What a fantastic cast! Everyone has their favorite of the numerous film versions of Louisa May Alcott's classic and this is mine.

From LeRoy's breezy direction to the beautifully subdued Technicolor this movie resonates. The true draw, however, is the cast. Two of the classic screen beauties, Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor juxtapose nicely opposite the ultimate girl-next-door June Allyson and television legend Margaret O'Brien. All of them are very young here and incredibly charming.

Allyson leads as Jo March. Her interpretation is as sensible, no-nonsense, tomboyish and, ultimately, womanly as you can hope. Allyson pulls it off without the coolness Katharine Hepburn displayed in the 1933 version. Her Jo is very accessible and entirely sympathetic. That is not to say I do not enjoy Hepburn's Jo as well. It was a near flawless portrayal and technically superior to Allyson's. I did, however, prefer the warmer Allyson version.

Janet Leigh (one of my favorite starlets) doesn't have a lot to do with her character as, in the movie, Meg mainly functions as a catalyst for and example of Jo's feelings regarding love and marriage. Still, Leigh is perfectly poised and has great chemistry with the other little women.

Elizabeth Taylor makes a bit more out of her juicier role of the seemingly superficial and selfish Amy. Taylor is delightful and brings a lot of laughs as she fusses over food, glamour and sensibilities, all the while mispronouncing the five dollar words she loves to work into her conversations.

O'Brien plays the role of Beth with all the delicate vulnerability needed for the character. Lawford is charismatic as Laurie and Watson is appropriately annoying as the meddling Aunt March.

I highly recommend this (and the 1933 version) for a warm and touching adaptation of the book.

The book "Little Women" is one of my favourite books of all time, it is funny, moving and just makes me warm inside while reading it. This 1949 film is very delightful and charming with some good performances, lush cinematography and visual detail and lovely music. However, as I am sure people have pointed out, it is very loosely based on the book. Beth is now the youngest, Laurie goes off to war here and there are bits cut out. The latter is understandable though because the book is quite long. Putting all that aside, this is still a delightful film. It looks lovely, with lush cinematography and colourful costumes and scenery. The music is also gorgeous, I particularly loved hearing "None But the Lonely Heart", that is one of my favourite songs and never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The acting in general is very good, Janet Leigh isn't given that much to do but she is very rosy-looking as Meg. You may argue that June Allyson was too old for Jo, in some ways that is true. However Allyson still manages to give a warm and tomboyish performance. Elizabeth Taylor is wonderful as spoilt, selfish Amy, Taylor is not the lovely woman she is in "Ivanhoe" or the seductive "sex on wheels" character she is in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", she is Amy and plays her very convincingly, making the most of some of the film's best lines. That leaves Margaret O'Brien, a very cute and appealing child actress, and she was very convincing as Beth, Beth's vulnerability in the latter half of the film is genuinely affecting. Out of the supporting actors, Mary Astor comes off best, sticking to the benevolent and sincere Marmee of the book, and C.Aubrey Smith is splendid as Old Mr Laurence, his scenes with Beth are quite heart-warming. Peter Lawford is charming as Laurie, and Lucille Watson is quite detestable as Aunt March. Rossano Brazzi as Professor Bhaer looks handsome, but I wasn't entirely convinced by him. He started off wooden, and I also felt he was too Italian for the role, Professor Bhaer is supposed to be German. Still, "Little Women" despite its flaws is still a delightful and charming film. 8/10 Bethany Cox