Margaret Sullavan (Next Time We Love) stars in this deeply moving romantic drama by the great Frank Borzage (Bad Girl, A Farewell to Arms, Desire, Disputed Passage). Fired for marrying his sweetheart Emma (Sullavan) instead of his boss’s daughter, Hans (Douglass Montgomery, The Mystery of Edwin Drood) moves his pregnant wife to Berlin where he gets a job as a salesman. Dismissed for insulting a customer, Hans has only Emma’s love to sustain him as he seeks opportunity in a country where work is scarce and the Nazis are rising to power. Blending themes of politics and social crisis with love and compassion, this Pre-Code classic showcases one of cinema’s most impactful auteurs, Borzage, and a wonderful cast that includes Alan Hale (The Good Fairy), Fred Kohler (Goin’ to Town), Mae Marsh (Intolerance), Hedda Hopper (Skinner’s Dress Suit) and Paul Fix (The Ghost Breakers).

For thoughts on Little Man, What Now?, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/vs6cPCYEE7M?t=5557]

Video Quality

Little Man, What Now? makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p transfer from a 2K master. Overall, this is a pretty impressive presentation for a film of this vintage. The sumptuous black-and-white photography shot by Nobert Brodine shines in high definition with natural grain intact. That does not mean this is a perfect presentation, as a pretty fine layer of minor nicks and scratches remain, but you can tell that it has been cleaned up immensely. The new transfer shows off a pleasing amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. The level of detail present is a real treat with nice textures on the clothing and within the production design. The contrast is well defined, but some small amount of flicker and density fluctuation remains in the print. This presentation shows off solid black levels with no overwhelming occurrence of crush or compression artifacts. Kino Classics has done a nice job of bringing this one to a new audience.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a decently strong DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well despite a few drawbacks. Yes, it is apparent that this track has some minor age related wear and tear along with some hissing and crackles. That also extends to the quality of the score which can sound a bit thin or brash, which likely dates back to the source elements. Thankfully, the dialogue comes through clearly and without issue while maintaining harmony with all competing elements including the active environmental sounds. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Kino Classics has done their best to provide a stable experience for the audience.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Allan Arkush (Get Crazy) and Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer deliver a really informative commentary track in which they talk about how this film premiered right before the implementation of the Hays Code, the careers of the talent involved with a specific focus on Margaret Sullavan and Frank Borzage, the technical prowess of this film, how this narrative handles class disparity, their personal affection for the creatives, hallmarks of Borzage which he utilizes here and more. This is a thoughtful track that is worth checking out.

Trailers: There are trailers provided for The Good Fairy, Back Street, The Cat and The Canary, Desire, The Gilded Lily, Peter Ibbetson and Love Before Breakfast.

Final Thoughts

Little Man, What Now? is a gut-punch melodrama that gets under your skin in the particular way that the great Frank Borzage excels in so well. The film makes a firm statement about socio-political issues of class and wealth disparity while never seeming heavy-handed or preachy. The two leads anchor the picture in grand emotions, but it is Margaret Sullavan in particular who steals the picture away. The realities of the text will not leave you on an emotional high once the final studio logo has flashed, but it will stick with you for some time to come. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a solid A/V presentation and a terrific commentary track. If you enjoy finding forgotten gems from the pre-Code era of Hollywood, be sure to give this one a shot. Recommended

Little Man, What Now? is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.