Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Djayesse Warsaw, august 1939. The theater company led by the GREAT Jozef Tura (Jack Benny) is rehearsing a new play: Gestapo, a mockery of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. And in the evening, they perform Hamlet, where the same Tura tries to be the young Danish prince. Every time he starts his famous soliloquy, Stanislav Sobinsky (Robert Stack), a young aviator walks out... To meet Maria Tura (Carole Lombard), his wife ! Meanwhile, the war breaks out, and the company has to kill a traitor. Once the man is dead, someone has to take his place to meet the Gestapo chief, Erhardt (Sig Ruman). Guess who will take his place? Yes, the grrrreat Tura himself! Then, we have a series of quid pro quo and fool's games, while the Nazis organize their deadly activities.Can we laugh at everything? Lubitsch confirms that we can. And it was a very difficult thing to do at that time : when the movie is presented in February 1942, it's been three months since the Americans declared war to Japan and Germany. The story of the film was very close and up to date for the spectators. Hitler had become a real enemy for the actors in the film, and the spectators of the movie halls. At that time, Hollywood had started to make films about the war in Europe. When the film was shot, Pearl Harbour had not yet been attacked. The public opinion had to be ready to enter the war with England against Germany. But other films had been presented to the American audiences: Foreign Correspondent (Alfred Hitchcock, 1940) or The long Voyage home (John Ford, 1940), for example. Here, the two facts contributed to its success: the up-to-date context and the tragic death of Carole Lombard... In a plane crash: "what can happen in a plane?" was her last words in the movie before they were taken off. Therefore, To be or not to be has become instantly a very strong propaganda film with its topic and its message: "the Resistance will remain and hold on against the Nazis". But this is Lubitsch, so everything seems very light: very little blood is spilled, a few realistic elements, and a very large amount of comedy. Even in the most tense moments, a little something can evacuate it and bring us laughter. The situation comedy is the basis of the movie. The situation gets weirder and weirder, the characters are less and less at ease as the film goes on. We start with a little cheating between husband and wife (which is not very important): a comedian meets a young man while her husband performs Hamlet's soliloquy, a fake "secret" code ("to be or not to be"), and we end up with the intervention of Hitler himself! Moreover, the Nazis are very ridiculous, and above all Erhardt and Schultz (Henry Victor), his subordinate! The actors chosen to play in this film are very relevant. They create this comical mood which enlightens the film, and especially Jack Benny. Tura is a poor actor and a jealous husband, but nevertheless, he manages to perform the role of his life while defending his country. Carole Lombard is a wonderful actress, but here, Benny is stupendous. He is the main character of the film. Last reason why this film is great and very funny, the quotes: "What he did to Shakespeare we are doing now to Poland." (Erhardt) "So they call me Concentration Camp Ehrhardt?" (Jozef Tura, then Erhardt) "What a husband doesn't know won't hurt his wife." (Anna) "Shall we drink to a blitzkrieg? - I prefer a slow encirclement." (Professor Silesky & Maria Tura) And, of course: "to be, or not to be"!

gavin6942 During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.Ernst Lubitsch writes, produces and directs this satire of Nazi Germany. Putting it alongside Charles Chaplin's "The Dictator", this is a very powerful film because of its timing. Released in 1942, at the height of World War II, when anyone could have won... very brave to make a film of this sort.Lubitsch, a man who inspired the likes of Billy Wilder and Mel Brooks, never had his equal. Perhaps not the most well-known creator, he ought to be. With films like this, he was a true treasure.

Scott44 ***User reviewer theowinthrop ("Swan Song in Warsaw", theowinthrop from United States, 12 November 2005) has an interesting review that covers most of the bases which follow here.*** "To Be Or Not To Be (1942, Ernst Lubitsch)", a comedy about the Nazi invasion of Poland, is worthwhile escapism. It is a product of the time it was made. Completed in 1941, the producers withheld it from release until the US was at war with Germany. When it was being made, the US was still neutral regarding the conflicts raging in Europe. So the Nazi subject matter (e.g., many digs at Adolf Hitler, the references to concentration camps, the Gestapo, etc.), was fairly new to Western audiences. There is a strong propaganda element throughout, and the leading actors are handicapped by the need to kiss up to the Allies while demonizing the Axis powers.This film may have inspired "Hogan's Heroes" which arrives 25 years later. For both, the Germans are easily defeated. "Hogan's Heroes" also has a Colonel Schultz who is particularly dim-witted.Even though the Saturday crowd was laughing out loud, many of the gags seem pretty antiquated today. What makes "To Be Or Not to Be" enjoyable is the performance by the three principal leads. Also, the Edwin Justic screenplay is energetic.In the tradition of 1930s screwball comedies, Robert Stack as Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski is a very handsome young man in pursuit of love but inexperienced at it. He is more than a capable bombardier and soldier, but love is a more difficult battle altogether.Jack Benny's Joseph Tura, a pompous actor obsessed with his wife's presumed infidelities, is quite brilliant. Even though Tura repeats himself frequently, Benny has the skill to keep it interesting. Benny might have become a clown to rival Bob Hope if he had made more films. However, for many reasons Carole Lombard (as Maria Tura) is obviously the main attraction here.Lombard did not live to see this film released. She was killed at age 33 while flying to a war bond rally. Her departure was a terrible loss for world cinema. Not only is Carole Lombard breathtakingly beautiful, she is vastly talented. She excelled in comedic repartee. Her Maria Tura thinks very fast on her feet while captivating throughout. Carole Lombard was an elite performer during the fabled Golden Era of Hollywood.Cinephiles will enjoy "To Be or Not to Be." Just don't board an aircraft with an unpressurized cabin getting to the revival theater showing this.

SmileysWorld We needed laughs in 1942.What better thing to laugh at than the thing that was causing us the most tension at the time,World War II? The production of this film came at a very contentious time,and it paid off.The finished product is one to behold if you like to laugh.While the content being satirized may be dated,the humor is timeless.The only downer,I suppose,at the time was the loss of the film's star,Carole Lombard in a plane crash in January of 1942,well before the film's release.This no doubt put a damper on the film's humor for the audiences of the time,so it had to recover from this setback over time.That it has,and it is a must see comedy classic.