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To Be or Not to Be

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"To Be or Not to Be" has the distinction of being the last movie starring Carole Lombard before her tragic death in an airplane crash in 1942 and is also remembered as having Jack Benny's finest film performance. But beyond the qualities of the stars Ernst Lubitsch's film deserves to be singled out for its anti-Nazis position, a distinction shared with Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" and few other films. Keep in mind that the film was released on February 15, 1942, not only a month after Lombard's death but only two months after Pearl Harbor, which means it was in the works before the United States entered World War II.

Lubitsch and Melchior Lengyel came up with the story, which was turned into a screenplay by Edwin Justus Mayer. The story of "To Be or Not to Be" is of a Polish theatrical company that is in Warsaw preparing to perform an anti-Nazi melodrama on the eve of World War II. In the leading roles are the husband and wife team of Maria (Lombard) and Joseph Tura (Benny), who are trained in Shakespeare. However, the production is canceled by the Polish government because they are afraid Germany will attack the country is a play critical of the Nazis goes on (you know how touchy Hitler can be). So the Turas put on "Hamlet" instead and while Joseph does Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy, Maria is visited backstage by Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski (Robert Stack), a young pilot in the Polish Air Force. Then the war breaks out, Sobinski makes it to London to fight with the RAF, and the Turas remain in occupied Warsaw.

While in London Sobinski meets with Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges), a Nazi agent posing as a Polish patriot, who gets the names of friends and relatives from the pilots. Sobinski becomes suspicious and is sent to Warsaw to recover the list from Siletsky before he gives it to the Nazis. In Warsaw Maria helps Sobinski, but then she is arrested by the Gestapo as Siletsky tries to get her to join the Third Reich. To rescue his wife Joseph and the other actors masquerade as Nazi soldiers and end up with one of them (Tom Duggan) dressing up as Hitler to help in the great escape.

This is a comedy, but it is not a broad comedy in which the whole thing descends into slapstick, otherwise the overt attempts at anti-Nazi propaganda would not work. There is a similarity between "To Be or Not to Be" and the television situation comedy "Hogan's Heroes," in terms of presenting the Nazis as incompetent buffoons, personified by Sig Ruman as Colonel Ehrhardt. The difference is that Lubitsch still manages to work in the idea that the Nazis are also killer clowns. However, the biggest joke is that these actors, less than inspiring on the stage in Shakespeare, are so convincing playing Nazis. Meanwhile, Joseph cannot quite bring himself to belief that Maria is actually cheating on him.

Keep in mind that when this film was made "concentration camps" did not mean what they mean today; the terms was used by the United States to describe the camps in which Japanese-Americans were interred during the war. But then when you see Jack Benny walk in as a Nazi you know this is a different time and place. The humor is pretty coarse for a film from the early Forties (e.g., Ehrhardt recalls Joseph's performance of "Hamlet" and declares, "What he did to Shakespeare we are doing to Poland"), but then keep in mind who is being made fun of here and you have to admire the bite that they put into some of these bits. Benny is pretty much perfect for this part and Lombard sparkles throughout. As is usually the case, the original is much better than the 1983 remake with the husband and wife team of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft.

I'm so surprised that this classic is not revived more often or is not better known. It really is one of the most superb films turned out during the war years and is significant for a number of diverse reasons. One is that Carole Lombard, the stunning comedienne par excellence of the 30's and wife of Clark Gable was killed in a plane crash on a war bond selling tour soon after completing her role in it and secondly that Jack Benny, normally regarded as a radio personality, has the film role of a lifetime in this classic and has never been better.

The film has so many wonderful moments and features that it is hard to know where to begin. Carole Lombard, one of my favourite actresses of the 1930's has never been better than in this role and it is a melancoly experience watching her so radiant, so beautiful and full of life in this her last film prior to her death. The role of Maria Tura is at once street smart, sexy and totally up to taking on the Nazi's in the script. This performance stands up there with all her classic performances in "Twentieth Century" "My Man Godfrey" "Hands Across The Tabe" "In Name Only" and "Vigil In The Night".

