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To Be or Not to Be

Play trailer 1:20 Poster for To Be or Not to Be 1942 1h 39m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 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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To Be or Not to Be

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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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Critics Reviews

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Kat Sachs Chicago Reader The humor is so dark, but as in any Lubitsch film, it’s delivered still so elegantly. Sep 12, 2025 Full Review 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 Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker The film’s high purpose propels Lubitsch to unsurpassed extremes of inventive audacity. Jul 5, 2022 Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel A funny, gutsy piss-take that deftly navigates a tonal minefield. Rated: 4/5 Oct 30, 2025 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marcos David C Best comedy script Melhor roteiro de comédia Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/25 Full Review Stephen C 1 hour and 39 minutes that are funny!!!!!!!!!! Starring the late Jack Benny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/10/25 Full Review Revolver 0 shakespearean inglourious basterds Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/19/25 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Ronald F Simply another classic by Lubitsch and the cast. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
To Be or Not to Be

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Cast & Crew

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Ernst Lubitsch

Director

Carole Lombard

Maria Tura

Jack Benny

Joseph Tura

Robert Stack

Lt. Stanislav Sobinski

Felix Bressart

Greenberg

Lionel Atwill

Rawitch

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To Be or Not to Be

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To Be or Not to Be

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Movie Info

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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