Film

Little Women scene stolen by water bottles spotted in background

Greta Gerwig’s film of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel features some very modern items

Little Women is known for being forward thinking – but not so forward thinking that it predicted the invention of plastic water bottles or Hydro Flasks.

Stephanie Convery
Thu Apr 2 2020 - 09:14

Louisa May Alcott’s classic 1868 novel Little Women is known for being forward thinking – but not so forward thinking that it predicted the invention of plastic water bottles or Hydro Flasks.

Both were spied in the background of a scene in Greta Gerwig's 2019 film adaptation of the classic American coming-of-age tale, in echoes of an incident earlier last year in which a takeaway coffee cup was spotted in the background of a shot in the final season of fantasy epic Game of Thrones.

The gaffe was caught by Little Women superfan Madelyn Rancourt, who documented her finding in a TikTok video that quickly went viral.

The scene, early in the film, depicts four out of five members of the March family – Meg, Jo, Amy and their mother, Marmee – meeting their neighbour, Laurie, who later becomes an important part of their lives.

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In the background of a shot, atop period furniture, sits a stainless steel drink bottle – identified as a Hydro Flask – and a plastic Poland Spring bottle.

Fans reacted with mirth and horror on Twitter, with some checking their own copies of the film to verify.

On Tuesday, Rancourt followed up with a second video, noting that Gerwig, and cast members Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern and Saoirse Ronan, broke down the very same scene in commentary for industry magazine Vanity Fair – and did not make mention of the bottles.

Rancourt said she had seen the film seven times in cinemas, went to a Q&A with the cast in New York, and owned multiple copies of the book. She did not say how many times she had seen the film before noticing the water bottles. – Guardian

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