Little Man, What Now? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Little Man, What Now? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 18, 2025

Frank Borzage's "Little Man, What Now?" (1934) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by filmmaker Allan Arkush and critic Daniel Kramer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

We stay together, regardless of how difficult it gets.

"If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want." This famous quote from American writer and philosopher Elbert Hubbard will never lose its relevance because it spells out a timeless truth. Technology will continue to evolve and alter our lives in many different, unpredictable ways, but regardless of the changes, our health will remain the most important factor in them. If we are not healthy, everything else in our lives becomes meaningless.

Frank Borzage directed Little Man, What Now? ninety years ago and its story is about the truth from Hubbard’s quote. It is broken into multiple segments, each quite different, presenting undisputable evidence that Hubbard was spot on.

The location is post-war Germany during the Great Depression, but it just as easily could have been America. Hans (Douglass Montgomery) and Emma (Margaret Sullavan) learn that they will be parents and officially become a couple. However, they are forced to keep their union secret because Hans’ new boss, a dogmatic merchant, requires his employees to be bachelors. It is not long before Hans discovers why -- his boss has an unmarried, slightly loopy daughter, and she wants a husband. When Hans is selected to become her husband and turns down his boss’ official offer to join his family, he is promptly fired. Several weeks later, barely surviving and on the verge of using their final savings, Hans and Emma decide to relocate to Berlin, where Hans’ stepmother, Mia (Catherine Doucet), has arranged for him to work in an upscale clothing store. But upon arriving there, the newlyweds discover that there is no job waiting for Hans, and Mia plans to rent them a room at her place for one hundred marks, a small fortune. Holger Jachman (Alan Hale), a well-connected socialite and Mia’s part-time lover, steps up and helps Hans get employed. However, while working hard to meet expectations, Hans accidentally learns from his colleagues that his stepmother’s place has a special reputation among wealthy men who appreciate the company of beautiful ladies, and, together with Emma, immediately walks away from it. While feeling down and blaming himself for all the misery he and Emma have endured, Hans is visited by Lady Luck and then presented with a special gift.

Borzage places Hans and Emma in a depressing, often strikingly cruel environment where the weaker tend to self-destruct. Hunger, prostitution, alcohol, and drugs are right smack in the middle of it, and some of the weaker can be seen slowly drifting toward the abyss where their misery would end. And yet, Little Man, What Now? is one incredibly uplifting film.

It is such a film because Hans and Emma keep moving forward with the understanding that as long as they are healthy and supportive of each other, their dream of creating a happy family will come true. At the end, after the baby arrives, the two also acknowledge that their happiness is all the wealth they need.

Their realization, a restatement of Hubbard’s quote, is the culmination of multiple scarring but educational failures that are not specific to their environment. It is why Borzage moves the two through different places and scenarios, forcing them to interact with characters from diverse social backgrounds and completely different philosophies of life -- the process enabling this realization is always simple, always the same. While the performances and the quality of the visuals are quite good, it is this clarity that makes Little Man, What Now? a wonderful, timeless film.

Little Man, What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Little Man, What Now? arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

Kino Lorber's release was the first to introduce Universal's 2K restoration of the film. Recently, British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films also produced this Region-B release, which introduced the same 2K restoration in the United Kingdom. I like the film a lot, and after comparing how it looks on both releases, I would definitely pick the latter as the one that provides a superior presentation of it. Why exactly? Despite various inherited minor surface imperfections, including density fluctuations, grain exposure is noticeably better on the Region-B release. The difference is not always big, and I do not know if untrained eyes will appreciate some of the more subtle improvements that strengthen the consistency of how grain is exposed, but at least on my system different areas clearly looked better. The rest is identical. I did not observe any meaningful discrepancies in the grayscale. Nicks, blemishes, and tiny scratches are still visible, too. Image stability is good as well, though occasionally a bit of shakiness can be spotted. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Little Man, What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I do not have any new comments to add to the ones that I left in our review of the Region-B release of Little Man, What Now?. The audio is somewhat thin, which is to be expected given the age of the film. However, it is not plagued by any distracting age-related anomalies. Also, all dialog is clear and very easy to follow.

Little Man, What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by filmmaker Allan Arkush and critic Daniel Kramer.

Little Man, What Now? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In Berlin, after they are cheated and mistreated, Hans and Emma appear doomed. But despite the many scarring failures and misery around them, the two never give up on each other and continue moving forward. The clarity with which they see the big picture and what matters the most in it helps them survive and discover happiness. Real life is a lot more complicated, its challenges more difficult to navigate? No, it is not. It is exactly as depicted in Frank Borzage's Pre-Code film. Some people simply need plenty of time to see the big picture, what matters the most in it, and start behaving accordingly. I loved this film. If you want to have the best technical presentation of it, and you can play Region-B release, I suggest taking a look at this recent release, produced by British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. RECOMMENDED.