Reviewing Movies

Louisa May Alcott gained overnight success as a writer with the publication of Little Woman in 1868 at a time when teaching and nursing were barely considered respectable occupations for a woman and women were not considered legally persons for the purposes of voting and owning property. Since the proper preserves of a lady were regarded as keeping house and raising a family it was not deemed necessary that girls get an education. That all four of his daughters received home-schooling at his hands reflects their father's enlightened views and this liberal thinking is reflected in Alcott's often autobiographical writing.

Little Woman has oft been brought to screen in movies that drip of syrupy excess. The present version of Little Men, its sequel, was produced for Canadian TV and features a surfeit of young Canadian Talent.

Robin Dunne, who portraits Jo's nephew Franz has gone on to the big screen as has Corey Sevier who looks too innocent for the hard-living Dan.

The open-faced Trevor Blumas is perfect for the part of tender-hearted Nat.

Although Jo is the headmistress and owner of the school Plumfield that she founded with her late husband it is her boys who own the show.

Since this is a Canadian Production locations in and about Toronto stand in for Concord Mass. The arrival of the rough-hewn Spencer Rochfort as the hired man adds additional realism to the script but in a school for boys these lads are allowed to engage in rough-housing, the occasional fisticuffs, and bloody noses. The series received sufficiently high ratings that a second set of shows were produced giving us 8 in all.