Monday, December 28, 2009 on PBS (check local listings)
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Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, is an almost universally recognized name. Her reputation as a morally upstanding New England spinster, reflecting the conventional propriety of mid-19th century Concord, is firmly established. Raised among reformers, iconoclasts and Transcendentalists, the intellectual protégé of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, Alcott was actually a free thinker, with democratic ideals and progressive values about women – a worldly careerist of sorts. Most surprising is that Alcott led, anonymously and under the pseudonym A.M. Barnard, a literary double life not discovered until the 1940s. As Barnard, Alcott penned some thirty pulp fiction thrillers, with characters running the gamut from murderers and revolutionaries to cross-dressers and opium addicts – a far cry from her better-known works featuring fatherly mentors, courageous mothers and impish children.
Visit the filmmakers’ Web site for more, and don’t miss what WETA’s The Book Studio has to say about The Woman Behind ‘Little Women’.
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind ‘Little Women’ is the recipient of numerous awards and film festival selections, including:
AWARDS
Booklist’s Editors’ Choice: Best Video of 2009
CINE GOLD EAGLE 2008
Grand Award: Providence Film Festival
Audience Choice Award: Cape Cod Filmmaker Takeover
Best Feature Documentary: L.A. Reel Women Int’l Film Festival
Best Family Feature: Garden State Film Festival
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Rhode Island International Film Festival
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Guangzhou Documentary Film Festival
Santa Fe Film Festival
Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival
Read reviews of the film
What came out of all this is a remarkably detailed portrait of a strong-minded woman who was far ahead of her time and far more complex than the portrait of the dainty lady that others have previously presented. Elizabeth Marvel gives a remarkably insightful performance as Louisa May, full of humor, passion, emotion and progressive thinking that makes her come alive.
As much as I’ve enjoyed the American Masters series and its biographies of actors, artists, writers, and musicians, the talking heads and archival material can feel like a straitjacket for filmmakers . . . and audiences. Even the Ken Burns effect — slowly panning or zooming in or out of a photograph — can get old during the course of a feature-length film. Most recreations have failed because they’re sparingly done, poorly cast and directed, or so clumsy that they just seem cheesy. But Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind ‘Little Women’ gives us liberal, well-conceived dramatizations throughout, making them as dominant as those talking heads that are also featured. What’s more, there’s none of the usual take-yourself-too-seriously austere narration that so often accompanies literary biographies. Louisa May Alcott and her family are brought to life with dignity, but also humor. All of the dialogue that’s used comes from journals and letters, and that lends an authenticity and unabashed forthrightness that’s uncommon in films like this.
How wonderful to finally see the real woman, my interest is definately sparked.
I missed the broadcast due to the Christmas holidays. Please run it again, as I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to view it. As a young girl, I was completely captivated by Little Women.
Having attended high school in Concord and read much about all the Concord authors, I found this a fascinating and refreshingly new look at Louisa May Alcott.
Let me echo the requests to please air this film again, and not in the middle of the night. I am currently reading the companion book by Harriet Reisen and would love to see the film.
I missed Louisa May Alcott. When may I expect to see it again?
When will the documentary be shown again?
I, too, am wondering when this program will show again. Thank you.
I second the comment by Beverly above–I came on this site looking for the list of actors from this amazing show–but I can not find it anywhere! Would you please show me where to find it if it indeed exists?
Thank you very much–it was one of the best documentaries I’ve seen!
Splendid acting, minus those goofy Stoppard-like moments of the actor talking to the audience (someone appropriately called them “gimmicky”). They disrupted the tone of the film, which mirrored well-filmed versions of one her books.
Also, those moments felt too biased, as if the entire purpose of the film was to make Alcott as unlikeable as possible, show her snide attention-loving side, almost daring the audience to connect with the “real” Alcott or to feel duped for loving her books. The expert who said one cannot really appreciate her work without knowing how it does and does not mirror her life is a pompous ass. The biography is interesting, the actress riveting, but Little Women stands alone, much-appreciated.
