William McBride

Disappointing version of a wonderful book. Why is it that film directors feel they can improve on what is a classic piece of literature by, in this case, producing a disjointed cocktail of scenes jumping hither and thither, making little sense to the viewer. Would they do Henry V and halfway through the battle of Agincourt suddenly jump back to the early discussion on Sallic law in scene one? No. Then why mess about with warped time-frame? Louisa May Alcott wrote a lovely story, so why not film it in a fashion faithful to her vision? Loud music, bits of Beethoven and Bach, nice scenery and good acting do not in themselves necessarily mean the end result is worth seeing, if the basic plot line is a confused mess. The Winona Ryder version was much better, with a telling Gabriel Byrne, a solid story line and beautifully scored by Thomas Newman.

It's the best programme on BBC television.