a gentlewoman. Still I liked her relationship with Jo and the rest of her family, as she seemed more attached to them than Taylor's version.

Marmie:
Mrs March was better in the older version. Spring Byington - like Hepburn - did a good job in portraying a mother hiding her emotions and putting a happy front for her daughters. In the 1949 though, the mother acted too manly and didn't express any realistic emotions.

Theodore Laurence (Laurie):
I didn't like Laurie in the 1949 version, but it didn't bother me as much as Jo did. I loved Laurie's character in the 1933 one, because in this one you understand why him and Jo were friends in the first place. They were so much alike.

Professor Friedrich Bhaer:
While both versions are great, I prefered the older version as he seemed nicer and genuinly concerned for Jo.

Which version is better?
It was hard to believe the sisters - in the 1949 version - got along , because they were so different. In the 1933 version, they were just different enough to be unique from eachother, but not different enough not to get along, the way sisters usually are. They were all genuinely concerned for eachother and had an apparent attachment to the family.

There were some parts I liked in one version more than the other, but overall I think the script and performance of the 1933 version was superior. So, after reading my own thoughts I believe I prefer the older version, even though the 1949 has Elizabeth Taylor in it hehe