To Be or Not to Be

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To Be or Not to Be

Released Mar 6, 1942

1h 39m

Comedy

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96%

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52 Reviews

93%

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5,000+ Ratings

Acting couple Joseph (Jack Benny) and Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) are managing a theatrical troupe when the Nazis invade Poland. Maria is having an affair with Lieutenant Sobinski (Robert Stack), who suspects Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges) is a Nazi spy. With Siletsky in possession of a list of members of the Polish resistance, the Turas' company takes action. Using their skill for impersonation, Joseph and company must confuse the Nazis and stop Siletsky from handing over the list.

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Critics 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.

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Michael Blowen

Boston Globe

The running gags, swift direction, and concise script makes it the best comedy about Fascism since Chaplin's The Great Dictator.

May 17, 2023

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Richard Brody

The New Yorker

The film’s high purpose propels Lubitsch to unsurpassed extremes of inventive audacity.

Jul 5, 2022

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Kate Cameron

New York Daily News

It isn't, I am sorry to say, Lubitsch's most intriguing comedy, nor is it the best of Jack Benny vehicles, but it will do until another buggy comes along.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jan 18, 2018

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It took the mix of grace, sex, and slapstick energy that makes up the Lubitsch touch to create the funniest film ever made about the German invasion of Poland.

Jul 1, 2023

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Hannah Brown

Jerusalem Post

It stars Jack Benny, one of the great Jewish-American comedians of the 20th century, and Carole Lombard, a wonderful screwball comedian, as well as Robert Stack and Sig Ruman.

May 2, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Throughout To Be or Not to Be, Lubitsch orchestrates a comic work of art whose central theme of acting offers perhaps the most accurate assessment of and staggering blow against the Nazi movement ever put to film.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 23, 2022

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Martijn t

It gets good when they get into the snappy 40s oneliners, but it consists mostly of a lot of farcical stuff with fake moustaches, like a long episode of 'Allo 'Allo. Carole Lombard's silver dress is amazing though, no denying that.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

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Roger D

A comedic masterpiece. Jack Benny was a brilliant comedic actor and Carole Lombard was terrific also. The supporting cast was good.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/30/25

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Ronald F

Simply another classic by Lubitsch and the cast.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/15/24

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Michael L

Come on Carole Lombard and Jack Benny...how can it miss!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

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Lars N

Hilarious and ingeniously put together. What a joy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/12/24

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Red T

All Time Classic. The closest I can describe this is it feels almost like a Hal Ashby movie except this is 60% Comedy and 40% War rather than 50/50. The editing is excellent. While there really isn't a main character the entire way this is a very heavy plot driven story and it moves at a very focused and balanced tone wise progression. The cinematography is excellent and so is the pacing. The visual jokes are excellent, well shot, and filled with a lot of memorable scenes which is surprising given how complex the story is. I never found this difficult to follow though at all surprisingly. This is able to ramp tension up instantly from comedic situations into serious ones and that's a testament to the excellent comedic acting that also knows how to play it straight. The comedy in this doesn't come from slapstick, gross out, or spoofing but rather an intelligent witty screwball type script that's really smart, and that's where the laughs come from. There also a few witty jokes as well and the "Heil Hitler" gag becomes funnier the more it's done. Add a really good musical soundtrack onto this and you get a really unique comedy that is something everyone should give a try once.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/23

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Ernst Lubitsch

Director

Carole Lombard

Maria Tura

Jack Benny

Joseph Tura

Robert Stack

Lt. Stanislav Sobinski

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To Be or Not to Be: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Acting couple Joseph (Jack Benny) and Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) are managing a theatrical troupe when the Nazis invade Poland. Maria is having an affair with Lieutenant Sobinski (Robert Stack), who suspects Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges) is a Nazi spy. With Siletsky in possession of a list of members of the Polish resistance, the Turas' company takes action. Using their skill for impersonation, Joseph and company must confuse the Nazis and stop Siletsky from handing over the list.

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Producer: Ernst Lubitsch
Screenwriter: Melchior Lengyel, Ernst Lubitsch, Edwin Justis Mayer
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, United Artists
Production Co: Ernst Lubitsch-Film
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 6, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 15, 2020
Runtime: 1h 39m

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