How Production Designer Jess Gonchor Brought ‘Little Women’ To Life

Having been adapted on a number of occasions and into a variety of different formats, Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” book, published in 1868, has seen a number of different takes. For 2019’s “Little Women,” director and screenwriter Greta Gerwig not only had to ensure it stood on its own two feet but that it also looked and felt vastly different from its many predecessors.

For that, she tapped Oscar-nominated production designer Jess Gonchor, whose works include “No Country for Old Men,” “Moneyball,” and the forthcoming “Quiet Place Part II.” In an interview with the LA Times, Gonchor divulged upon the ways in which he ensured the “Little Women” setting and its 19th century set aesthetics could still promote variety.

“Our version of the March house is a bit broken and run-down on the outside, but the interiors have this flow of positive energy and color. Each room needed to have its own identity,” Gonchor explained. “The point was that the girls could feel warm and inspired in every room. So, there is food, blankets, a fire, paints, books … everything that you need to feel happy and warm in the middle of a cold Massachusetts winter.”

The “Little Women” plot follows the March family, a group of four sisters under one roof, all of whom have their own varied personalities. The star-studded “Little Women” cast includes Emma Watson as Meg, Florence Pugh as Amy, Saoirse Ronan as Jo, Eliza Scanlen as Beth, Laura Dern as Marmee, and Meryl Streep as Aunt March.

Whereas other adaptions seemed to focus on the time period and how the girls fit into that era, Gerwig’s version more so focuses on the adulthood of the March sisters. The “Little Women” director told Deadline that she wanted to invite a different structure to the story, examining the "Little Women" plot more so “as something that’s a snow globe of a perfect moment that’s forever gone.”

Gonchor likewise related similar notions of Gerwig’s film to the LA Times, calling it “a period movie that felt more modern than the others.” Gerwig wasn't even supposed to direct “Little Women,” yet she took the film to heart and it shows, given its various award nominations and praise. “Little Women” reviews thus far have been positive, with a 95% fresh critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Gonchor added, "I knew that we were going to film the movie at the same place the book was written over a hundred years ago, in Concord, Mass. We had our production office in Burlington, Vt., and much of the film was shot in these colonial villages where a lot had changed but much had also stayed the same. The vibe was perfect."