A masterpiece satire around the Second World War is more likely to be appreciated now after some distance.
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:33
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8.7/10
Consensus: A complex and timely satire with as much darkness as slapstick, Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not To Be delicately balances humor and ethics.
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: A classic black comedy set in wartime Poland which deals with the members of an acting troupe who inadvertently become involved in the war effort. Academy Award Nominations: Best Scoring of a... A classic black comedy set in wartime Poland which deals with the members of an acting troupe who inadvertently become involved in the war effort. Academy Award Nominations: Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedic Picture. [More]
Starring: Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack, Lionel Atwill
Starring: Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack, Lionel Atwill, Sig Ruman, Felix Bressart, Stanley Ridges, Tom Dugan, Charles Halton
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Producer: Ernst Lubitsch
Screenwriter: Edwin Justus Mayer
Composer: Miklos Rozsa
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Release:
Mar 1, 2005
Reviews for To Be or Not to Be
To Be is a very funny comedy, salted to taste with melodrama and satire.
Lubitsch's guidance provides a tense dramatic pace with events developed deftly and logically throughout.
It's certainly one of the finest comedies ever to come out of Paramount.
Royalties from Springtime for Hitler in Germany outta be sent to Lubitsch's family.
Like Chaplin before him in The Great Dictator, Lubitsch aimed a wet raspberry in Der Fuhrer's face.
Lubitsch carefully mixes his usual brand of sophisticated humor with a bit of bittersweet.
The famed "Lubitsch touch," whatever it really was, was never put to a more formidable test the last hour is satiric perfection.
It's held up marvelously over the years, hurtling forward with its dizzying blend of laughs and intrigue.
To Be or Not to Be is a delightfully comic take on a dreadfully momentous topic.
To Be or Not to Be’s wit continues to be overshadowed by its touchy plot.
Lubitsch uses a myriad of hilarious situations and entertaining characters to provide the backdrop to his reflective meditation on the horrors of tyranny.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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