To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Tomatometer
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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... [More]
Starring: Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack, Lionel Atwill
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
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Reviews for To Be or Not to Be
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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 5/5 |
A masterpiece satire around the Second World War is more likely to be appreciated now after some distance. Full Review |
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To Be is a very funny comedy, salted to taste with melodrama and satire. Full Review |
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Lubitsch's guidance provides a tense dramatic pace with events developed deftly and logically throughout. Full Review |
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It's certainly one of the finest comedies ever to come out of Paramount. Full Review |
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81/100 |
Royalties from Springtime for Hitler in Germany outta be sent to Lubitsch's family. Full Review |
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Like Chaplin before him in The Great Dictator, Lubitsch aimed a wet raspberry in Der Fuhrer's face. Full Review |
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A |
One of film's great farces. Full Review |
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Lubitsch carefully mixes his usual brand of sophisticated humor with a bit of bittersweet. Full Review |
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5/5 |
No review available.
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5/5 |
Jack Benny's best, a fun WWII comedy directed by Lubitsch. And it has Lombard.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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A |
The famed "Lubitsch touch," whatever it really was, was never put to a more formidable test… the last hour is satiric perfection. Full Review |
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4/4 |
It's held up marvelously over the years, hurtling forward with its dizzying blend of laughs and intrigue. Full Review |
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8/10 |
To Be or Not to Be is a delightfully comic take on a dreadfully momentous topic. Full Review |
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4/5 |
simultaneously hilarious and chilling Full Review |
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5/5 |
No review available.
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4/4 |
To Be or Not to Be’s wit continues to be overshadowed by its touchy plot. Full Review |
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5/5 |
Jack Benny's best movie.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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4/4 |
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 |
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