I was a little hesitant at first about a discussion day because I wasn’t sure if it would turn out to be an awkward staring contest, but I am quite happy that we all got to talking (even though I didn’t do that much talking.)
I would like to talk a little bit about the view of if “Little Women” (the 1994 version) is a “weepie” film. I am going to have to agree with this view. While not every scene evokes tears or sadness, there are its moments that are important to the story and are meant to make you sad. Linda Williams, in “Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess” even says that “..the woman viewer of a maternal melodrama… does not simply identify with the suffering and dying heroines of each. She may equally identify with the powerful matriarchs, the surviving mothers who preside over the deaths of their daughters, experiencing the exhilaration and triumph of survival.” (p. 735) While this quote refers to maternal melodrama, it can also apply to the other characters of “Little Women.” We see how they are affected by it and how everyone, not just the mother must cope and become strong because of it. “Little Women” does not center around melodrama, but it sure is a big part of the story. Women can identify with overcoming pain and coping and becoming strong, which are parts of “weepy” films. I am going to have to stand by my opinion in class on this.