Academy Award® winner Katharine Hepburn stars in legendary director George Cukor’s adaptation of an enduring American classic novel–Little Women. 1860s New England. As four sisters grow from girls to young adults during the challenging times of the United States’ Civil War, the difficulties, tragedies and joys they experience tear at–but cannot break–the deep bonds of sisterhood and family in this timeless and heartwarming tale of growth and self-discovery.

For thoughts on Little Women (1933), please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/17tejdPYFEY?si=bBwMxY3JoU9QZYsQ&t=2368]

Video Quality

Little Women (1933) makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Warner Archive with a brand new 1080p master from a 4K restoration of the best surviving nitrate preservation elements. First off, it must be said that this presentation is largely stupendous, but there are brief anomalies that arise due to the quality of the source elements. The original negative seems to no longer exist fully intact, necessitating the use of three different sources which were treated to a meticulous frame-by-frame restoration. The primary issues that still remain after this restoration are a few instances of dropped frames. The handful of times it happens are pretty much blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments where one frame drops. Instead of using a less-than-ideal 16mm source to replace the whole scene or doubling the frame, the team decided to leave it as is, which honestly feels like the right move considering how brief it is and how great the rest of the scene looks. We always trust Warner Archive to make the right decision in these cases, and the results speak for themselves.

Outside of these very minor anomalies, be prepared for a delightful presentation. This new transfer shows off a robust amount of depth and enhanced detail within the different homes. There is a stunning amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, whether you are looking at the “common” clothes from the March sisters or the upper-crust attire of the Laurence family. The sumptuous black-and-white photography shot by Henry W. Gerrard twinkles in high definition with natural grain intact. There are a few softer moments that likely date back to the elements, but largely this is a lush picture. Black levels are deep with no semblance of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is impeccably defined, and there is virtually no print damage to be found. Warner Archive continues to earn our admiration with each heroic effort.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with an enjoyable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that handles this material really well. Dialogue and environmental noises are represented in perfect balance with all competing elements. This track shows very little obvious age related wear and tear outside of a faint amount of hissing that likely dates back to the source elements. The gentle nature of the Max Steiner score sounds as lovely and stable as one could hope. Even with the strength of the music, nothing ever overwhelms the dialogue or other important information. Warner Archive has offered up their typically excellent work here. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Jack Haley In Salt Water Daffy: A 21-minute live-action short is provided in which two criminals inadvertently join the navy to evade capture, leading to a taxing time for their superiors.

In The Dough: A 21-minute live-action short is provided in which some gangsters attempt to shake down a bakery to mixed results.

I Like Mountain Music: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon is presented here in HD in which the characters in books and magazines come to life to sing the titular song and get into wacky situations. This one is made even more fun thanks to the animated depictions of celebrities and figures such as Eddie Cantor, Will Rogers, Ed Wynn, Edward G. Robinson, George Arliss, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and King Kong.

The Organ Grinder: A seven-minute Merrie Melodies cartoon is presented here in HD in which an organ grinder and his monkey make their way through New York in an amusing manner.

Scoring Stage Suite Of Recordings (Audio Only): A 25-minute presentation of the score in audio form.

Original Theatrical Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Little Women (1933) is an adaptation of the classic novel which holds a special place in the hearts of many audience members due to how elegantly it realizes the material. Personally, the recent Greta Gerwig adaptation offers a deeper emotional resonance, but that does not take away how deftly this story is handled in this classic version of the story. Katharine Hepburn is dynamite in the lead role alongside a very inviting ensemble who handle their roles well. Even if it is not our favorite version of the story, it is great cinema. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that presents a really great A/V presentation and some fun supplemental features. If you are a fan of the story, this is a dream release. Recommended

Little Women (1933) can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.