‎To Be or Not to Be (1942) directed by Ernst Lubitsch • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

To Be or Not to Be

1942 Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.

Carole Lombard Jack Benny Robert Stack Felix Bressart Lionel Atwill Stanley Ridges Sig Ruman Tom Dugan Charles Halton Henry Victor Maude Eburne George Lynn Halliwell Hobbes Miles Mander

99 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Jake Cole ★★★★½ 1

"So they call me Concentration Camp Ehrhardt, eh?"
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★½ 2

87/100

A proud, important joke mixed and matched for an hour and a half, but when its subject is so sinister and its execution so multifaceted in delivery and tone balances, it doesn't really matter that each comedic springboard is built off of the same root feelings of anger and frustration. Ernst Lubitsch is pissed off but entirely confident in his storytelling, never relenting from harsh realities but still sly enough to make a smile and a tear one and the same. If any one moment shifted towards the absurd, Lubitsch would dial it back for a more humane, grounded segment, and in a few sections, he even shook the two flavors and moods together for an unpredictable end result…
Review by Dragonknight ★★★★½ 2

Film #9 of Project 40

”They named a brandy after Napoleon, they made a herring out of Bismarck, and the Fuhrer is going to end up as a piece of cheese!”

This is how it should be done. Every now and then you find a movie that you can watch over and over without getting tired or bored, for me To Be or Not To Be is one of those films. A charming and delightful little comedy from Ernst Lubitsch set in the Nazi occupied Warsaw which makes fun of Nazis better than any other satire, honors actors who are passionately working to bring us lively theaters and like other Lubitsch movies bombards us with polished, highly amusing and elegant…
Review by Monday Seagull

Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
(George Bernard Shaw)
Review by RetroHound ★★★★★

It opens in Poland, 1939. What the heck!? I thought this was a comedy! In fact, it is, and the first 5 minutes are the funniest opening of a movie I've seen in a long time.

Jack Benny and Carol Lombard are husband and wife actors. She is flattered by the attention of a young pilot. They arrange to meet while her husband does the "To be or not to be" monologue from Hamlet. Then the Germans invade and they end up involved in a plot by the Germans to discover information about the Polish underground. This gives the actors many times to test their abilities while providing Benny with opportunities to discover information about his wife's fidelity.

Right now it's free on a website called ShoutFactory. Very witty, highly recommended, and not to be missed.
Review by SilentDawn ★★★★½ 2

87

"Well, Colonel, all I can say is... you can't have your cake and shoot it, too."

Recent reviews

Review by Alex ★★★★½

My professor has really good taste. (so far)
Review by Hoddernity

Tarantino ain’t got nothing on this shit.
Review by Millie ★★★★

It's becoming ridiculous the way you grab attention. Whenever I start to tell a story, you finish it. If I go on a diet, you lose the weight. If I have a cold, you cough. And if we should ever have a baby, I'm not so sure I'd be the mother.

there’s something very surreal about watching someone’s last film when they had no clue what was coming, especially with young actors like anton yelchin or james dean, the whole thing just feels bittersweet.. imagine what Carole could have done if she’d had the chance, especially considering how MUCH she accomplished in a fairly short career .. love you forever Ms Lombard
Review by stanleya ★★★★

Springtime got Hitler ... I get the vibezzz
Review by Nick Young ★★★★★

This is one of my favourites of all time. Simultaneously hilarious, suspenseful and tearful.
Review by Tess ★★★★★

honestly the funniest movie of the 1940s
Review by weehunk ★★★★

Charming and brave. I was glad to read that it was a great experience for Carole Lombard. Big shout out to Sig Ruman, who nearly steals the show.
Review by Freddi Muliantono ★★★★½

Bagus, seperti bisa plot nya interkonek. Nge mock Hitler pada tahun 42, slow clap bener2 buat yg bikin nih film.
Review by rosie ★★★★½

it's insane to think that this was released in 1942, it's so sharp and dark and such an interesting study of ethics, particularly considering the historical context of its production and release. ernst lubitsch really invented comedy and this is one of the finest of all time