Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

MartinHafer "Little Man, What Now?" is a miserable story. Now I am NOT saying it's bad...but it is hard to watch and even painful to watch at times. It's the story of a young married couple who are struggling just to survive the economic malaise in post-war Germany...where their Depression was far worse than that which hit the States. Jobs were very hard to come by and life was a serious struggle.When the film begins, Hans and Emma (Douglass Montgomery and Margaret Sullavan) marry. However, Hans works at a peculiar place...where they ONLY employ bachelors and will fire him if he marries! And, there's a constant push to make the company meaner and leaner--and the employees are warned that one could easily be fired! Well, eventually he is exposed and loses the job and they are poor and hungry. He accepts an offer from his mother to move into her place. Yet, when they arrive, you see his mother is a shallow bi...um...not nice person. She wants to charge them rent and only things about herself and her live-in lover (Alan Hale)...and life is STILL a struggle. Fortunately, Hans gets a job...but ends up losing it and they are miserable once again...a pattern that continues throughout the film. And, oddly, despite their financial problems, the couple seem to occasionally plan and spend very poorly.If you are looking for a feel-good film, this is NOT it!! It's a portrait of the Depression and Depressions are, by their very nature, depressing!! The film is well made and an interesting historical portrait...but how many folks wanna see something this unappealing and awful?! Yes, post-war Germany (1919-1932) REALLY sucked...and here is sucks in spades!!By the way, you can tell this is a Pre-code movie when the film begins (it came out a few months before the new Production Code was put into effect). Douglass Montgomery's character is standing outside a gynecologist's office...and it says 'Gynecology' on the sign! You'd never see this in Post-Code films of the 30s, 40s or 50s. Well made but dreadful.

classicflm Margaret Sullavan was never more beautiful in this mega tearjerker. Even if she has to act opposite the unappealing Douglass Montgomery, the films works. Wonderfully photographed, and superb acting by all makes this movie a must see.

Kalaman This is a sadly unknown and obscure film classic from the 1930s and one of my own favorites of all Frank Borzage's love stories.A very sad and heartbreaking tale of a German couple surviving in a Nazi-occupied town in 1920s Germany, "Little Man, What Now?" was the first Borzage film to attack Hitler and the horrors of Nazism, prefiguring the director's later anti-Nazi masterpieces like "Three Comrades"(1938), "The Mortal Storm"(1940) and "Till We Meet Again"(1944)."Little Man" is a painfully realistic and terrifying experience, especially the second half; and yet strangely full of hope and affirmation. Margaret Sullavan is as always luminous and touching in her portrayal of Lammchen Pinneberg. It is interesting to compare "Little Man" with Sullavan's other Borzage films like "Three Comrades" and "The Mortal Storm." There's something about her sweet innocence, devotion, and luminosity that works well with Borzage's soft-focus, anti-Nazi attitude. The glittering white dress she wears half-way throughout the film seems to suggest a symbol of light and hope (however transient) for Montgomery and against the brutal 1920s depression milieu, the same way Loretta Young's heartbreaking devotion and sweetness are intended to rescue Spencer Tracy's tough, smart-alecky personality in Borzage's 1933 masterwork "Man's Castle."As with "Man's Castle", the Depression and, particularly in this case, Nazism are less physical than a spiritual or emotional threats to Borzage's lovers. Despite the bleak, depressing reality the characters have to surpass, both "Little Man" and "Man's Castle" retain Borzage's tender touch and humanity, inviting audience forgiveness for his characters' fragility and vulnerability.This film will break your heart and should never be missed.

oliverkneale One of the most heartbreaking, swoon-inducing film experiences I've ever had is 1934's "Little Man, What Now?"It's about a young couple, with a child, struggling against poverty and a steady stream of bad luck in early 1930's Germany. It's an American film, but at times it almost plays like a piece of European cinema. The atmosphere is thick and the story isn't afraid to drift into areas that are a bit dark (and daring in a pre-code sense). It has a sentimental streak for sure, but the sentiment is never turned on at the expense of intelligence.Another stand out quality of the film is it's almost painfully gorgeous cinematography. The world of the film is like a dream or like something from a storybook. Sunlight shines against water and trees and grass with a pristine silvery glow. Faces are shown in the most lovely light. Margaret Sullavan, especially, is shot in a way that practically makes you fall in love with her.This is a true jewel of obscure 1930's cinema, rarely shown and, as of this writing, not available on any home video format. See it the first chance you get. It is a must for the classic movie enthusiast who feels like they've seen everything.