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To Be or Not to Be (1942)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
6 March 1942 (USA) morePlot:
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins moreNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Jude Law ... You Are the Father (From TMZ. 11 October 2009, 8:08 AM, PDT)
Curio: 10 Cents for Carole
(From FilmExperience. 7 October 2009, 11:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Classic Satirical Comedy That Gets Even Better As It Goes Along more (65 total)Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Carole Lombard | ... | Maria Tura | |
| Jack Benny | ... | Joseph Tura | |
| Robert Stack | ... | Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski | |
| Felix Bressart | ... | Greenberg | |
| Lionel Atwill | ... | Rawitch | |
| Stanley Ridges | ... | Professor Siletsky | |
| Sig Ruman | ... | Col. Ehrhardt | |
| Tom Dugan | ... | Bronski | |
| Charles Halton | ... | Producer Dobosh | |
| George Lynn | ... | Actor-Adjutant | |
| Henry Victor | ... | Capt. Schultz | |
| Maude Eburne | ... | Anna | |
| Halliwell Hobbes | ... | Gen. Armstrong | |
| Miles Mander | ... | Major Cunningham |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
At være eller ikke være (Denmark) [da]Att vara eller inte vara (Sweden) [sv]
Byc albo nie byc (Poland) [pl]
Lenni vagy nem lenni (Hungary) [hu]
Ollako vai eikö olla (Finland) [fi]
Sein oder Nichtsein (West Germany) [de]
Sein oder Nichtsein - Heil Hamlet (West Germany) [de]
Ser o no ser (Spain) [es]
Ser ou Não Ser (Portugal) [pt]
To be or not to be, jeu dangereux (France) [fr]
Vara eller icke vara (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Vogliamo vivere! (Italy) [it]
more
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
99 minCountry:
USAColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)Certification:
Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:12 (2003) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7834) | West Germany:12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Carole Lombard took the female lead despite the strenuous objections of her husband, Clark Gable. moreGoofs:
Factual errors: When Tura is disguised as Colonel Erhardt in his meeting with Siletsky he is wearing the uniform of a Major General (actually an SS-Gruppenfuehrer). moreQuotes:
Maria Tura: It's becoming ridiculous the way you grab attention. Whenever I start to tell a story, you finish it. If I go on a diet, you lose the weight. If I have a cold, you cough. And if we should ever have a baby, I'm not so sure I'd be the mother.Josef Tura: I'm satisfied to be the father.
more
Soundtrack:
German National Anthem (Das Lied der Deutschen) moreFAQ
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Beneath all the one-liners and amusing gags, this classic comedy has an undertone of satire that is quite effective. Jack Benny plays his role with just the right amount of exaggeration for it to work perfectly, and he, Carole Lombard, and the rest of the cast help Ernst Lubitsch to tell a lively yet worthwhile tale. There are a few slow spots early in the movie, but after it hits its stride, everything fits together well.
Very few film-makers can make something like this succeed, because they take themselves too seriously. Lubitsch does not, and as a result this film provides a caricatured but relatively insightful portrayal of the Nazis, with a light-hearted yet appreciative look at those who opposed them in the occupied countries. The right kind of lighter touch can sometimes be more effective in commenting on important issues than the heavy, emotionally laden harangues that are all too common.
While providing good entertainment, this movie also brings out the Nazis' inherent insecurity, pettiness, and short-sightedness, while also demonstrating their growing capacity for destroying the innocent. For example, the wonderful character actor Sig Ruman is greatly entertaining as a Nazi bureaucrat, yet he also cleverly brings out the pathetic side of such persons.
Aside from a couple of good gags, it starts off just a little slowly. A lot of time is spent on Robert Stack's character, who is (through no fault of Stack's) not very interesting. Likewise, the subplot involving him and Lombard takes up a lot more time than it was worth. Other than that, though, it moves briskly, with many entertaining scenes while it develops the story. As the pace picks up, the members of Benny's acting troupe get some fine moments of their own, Benny himself has some fine scenes with several other characters, and everything builds up nicely towards a good finale.