Jack Benny, famous for his radio performances and later television work shines in the role of her husband Joseph Tura your typical egocentric actor who is known for putting the "ham" in Hamlet once and for all !!! The supporting cast is first rate with Robert Stack shining in one of his earliest roles as Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski, Maria's lover who always exits the front row of the theatre as Joseph Tura the hammest actor in all of Warsaw launches into his "To be or not to be........ speech and has his big moment ruined night after night!! The fact that Stack and the rest of the cast neither look or sound Polish in no way detracts from the magic of this film as we are sent on a rollicking satire about the Nazi takeover of Warsaw which of course was very topical at this time. Indeed the subject matter was considered very daring at this time and "To Be Or Not To Be" was one of the first films along with "The Mortal Storm" to attack Nazism at a time when the outcome of the war was still very uncertain.

The film has the rare distinction of successfully combining humour with a strong depiction of the terror inflicted on countless people by the Nazis. It maintains its own personal dignity throughout and the credit for that must be laid at the feet of Ernst Lubitsch who here combines his own rich European experience with the crack - crack volleys of a fast moving Americam satire. The superb end result (which was not a big success upon release, but has been redeemed with the passing of time) has much to do with his confident and sure handling of potentially very risky material for that time.

The wonderful humour of this piece comes from the great characterisations by all the cast and the storyline which has them as a Polish theatrical troupe which is pulled into working as resistance workers to aid a Polish Lieutenant find safety from the Nazis. What ensures is a hilarious series of events that is both clever and witty while succeeding in jogging our thoughts about man's inhumanity to man.

If you are an admirer of the sure Lubitsch touch in film or are just a fan of sharp, fast moving satires with plenty of dark humour thrown in for good measure "To Be Or Not To Be" is not to be missed. For me I enjoy it as a fitting farewell performance for the beautiful Carole Lombard. It makes you wonder about all the great roles she would have undoubtedly played in the 1940's had she lived. Alas that's something we are doomed never to find out about. Enjoy this classic over a number of screenings as you will need that many to fully appreciate all the charm and wit of this great classic.

Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 version of "TO BE OR NOT TO BE", is the #1 BLACK COMEDY classic of all-time. Selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) in 2000 as one of the greatest films in the "TOP 100 Years, 100 Laughs" category. (Carole Lombard was also selected as one of the Top 25 Hollywood Female Legends. (AFI's 100 Years 100 Stars (1999)).

NOTE: Black or Dark Comedy - are movies that can make us laugh but also instill an uneasy feeling. The laughter comes from subject matter that is offbeat & perhaps a little macabre.

Summary: Director Ernst Lubitsch's Black Comedy is about a Polish troupe of actors headed by Joseph Tura (Jack Benny - hysterical (best known for radio & television)) & his wife Maria (Carole Lombard - talented & beautiful (this was her final picture. She died in an airplane crash 3 weeks after film completion. Returning home to her husband Clark Gable from a very successful "War Bond" drive.). They find their work & lives interrupted because of Nazi occupation during WWII. To protect the Polish underground the actors become involved in various schemes requiring them to impersonate Nazi Officials & soldiers confusing their operations. This creates a satirical (Dark Comedy) situation. The actors are able to expose a dangerous double agent, foil the Nazis & escape the country safely.

A genius Director, fabulous cast "TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942)" remains as one of the great films filled with; propaganda, farces, spies, thrills, melodrama, tragedy, even vaudeville wrapped all in one unforgetable package!!!!

This VHS Video, 99 minutes in length, no extras, presented in Black & White, Full Screen format w/hi-fi sound. Excellent quality picture & sound.

This is a timeless Black Comedy that everyone can enjoy & experience the war years of Hollywood & its invaluable contribution. "To Be Or Not To Be" that is the answer! Enjoy.

