Little Women (BBC) Review

I still remember watching the theatrical release of Little Women, starring Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon, when it came out in theaters. The story immediately endeared itself to me and has long since been a classic favorite. Perhaps I was able to relate because I and my sisters grew up, much like the March girls, having a simple life filled with love.

For those not familiar with the original story (if you are, feel free to skip this paragraph), Little Women follows the March family, especially daughter and aspiring author Jo, through the joys and sorrows of growing up, and the turmoils of love and loss. It is set in the northern United States during the American Civil War, and features an array of memorable characters, scenes and settings. Whether you are interested in the movies or not, I can't recommend the book enough.

There have been several adaptations of Lousa May Alcott's classic over the years, some of which I have seen- many, I'm sure, I have not. Eventually, I did read the book which shot it's way to one of my favorite books of all time. As usual, after having read the story, I realized there were some things the movie didn't portray- which is fine, you can only do so much in a two hour time frame, but I always appreciate it when a studio like BBC comes along and does justice to the original work.

So when my best bud tells me I should watch this new (2017/18) Little Women miniseries, of course I was up for it! This production is divided into three approximately one hour parts, which makes it easy to watch over the course of a couple days (or if you're me, over the course of one sleepy afternoon). And, my Great Aunt March, was it good! Of course, sacrifices still had to be made and not every scrap of perfection from the book made its way into this series, but the creators did a fantastic job of staying true to the spirit of the original story. The heart, warmth, and intimacy of Alcott's charming story is all here, portrayed through a lovely cast, including the wonderful Emily Watson as "Marmee".

I always appreciate it when filmmakers respect the intelligent property they are working with, and I offer a heartfelt thanks to director Vanessa Casswill and all the BCC Masterpeace Theater team behind this series, for doing just that. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This series didn't pretend to be anything it wasn't, it didn't dilute its depth and artistry by trying to shoehorn in a forced political agenda, but conveyed its message naturally and easily.

I know there is another Little Women movie in the works with some pretty big names attached to it and, while I will watch and hopefully enjoy it, I can't imagine it will surpass what this adaptation has already achieved- if not perfection, a keen familiarity with and fondness for the work upon which it is based.

Good Morning Life

Hello to all!

It's been a little while since my last post. Life sort of threw a wrench into things- or maybe a lot of little wrenches, and this blog fell to the wayside. But the important thing is that we get back up if life slaps us down like a ferocious cat.

The fact is, I don't feel like getting back up. I don't feel like doing anything. But I'm gonna do stuff. The problem is, I sometimes look at the big picture and think, "Gosh, how can I accomplish this?" but the fact is, things get done in steps. If we make clear goals then take actions to bring us closer to those goals, we will eventually find that we have met or exceeded them.

So, yes, it's a new year and people are all about changing and resolutions. My best friend and I fill out a book every New Years with our hopes for the future and what we accomplished the previous year. This year we decided, "Hey, instead of saying 'I have to do this thing', let's just say, 'Hey, I'm going to work on doing this thing'." And we are working on "doing things". We had a great idea for a podcast last night, so we're going to get some mics and when the kids are sleeping or my husband is watching them, we're going to record. It might not be perfect, but it's a step toward achieving our goals.

So, maybe that's your takeaway for today- don't try to solve the whole problem at once, break it down into steps. You might get it wrong from time to time, that's okay, just go back and work at it until you get it right. Life is all about grace and growth.

So, that's all, just wanted to say, "Hey, I'm still here."

Until next time, bye.