LITTLE WOMEN THROUGH THE AGES
不同年代的《小婦人》
IT’S A TESTAMENT to author Louisa May Alcott that Little Women has proven itself relevant through
the ages. From a tale of 19th-century defiance
to its 2019 feminist reawakening, Little Women
has resurfaced in popular culture time and again, providing successive generations with a mixture of comfort, love and sorrow.
The story follows sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy as they navigate adolescence during the American Civil War under the watchful, nurturing eye of their mother, Marmee. The siblings have dramatically disparate interests – Meg dreams of riches and grandeur
but finds her reality to be the opposite; Jo holds a
passion for the written word at the expense of all
else; Amy holds on to the idea that love and money
go hand in hand, and pure-hearted Beth holds court in the family home. As the story unfolds, we learn that money doesn’t buy happiness.
After two silent film versions, Little Women’s first
‘talkie’ adaptation came in 1933. George Cukor’s movie cast Katharine Hepburn as the fast-talking,
150年來啟發幾代人成長的經典青春紀事。撰文：AMANDA SHEPPARD
文學巨著《小婦人》被再度搬上銀幕，證明美國作家Louisa May Alcott的佳作歷久彌新。雖然《小婦人》是來自19世紀
的故事，但穿越世紀洪流來到今天，依然能為女權覺醒運動
護航，在流行文化中絕不顯得過時，並繼續為現代人的青蔥歲月更添愛與憂愁的滋味，給予年輕人一絲慰藉。
故事背景設定在美國內戰時期，講述備受母親Marmee呵護和教養的Meg、Jo、Beth和Amy四姐妹的青春軼事。四姐妹性格迥異：Meg嚮往揮金如土的奢華生活，現實生活卻恰恰相反；Jo廢寢忘餐終日醉心寫作；Amy深信愛情與麵包缺一不可；而天真無邪的Beth則選擇留守大家庭。隨著四朵
金花的成長步伐，觀眾漸漸明白到金錢萬萬買不到幸福。
繼兩齣默片版本後，首部《小婦人》的有聲電影在1933年面世。Katharine Hepburn在這齣由George Cukor執導的電影中，飾演妙語連珠、機智聰敏的Jo。個性前衛的Hepburn與角色原型相似，她倔強而且事業心重，拒絕向
The Marches find comfort in family (left); Jo (Saoirse
Ronan) and Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) butt heads (above) March家族的四朵金花和母親感情深厚(左圖)；Jo (Saoirse Ronan飾)和Laurie (Timothée Chalamet飾) 常鬧至面紅耳熱(上圖)
quick-witted Jo. Like her character, Hepburn was ahead of her time – headstrong and career-centric, refusing to conform to society’s expectations.
Cukor’s film stays true to its origins, managing to
achieve sentiment without becoming mawkish.
Some 60 years later, Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 film proved remakes aren’t destined to be mere replicas. The film’s strength lies in its ensemble cast, who interact so naturally it’s easy to believe in their familial ties. Winona Ryder plays a sure-of-herself but still naïve Jo, while the decision to split the role of Amy
between a young Kirsten Dunst and a teenaged
Samantha Mathis allows the character to grow
beyond her years.
But Little Women’s most drastic transformation
came last year, in an adaptation written and directed by Greta Gerwig. Gerwig’s Little Women makes
effective use of its source material – down to direct quotes from the novel – but rather than adopting its chronology, the film creates a narrative structure heavy on flashbacks. Gerwig chooses to focus not on youthful indiscretions, but on moments of mature reflection: a more introspective, more touching movie, which gives its central characters
more agency than ever before – and in one case, an
outright monologue on the inequities and realities of
marriage for women.
Gerwig’s film serves as proof that – despite its name – Little Women is relatable to all. The
Marches aren’t saints, but nor are they sinners.
They’re complex characters who each come to the realisation that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to growing up; a lesson that, like this story, never grows old.
GERWIG’S FILM SERVES AS PROOF THAT – DESPITE ITS NAME – LITTLE WOMEN IS RELATABLE TO ALL