Critics Upset 'Little Women' Is Too White

Townhall ^ | December 27, 2019 | Cortney O'Brien

[EdnaMode]

There are those who think Hallmark is "fascist propaganda," and there are others who think director Greta Gerwig's latest take on "Little Women" is "too white."

"It’s time that classics that are constantly remade to better incorporate diversity,” Teen Vogue contributor Natalie de Vera Obedos writes in her new piece, "'Little Women,' Laurie, and the Argument for Racebent Casting."

[snip]

Obedos takes issue with the casting of four white actresses as the well-known sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy, played by Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, and Florence Pugh. But Obedos's main quarrel is with the male lead, Theodore “Laurie” Laurence, who is portrayed by white actor Timothée Chalamet. The casting of Chalamet, Obedoes argues, is a lost opportunity to display Laurie's true identity.

While many are excited to see Timothée bring this character to life, his iteration and many of the previous films have failed to properly contextualize Laurie during this time period. In the original novel, Laurie is described as a young man with “Curly black hair, brown skin,” and “big black eyes” (Alcott 42) — he is canonically half-Italian. It is through Laurie that Little Women offered Greta a very unique opportunity that she could have taken: Laurie could have easily been played by someone non-white. Obedos shares a few excerpts from Alcott's original novel to explain that Laurie is actually half Italian, and by casting a white actor the film did not have a chance to explore the challenges and prejudices he faced at the time.

"The added diversity of casting the character with someone non-white would have added a richness and context that has been lost on the character by contemporary audiences," Obedos explains.

[MayflowerMadam]

Thanks for the tip. The trailers look beautiful — costumes, scenery, etc. I’ll have to watch it. Will go when a guy movie is playing at the same time so DH and I can split up so he doesn’t have to deal with a chick flick.