I find it exasperating that so few of Ernst Lubitsch's films are currently available in either video or DVD. By any reckoning, he is one of the few absolute masters of the cinema (he even makes Andrew Sarris's list of Pantheon directors). A few of his best films (this one, HEAVEN CAN WAIT, NINOTCHKA) are in print, but several others are not, while lesser films like ANGEL, BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE, and THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER are. (A very fine film that Lubitsch began but was finished by Frank Borzage because of Lubitsch's illness is also available, DESIRE, with Marlene Dietrich.) I have no complaint that these movies are available, but when superior films such as ONE HOUR WITH YOU, THE LOVE PARADE, and, my own personal favorite, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, are not, then something has gone wrong. I would also like to see MONTE CARLO, DESIGN FOR LIVING, and LADY WINDEMERE'S FAN rereleased.

Ernst Lubitsch was the unrivaled master of the film comedy, no less than Hitchcock was master of the suspense thriller. Both managed to transcend their own chosen genres to make numerous screen classics. We deserve access to all of his films.

Though generally known as a radio and television superstar, this movie shows that Jack Benny was also a fine film actor. Everything about this movie is top flight: the acting, script, supporting performances and even the sets. Though designed as an anti-Nazi propaganda movie, the film is not dated and has held up remarkably well considering it's 60 years old.

Benny's performance as the Polish actor Joseph Tura is hilarious and his scenes with "Gestapo Mueller" are memorable and beautifully acted. Carole Lombard and a young Robert Stack support Benny admirably, but this is Benny's show all the way. As always, he did not disappoint.

You know very little about Jack Benny? Don't matter. This film has no right to be this funny. No film that deals with Nazis and death has any reason to be this hilarious. And yet, Benny and director Ernst Lubitsch found the perfect balance between wittiness and suspense. The scene near the end where Benny is put in a room with the body of the man he is impersonating? Genius. I actually had been laughing ten seconds early and then my chest tightened up. Great film with classic lines, terrific acting and genuine charm.

In the midst of World War II, before the Americans had entered into the fray, Ernst Lubitsch made what appears on the face of it an oxymoron: a light-hearted comedy about the Polish Resistance to the Nazis. (The film was released just after Pearl Harbor, but had been in the works while the United States continued to stand on the sidelines.) Of course, while it does end up being quite funny, the film has a much more serious subtext -- about the responsibilities of Hollywood (and of the United States) in the face of the increasing dangers faced by countries across Europe.

An acting troupe in Warsaw prior to the Polish invasion is planning a production to expose the dangers of Nazism, when they are shut down for fear of angering the Germans. Their practice in portraying Nazis, however, becomes extremely valuable when they are needed to keep information regarding the Polish resistance out of the hands of the Gestapo. The story is very clever, and played with panache by a delightful cast of characters lead by Carole Lombard and Jack Benny.

What makes the film especially interesting, apart from being a fine Lubitsch comedy, is the film's message to the audience and to other filmmakers about the responsibilities and limitations of the artist during wartime. The director of the Polish acting troupe wants them to make a serious play about Nazis; the actors want to make it into a comedy. Still, their actions proceed from a false perception of their safety -- it is easy to criticize the enemy when he is not at the gates. As I take it, the message of the film is that artists (both actors and filmmakers) should not be afraid to use their unique talents in the service of war, and should not be afraid to risk their lives and repuations, and that their power and potential should not be underestimated. A further message seems to be that humor and satire can be more effective than serious propaganda. An enjoyable film in its own right that also provides a valuable window into a period of American and world history.

Benny and Lombard portray husband and wife Thespians in Poland when Nazi Germany mrches in. Polish flyers in England unwittingly give information about their own families in Poland to a Nazi spy. This information would be fatal in the hands of the Gestapo. Benny, in an effort to get the list, in uproarious scenes, first impersonates a German Colonel and then the spy meeting the actual Colonel played by Sig Ruman. Benny and the scene chewing Ruman are fantastic together. There's also some fun with air-boy Robert Stack having a little fling with Lombard and seeing Benny's expression when Stack gets his cue to vist Benny's wife is worth the price of admission. Benny's legacy is mostly from radio and television and because of that he is becoming a forgotten comedian. That's a shame because he was a genuinely funny man and this gem of a movie will show a little bit of his genius to those unfamiliar with his work. Very Highly Recommended!