I too missed the Louisa May Alcott program, and there is no date given when it will be shown again. I live in Amherst, MA. Please when will it be shown here again. Joelle Adlerblum
I have always loved “Little Women” and PBS’ documentary on one of my favorite female writers is greatly appreciated. I took an intrest in Ms. Alcott when I first attended kindergarten and, would you believe it, the first elementary school was named LOUISA MAE ALCOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN TULSA, OKLAHOMA.
Wish you would show the film Little Women starring Susan Sarandon on TV — that would be even better!
THANKS PBS.
This was very well done, and even though I’ve never read her works, I was taken in and found myself looking up her “Love and Self-Love” story online.
The animations were a useless distraction (especially with the reviews for Little Women), but the acting was superb, the cinematography well done, and the progress of her story well written.
I hope this film is made available online (if even for a limited time, as with Joan Baez before), so I can send links to friends and writing forums.
Why can’t we see this online? and i agree with Marie, you take one on a circuitoous route that ends nowhere.
I couldn’t sit through it, as much as I wanted to. Could not abide the acting style of the performer ‘paying’ Louisa. The many ‘to the camera’ takes were forced and completely unnatural, in her attempt to make the words her own. All the others were quite good, esp. the actor playing Emerson, but I couldn’t stand them constantly going back to Louisa. Rather than being pulled in to the story, I was repelled. Disappointing.
We also enjoyed the presentation tremendously and would like very much to see a repeat. Will it be repeated again? Or where can we get the information for possible purchase of that episode?
This show was really awful. The actress who played Alcott made her look like a psychopath. I hated this portrayal. Worthless.
i saw this program around christmas back in dec. it was just wonderful…i had no idea about her life and family, or that she wrote pulp type stories. as a kid, i loved little women., given to me by my mom. i love every movie adaptation, too. american masters is a fascinating series. i watch every one and record them on the dvr. they are done extemely well, no gimicks, real actors. love this series on pbs.
Is this available to watch?
Louisa May Alcott was great author, I’ve researched on her background, SHE WAS TOTALLY AMUSING!
And anyway, the show was really really really THE BEST! Very well done!
she is very pretty, and i love everything from her she is the best i miss her. she was my mother’s sister
I did not know that the Author of the book Little Women is actually a woman! The movie was more dramatic and it envelops the strength and determination of young lady to pursue her dream to become a writer.
I love Louisa May Alcott’s, Little Women since the day I have read the book! It was not just a story! It was the real story of every woman who is determined to achieve her dreams. I recommend you to read the book and watch the movie.
Hi great article thanks for sharing. Can someone please tell me what happens at the very end of this short story by Louisa May Alcott?
I read “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott when I was maybe about ten years old and loved it. (I read the library’s copy.) I recently found a used paperback copy at a book sale and plan to re-read it. (It’s a cheap edition, but it was only 25 cents.) As an adult, I also took out from the library, and read, “An Old-Fashioned Girl,” by LMA. And I’m currently reading another book by LMA, a lovely edition of a book called “Eight Cousins, or The Aunt-Hill.” It was withdrawn from one of the library systems in my city to be used for sale at a book sale. But it didn’t sell. So, after the book sale was over, the library offered all books that didn’t sell for free. Yes, you read that right. So, I took LMA’s “Cousins,” and the sequel, “Rose in Bloom.” Read LMA. And most particularly make sure you read her best book, “Little Women.” (Do you remember the funny episode of “Friends” when Joey read “Little Women”? That episode showed that “LW” is for everyone, young or old, female or male.)
I love all of the documentary series on PBS and when I saw Louisa May Alcott had an American Masters episode while channelsurfing I was willing to give it a chance despite not really knowing much about her work beyond that she’d written Little Women. I tried as best I could for as long as I could, but the technique of “acting out” the diaries/history was tremendously cheesy and jarring – not at all well executed. I wanted a history of Louisa May Alcott, not a play of her life. A tremendous disappointment, because I’m sure there was a great, compelling story to be told about her, but the vehicle used herein to convey it forced me to change the channel before I got the essence of the story.
I love what you have wrote.
When can we see this on TV again????
Check your local listings
Man, it’s just good to be able to hear from the players again, I was an original Randy supporter, but I still don’t know what he was doing! We are not rebuilding, we have some very, very good players already, this guy being one of them. I am currently feeling Brother Golden, seems to understand what the heck he’s doing! Go Canes!
Louisa is great