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Movies / On DVD / To Be or Not to Be
To Be or Not to Be

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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

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Mar 1, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The world is on the brink of war but the show must go on. So Joseph Tura, the Polish actor who put the ham in Hamlet, stares beyond the footlights and says: "To Be or Not to Be."
  • That is the question, as well as the classic in which director Ernst Lubitsch, whose witty "Lubitsch touch" had stylishly lampooned sex and wealth, now took on a new target: Nazism. The story centers on a Warsaw theatrical troupe that outwits Nazi occupiers by playing the roles of (and for) their lives. Jack Benny stars as Tura, underplaying hilariously. In her final role, Carole Lombard is zany and radiant as his alluring wife. Typical of Lubitsch, a gem-sprinkled ensemble has opportunities to shine. No question: watching this To Be is to be gloriously entertained!
  • Source: Warner Home Video
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for To Be or Not to Be

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    A masterpiece satire around the Second World War is more likely to be appreciated now after some distance.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    08/20/08
    David Parkinson
    David Parkinson
    Empire Magazine

    To Be is a very funny comedy, salted to taste with melodrama and satire.

    Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
    08/20/08
    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Lubitsch's guidance provides a tense dramatic pace with events developed deftly and logically throughout.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    08/20/08
    Variety Staff
    Variety Staff
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's certainly one of the finest comedies ever to come out of Paramount.

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Royalties from Springtime for Hitler in Germany outta be sent to Lubitsch's family.

    Full Review Source: Cinemania | comment Comment
    05/01/06
    Dan Jardine
    Dan Jardine
    Cinemania

    Like Chaplin before him in The Great Dictator, Lubitsch aimed a wet raspberry in Der Fuhrer's face.

    Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | comment Comment
    04/04/06
    Mark Bourne
    Mark Bourne
    DVDJournal.com

    One of film's great farces.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    09/22/05
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Lubitsch carefully mixes his usual brand of sophisticated humor with a bit of bittersweet.

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    09/16/05
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/20/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    Jack Benny's best, a fun WWII comedy directed by Lubitsch. And it has Lombard.

    comment Comment
    06/15/05
    Steve Crum
    Steve Crum
    Video-Reviewmaster.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/18/05
    Jon Niccum
    Jon Niccum
    Lawrence Journal-World

    The famed "Lubitsch touch," whatever it really was, was never put to a more formidable test… the last hour is satiric perfection.

    Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
    05/02/05
    Steven D. Greydanus
    Steven D. Greydanus
    Decent Films Guide

    It's held up marvelously over the years, hurtling forward with its dizzying blend of laughs and intrigue.

    Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
    03/18/05
    Matt Brunson
    Matt Brunson
    Creative Loafing

    To Be or Not to Be is a delightfully comic take on a dreadfully momentous topic.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    03/08/05
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com

    simultaneously hilarious and chilling

    Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
    03/01/05
    Chris Barsanti
    Chris Barsanti
    Filmcritic.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/24/05
    Nell Minow
    Nell Minow
    Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

    To Be or Not to Be’s wit continues to be overshadowed by its touchy plot.

    Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
    02/23/05
    Ed Gonzalez
    Ed Gonzalez
    Slant Magazine

    Jack Benny's best movie.

    comment Comment
    12/21/04
    Eric Lurio
    Eric Lurio
    Greenwich Village Gazette

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/27/04
    Thomas Delapa
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly

    Lubitsch uses a myriad of hilarious situations and entertaining characters to provide the backdrop to his reflective meditation on the horrors of tyranny.

    Full Review Source: Cinematic Reflections | comment Comment
    10/24/04
    Derek Smith
    Derek Smith
    Cinematic Reflections
     
     
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