There is a certain sense of melancholy I feel when I watch this 1942 classic Ernst Lubitsch movie, as it represents the last appearance of the luminous Carole Lombard, surely the most breathtaking and high-spirited of actresses during Hollywood's golden era. In a rush to get home to husband Clark Gable after a successful war bond tour, she died in a plane crash during the film's post-production, and as the result proves without a doubt, the world lost one of the great treasures of the silver screen. She and co-star Jack Benny play Maria and Joseph Tura, the egocentric stars of a Polish acting troupe who are caught in the 1939 Nazi invasion of Warsaw. As a world-class flirt, she is carrying on with a handsome young pilot named Stanislav Sobinski, and their trysts begin once he hears his cue to get up from his theater seat, Hamlet's famous opening line to his soliloquy as spoken by an increasingly perturbed Joseph.

The romantic triangle quickly takes a backseat to an espionage thriller involving a German spy named Professor Siletsky, who holds the names of members of the Polish underground. His intention is to kill them, but the acting troupe, now with their theater in ruins, band together to stop him. This includes the need for the extremely vainglorious Joseph to impersonate Siletsky in front of the befuddled Colonel Ehrhardt and for Maria to seduce any Nazi official who stands in their way. While it sounds like a piece of wartime propaganda, the film actually becomes more farcical even as people are getting killed.

As Joseph, Benny has never been better, conveying both self-absorption and cunning expertly, and the script by Edwin Justus Mayer and an uncredited Lubitsch gives him a number of great one-liners. With her honey-toned voice and smoky elegance, Lombard is at the top of her game as the seductive Maria, as she dexterously shows her comic and dramatic sides with precision and unparalleled style. Delivering her lines with subtle finesse, she provides a strong match for Benny. Sixty-four years later, and there is still no one who can touch her. The rest of the ensemble is memorable starting with Sig Ruman's hilarious turn as Ehrhardt. A fresh-faced Robert Stack, all of 22, plays Sobinski with a callow, zestful energy, while Felix Bressart excels as the ultimately heroic Greenberg.

The movie makes direct commentaries on the concentration camps, and the satirical aspects are blissfully unapologetic. The stylishness of the comedy in light of the virulent wartime setting is what makes the film memorable and it proves what a master Lubitsch was at this level of subtlety. The 2005 DVD comes with two extras both featuring Benny - an ancient twenty-minute comedy short from 1930 called "The Rounder" and a brief commercial for war bonds. I wish they could have included some tribute to Lombard as it would have been fitting on this disc.

TO BE OR NOT TO BE paired legendary director Ernst Lubitsch with the insanely-talented comedienne Carole Lombard (in what turned out to be her final film). Written and released during the height of WW2, the film provided a much-needed breath of fresh air for wartime audiences whilst mercilessly skewering the Nazi regime.

In Nazi-occupied Poland, theatre supercouple Joseph and Maria Tura (Jack Benny and Carole Lombard) wow the crowds with their repertory production of "Hamlet"--and moonlight as members of the Polish Resistance. Based on a story from Melchoir Lengyel ("Ninotchka"), the laughs fly thick and fast, with Jack Benny in his element as the most hammy Hamlet that ever was; and Carole Lombard is at her sexiest as Tura's glamourpuss wife. The strong ensemble cast includes Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill, Sig Ruman, Maude Eburne and Tom Dugan.

Fans of Carole Lombard are the ones who have always appreciated this gem more than most, because it was her last film appearance. In 1942, while returing home from a warbonds drive, Carole and her mother were both killed after their plane crashed outside of Las Vegas. TO BE OR NOT TO BE was kept on the shelf until a suitable period of mourning had elapsed. It was later re-made in 1983 by Mel Brooks as a co-starring vehicle for Brooks and his wife Anne Bancroft.

Still as fresh today as it was over 50 years ago, TO BE OR NOT TO BE remains one of Hollywood's classiest classic comedies. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).