Bradley to grace the big screen in ‘Little Women’

Director/Writer Greta Gerwig and Meryl Streep on the set of Columbia Pictures’ Little Women at the Bradley Estate in Canton. (Photo by Wilson Webb / Copyright: © 2019 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Local moviegoers who head to the cinema on Christmas Day this year to see the movie Little Women will not only have a chance to see the latest filming of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel, they will enjoy watching the scenes that were filmed at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton. The Bradley Estate was one of the Massachusetts properties used to represent the 19th century settings in the story of the fictional March family.

The Trustees of Reservations manages the Bradley Estate, which is located on Route 138 in Canton, near Exit 2 of Route 128. Vidya Tikku, the Trustees’ director for greater Boston, explained that the organization was contacted in early 2018 by filmmakers who were looking for appropriate properties to use during the filming. Film scouts arrived at the Bradley Estate and walked around, taking in the house, the pasture to the right of the home, and the formal garden behind the home, and imagining which scenes might be filmed in Canton.

Four months before filming began in the fall of 2018, the Trustees were notified that the Bradley Estate had been selected for Little Women. Director Greta Gerwig visited the property at the end of the summer and began planning how to film the scenes that would be shot there. Tikku said that while the organization was thrilled that the Bradley Estate was selected, they worked hard to both allow the film crew to do their job and to protect the integrity of the estate due to the scale and nature of the production.

The hardwood floors in the home were covered during the production. Fires may not be lit in the fireplaces at the Bradley Estate; however, during the 19th century a fire commonly warmed homes. The crew and the staff worked with the Canton Fire Department and the Canton Police Department to ensure that safety measures were followed.

One change that was made to the house was the installation of wallpaper that was reflective of the time period on walls of the first floor. “They flew the wallpaper in from Europe,” Tikku said. After filming ended, the crew left the wallpaper on the walls. The staff decided that the color of the paper was too dark for the house and took it down, except for sections near the doors leading to the formal garden in the back.

“We left a section of wallpaper so people can see it and get a feel for it,” Tikku said.

Most of the filming took place over three long days in the fall of 2018. The film crew arrived at 3 a.m. and the actors were dropped off at the estate between 6 and 7 a.m. Filming usually ended at about 8 p.m. Some of the scenes depicted the winter season and the film crew used special equipment to make the windows look cold and frosted from the inside while making it appear to be snowing outdoors. The Bradley Estate was closed to visitors during the filming.

Little Women features Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Stanley, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Bob Odenkirk, and Meryl Streep. Tikku said that the staff at the Bradley Estate was awe-struck at being around celebrities they had seen on the big screen.

“They were absolutely awed by Meryl Streep,” Tikku said. “She was really sweet. I was flabbergasted that I got the chance to meet her.”

Among the scenes that were filmed at the Bradley Estate was the last scene of the movie. The book ends with a birthday party for Marmee March, the matriarch of the family, who is portrayed by actress Laura Dern. Tikku said that since the last scene was a celebration, children were needed, so an open call was put out and a number of children auditioned. Tikku said that actress Emma Watson was wonderful with the all of the children. “She was really engaged with the kids,” Tikku said. “Even in between the shots.”

Tikku really enjoyed watching the filming of the last scene. The parents of the young actors were thrilled that their children were taking part in the movie and the children’s exuberance was contagious.

“It was very inspirational,” Tikku said, “to see the kids running around. The moms were really happy and the kids were really excited. It was a really fun day. They were really joyous.”

Visit the Bradley Estate to experience Winterlights now through December 29. Click here for more info or to purchase tickets.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Nov 29 2019. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.