Little Women [Import, Soundtrack]

This is a wonderful soundtrack that I often play during the Winter Holiday season. The music is beautiful and very nice to have playing in the background both for parties or for something soothing when I'm at home alone. It's also the sort of music that people will ask you about after listening to for 10 or 15 minutes.

Whenever I hear this soundtrack, I just want to grab a cup of hot chocolate or cider and curl up near a fire with friends. Somehow, it manages to remind you of what's important in life. An excellent CD.

This music perfectly captures the period in this story. Short and quaint, these tracks do a great job of matching the scenes in the film, but they are also wonderful listening apart from the film, especially the End Title "Under the Umbrella" with its wonderful violin vigor and blasting horns. Another personal favorite is the 15th track "Amy Abroad." What an exciting and exquisite tune! Also, I was touched by the slow, sad 21st track "Valley of the Shadow".

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

At their best most family-oriented stories should have the same depth and intelligence of those that are intended primarily for adults. The makers of the latest recognized the depth in the true story and have created a breathtaking film. The film is full of wonderful characters and situations that should appeal to everyone whether young or old, male or female. The film presents a few years in the lives of the March family, led by Marmie the poor, but loving mother of four daughters. Most of the film centers around Jo, the strong-willed daughter who hopes to one day become a writer. The other daughters are romantic Meg, quietly contented Beth, and artistic Amy. The film also introduces us to three key men in the lives of the March family: Thomas "Laurie" Lawrence, the boy next door who becomes the sister's closest outside friend; Laurie's tutor who captures Meg's heart; and finally a German professor who meets Jo in New York and encourages her to write from her heart. I believe the greatest flaw that some may not notice is that even the best developed characters in Little Woman display an alarming lack of character flaws. Everyone is almost always good, kind, sweet, and pleasant. Rare are the moments when someone says something nasty or does something unsavory. So much niceness occasionally make Little Woman seem too sugary. Nevertheless, the tale is engrossing enough, and the film put together with such obvious affection, that it's not hard to dismiss those things as necessary elements of a beloved film piece.