James Proclaims!

Given that it was the seventh adaptation of the original novel, it could have been argued in advance that the world didn’t really need Greta Gerwig’s version of Little Women. Multiple awards and gushing reviews later, it is, of course,entirely evident that the world very much needed this 2019 masterpiece.

I certainly did. The previous six adaptations and indeed the source material had managed to escape me and I only watched this version because I knew enough about the story to know there would be some Christmas scenes in it.

But it speaks volumes for the movie that no sooner had I finished watching it that I immediately sought out the 1994 version of story to compare notes. I enjoyed that version too and that will no doubt feature in a future version fo my annual festive countdown.

Nonetheless the juxtaposition between the two movies only further highlights what a spectacular effort the 2019 iteration is. I’ve still yet to read the novel (it’s now firmly on my ‘to do’ list) but while both movies are enjoyable in their own right, Gerwig’s vision (ably supported by a cast that all seem to have brought their ‘A’ game) demonstrates how emphatically an adaptation can be groundbreaking and modern while still (as far as I can tell) remaining true to the source material.

Score for Christmasishness

Anyone who included this in their list of essential Christmas viewing would firmly have my support. Christmas is integral to multiple elements of the story. Several different Christmases feature (and are revisited due to the non-linear storytelling in this version) throughout the film. Still, I think this is a movie which could be consumed and enjoyed at any time of year and enough of the story happens outside of the festive period for this to be considered Christmas(ish) rather than an outright Christmas film.