"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.

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.

Many of the Hollywood moguls were sentimental about their European backgrounds and Carl Laemmle Jnr, whose father had emigrated from Germany and founded Universal Studios, thought "Little Man, What Now?" would make (with Frank Borzage in the director's chair) a topical but romantic drama. The book, by Hans Fallada, had already been turned into a German movie. Margaret Sullivan and Douglass Montgomery were to be the stars. Opinionated, stage trained Sullivan had a very low opinion of Hollywood and her movies in general but this was a film she always liked. Apparently there was not much rapport between her and Montgomery but fortunately it didn't show on the screen. "Little Man, What Now" had a lot in common with D.W. Griffith's "Isn't Life Wonderful" (1924) as it attempted to show young Germans coping with the depression caused by World War 1.

Johannes (Douglass Montgomery) has a problem - he is employed by Emil Kleinholtz (DeWitt Jennings) who only employs single men so his plain daughter Marie (Muriel Kirkland) can find a husband. But Johannes is married already to the luminous Lammchen (Margaret Sullivan) and soon to be a father, so he must keep it a secret. Eventually he is found out and so begins the desolate search for a job. There is a gorgeous scene where Lammchen goes to the amusement park and when Johannes finds her on the merry go round she confesses that she has been too scared to go home - because she eat all their tea (salmon) on the way home.

Meanwhile Lammchen has written to Johannes' stepmother and they soon find themselves living with her in Berlin. It is not the wonderful opportunity they had hoped for - she charges them exorbitant rent, the job she promised is not forthcoming and Lammchen finds herself having to fend off Holger Jackman's playful advances. Because he is played by Alan Hale, you know that underneath he is just a good hearted scoundrel and they find, in him, one of their few friends in the big city. Johannes finds a job in a department store, but once again his employment is in jeopardy. An uppity salesman (Monroe Owsley, in the type of role he played so well) sees an advertisement in the paper - "Discreet Evenings - Ladies Supplied" and as it is Johannes' address, he makes a snide remark about Lammchen. Johannes explodes as he realizes it is his stepmother!!! An afternoon with an egotistical actor (Alan Mowbray) who has come to the store not to buy but to "do research for a role" is the last straw and Johannes quits. Lammchen finds cheaper lodgings but for Johannes it is the start of a deep depression and months of joblessness, until the chance meeting of a good friend and the birth of their son shows him that life is there to be lived.

I though Douglass Montgomery was absolutely brilliant in the role. He bought so much sensitivity and pathos to his role of the life discouraged Johannes who has only the unwavering love of Lammchen to pull him through. It seems the love of a good woman can make you do anything. Douglass Montgomery's career was far more patchy than Sullivans. It seemed for every excellent role he played ("Waterloo Bridge" (1931),"Little Women" (1933)) he was then cast in some lack lustre parts ("Music in the Air" (1934),"Lady Tubbs" (1935)). Even though his movie career petered out - he never stopped acting and had a fulfilling career.

Highly, Highly Recommended.