What a Widow! (1930) poster

What a Widow! (1930)

Comedy, Romance • 1h 28m

Director: Allan Dwan

Cast: Gloria Swanson, Owen Moore, Lew Cody, Margaret Livingston, William Holden, Herbert Braggiotti, Gregory Gaye, Adrienne D'Ambricourt, Nella Walker, Daphne Pollard, Reginald Sharland

Not available on home video

No Home Media

This film has never had an official home-video release in any territory. Repertory screenings and archive prints are currently the only way to see it.

Best video release

From Wikipedia:

Two 35mm negatives of the film are housed at the George Eastman Museum.[3] The soundtrack is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the trailer is preserved at the Library of Congress.

About the film

A young woman's elderly husband dies and leaves her $5 million. She travels to Paris and becomes part of the "Continental" set and is pursued by a rich playboy and a lawyer who works for her.

Featured Lists: Pre-Code Films

Featured in Pre-Code Films

The Merry Widow (1934)

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

Jewel Robbery (1932)

Director: William Dieterle

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from Original Camera Negative

King Kong (1933)

Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack & Merian C. Cooper

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Thirty Day Princess (1934)

Director: Marion Gering

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Six of a Kind (1934)

Director: Leo McCarey

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Upcoming Release:

Universal Blu-ray Nov 10th

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

Directors: Irving Pichel & Ernest B. Schoedsack

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK MoC Blu-ray > Germany Wicked Vision Blu-ray > US Flicker Alley Blu-ray see DVDBeaver caps

Best Audio:

MoC Blu-ray offers both restored and an unrestored tracks

Skyscraper Souls (1932)

Director: Edgar Selwyn

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration

The Lost Patrol (1934)

Director: John Ford

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Sources: ibb.co (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Warner Archive Blu-ray is 4K restoration from nitrate projection elements

Germany Filmjuwelen Blu-ray is AI upscaled https://ibb.co/album/mCJ7RQ

Twentieth Century (1934)

Director: Howard Hawks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Ladies of Leisure (1930)

Director: Frank Capra

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony Frank Capra Boxset Blu-ray

More from Allan Dwan

Robin Hood (1922)

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Manhandled (1924)

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber OOP Blu-ray

Stage Struck (1925)

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber OOP Blu-ray

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber OOP Blu-ray

The Iron Mask (1929)

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Video Notes:

"a full frame 35 mm fine grain positive was scanned at 4K at an historically appropriate 21 frames per second. Following this, more than 160 hours of digital clean up was completed at 2K"

Mr. Fix-It (1918)

Director: Allan Dwan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Film Preservation Society Blu-ray

More Comedy on Blu-ray

The Sterile Cuckoo (1969)

Director: Alan J. Pakula

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Olive Films Blu-ray

The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

Director: Frank Oz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: Steve Gordon

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)

TV series

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

The Hucksters (1947)

Director: Jack Conway

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)

Director: George B. Seitz

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Love Crazy (1941)

Director: Jack Conway

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Video Notes:

4K restoration from safety preservation elements

Finding Emily (2026)

Director: Alicia MacDonald

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

A New Leaf (1971)

Director: Elaine May

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Cinématographe 4K Blu-ray > MoC > Olive Films. From nicolas:

The master is good but it’s not that big an upgrade from the Olive Films disc and Vinegar Syndrome’ encode has some blocky highlights. A shame that they didn’t hire David Mackenzie here.

Best Audio:

Olive Films Blu-ray / Masters of Cinema Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Cinématographe has unnecessary noise gating not present on the previous releases.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Directors: Charles Reisner & Buster Keaton

Best English-Friendly & Video:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027

Video Notes:

MoC/Cohen Blu-ray > Kino Lorber

Edit history

1 edit

Researched and maintained by

· last reviewed 11 months ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.