The latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, Little Women, was directed by Greta Gerwig and released in 2019. It follows the lives of the March sisters as they grow up in Massachusetts in the 1860’s. In a film like this with such a talented ensemble cast, there are so many characters that drive the story forward, one such character is Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis, played in this film by Bill Mootos, is the teacher at Amy March’s schoolhouse. The character of Mr. Davis is just doing his job and is in the film for a total of one scene and therefore follows the rules of Christian Keathley’s essay topic of business. In a film with so many characters, “Minor characters – especially those who appear only once or twice in a film but are nevertheless important to the plot – must be easily identifiable to the viewer, and giving them some business can help define their character quickly, efficiently and distinctively.”(Keathley) Mr. Davis’s identity in the film is defined quickly by his placement and his actions so that he may fulfill his role in the film, the role of a conduit. He is a character who acts only to further the narrative of the main characters.
Mr. Davis’s one scene takes place after the start of the new year in the town schoolhouse (Little Women, 2019, 0:37:04). Amy March, the youngest of the March sisters, loves drawing and painting and is quite good at it. The scene starts with the rest of the school girls attempting to pressure Amy into drawing entertaining caricatures in class while Mr. Davis is distracted, helping another student. After Amy refuses to draw Abraham Lincoln, her classmates convince her to draw Mr. Davis. The school girls laughing at their desks catches the attention of Mr. Davis, who walks over, stopping Amy’s drawing in its tracks. Though this scene seems unimportant at first glance, it is actually crucial to the advancement of several major relationships in the film.
The scene at the schoolhouse leads to a scene where Amy is crying outside of Laurie’s study window because Mr. Davis had hit her as punishment for her drawing and she does not want to go home and get in trouble (Little Women, 2019, 0:37:50). Laurie and his tutor John, open the window, ask if Amy is hurt, and after inviting her inside, Jo, Meg, and Marmee come over to get Amy. Mr. Davis’s action of hitting Amy as punishment is a direct causation to this busy scene in which Laurie’s crush on Jo develops further, Meg meets her future husband John for the first time and accidentally leaves her glove for him to keep, Beth, though not present, is allowed to play Mr. Lawrence’s piano, which is a major part of their relationship and character growth, and this interaction between Laurie and the March Girls brings them closer and leads to their eventual friendship and the integration of Laurie into the March Girls’ club.
Works Cited:
Keathley, Christian. “Pass the salt … and other bits of business.” Screen, Volume 52, Issue 1. 2011. 105. https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/hjq065
Gerwig, G. (Director). (2019, December 25). Little Women (2019) [Netflix Edition]. Columbia Pictures.
Provide Feedback