Little Women (1949 Film) - Changes From The Novel

Changes From The Novel

• In this version, Beth March (Margaret O'Brien) is portrayed as being several years younger than Amy March (Elizabeth Taylor), while in the book she is a year older.

• Instead of first meeting at a Christmas party, Jo and Laurie first see each other when the March girls are taking their breakfast to the Hummels, and Jo visits Laurie while he is sick and confined to the house before as well.

• When the girls attend the Christmas party, all four of the girls go, rather than just Meg and Jo as presented in the novel. They leave early because Beth is upset over her and Amy hearing from other people that Mrs. March had plans to marry them off well, instead of Meg spraining her ankle while dancing.

• Also, at the beginning of the book, when the March sisters are each given a dollar to spend at their pleasure, they decide to all buy something for their mother, or "Marmee", as she is called. In the film, while they eventually do buy presents for their mother, they initially purchase things for themselves.

• In the book, Amy is pulled out of school when her teacher, Mr. Davis, strikes her across the hand with a ruler when she hides limes in her desk; but in the movie, she is in trouble for drawing pictures on her slate, and she is not struck.

• Several other scenes are left out, such as the group picnic, when Amy falls through the ice after following Jo and Laurie to the river, and when Amy and Laurie fall in love in Europe.

• Jo and Laurie, while they are best friends in the book, Jo even having a special nickname for him ("Teddy"), have a still somewhat close but much less intimate relationship in the film.