To Be or Not to Be (1942)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Melchior Lengyel (story)
Edwin Justus Mayer (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

6 March 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Actor | WWII | Polish Resistance | Blitzkrieg

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Carole Lombard	...	Maria Tura
Jack Benny	...	Joseph Tura
Robert Stack	...	Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski
Felix Bressart	...	Greenberg
Lionel Atwill	...	Rawitch
Stanley Ridges	...	Professor Siletsky
Sig Ruman	...	Col. Ehrhardt
Tom Dugan	...	Bronski
Charles Halton	...	Producer Dobosh
George Lynn	...	Actor-Adjutant
Henry Victor	...	Capt. Schultz
Maude Eburne	...	Anna
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Gen. Armstrong
Miles Mander	...	Major Cunningham
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rudolph Anders	...	Gestapo Sergeant at Desk at Top of Hotel Stairs (uncredited)
Paul Barrett	...	Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg	...	German soldier (uncredited)
Peter Caldwell	...	Wilhelm (uncredited)
Alec Craig	...	Scottish Farmer without mustache (uncredited)
Helmut Dantine	...	Co-pilot (uncredited)
Leslie Denison	...	Captain (uncredited)
James Finlayson	...	Scottish Farmer with mustache (uncredited)
James Gillette	...	Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Second Reporter (uncredited)
Olaf Hytten	...	Polonius in Warsaw (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Reporter (uncredited)
John Kellogg	...	RAF Flyer (uncredited)
Adolf E. Licho	...	Prompter (uncredited)
John Meredith	...	English wireless operator (uncredited)
Maurice Murphy	...	Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Russ Powell	...	Bystander (uncredited)
Frank Reicher	...	Polish Official (uncredited)
Otto Reichow	...	Co-pilot (uncredited)
Gene Rizzi	...	Polish RAF pilot (uncredited)
Hans Schumm	...	(uncredited)
Roland Varno	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
Armand 'Curly' Wright	...	Makeup Man (uncredited)
Wolfgang Zilzer	...	Man in Bookstore (uncredited)

Directed by
Ernst Lubitsch

Writing credits
Melchior Lengyel		(story)
Edwin Justus Mayer		(screenplay)
Ernst Lubitsch		story (uncredited)

Produced by
Ernst Lubitsch	....	producer

Original Music by
Werner R. Heymann
Miklós Rózsa		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Rudolph Maté		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Dorothy Spencer

Casting by
Victor Sutker

Production Design by
Vincent Korda

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Walter Mayo	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William McGarry	....	assistant director
William Tummel	....	assistant director

Art Department
Julia Heron	....	interior decorator
J. McMillan Johnson	....	associate art director (as J. MacMillan Johnson)

Sound Department
Frank Maher	....	sound

Special Effects by
Lawrence W. Butler	....	special effects (as Lawrence Butler)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene	....	costumes: Miss Lombard

Music Department
Eugene Zador	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Alexander Korda	....	presenter
Ryszard Ordynski	....	technical supervisor (as Richard Ordynski)

Production Companies

• Romaine Film Corporation

Distributors

• Masterpiece Productions (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Masterpiece Productions (1950) (USA) (TV)
• Film Archives Trading Co. (1969) (USA) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Lunaris (1950) (Finland) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV) (1969) (Finland) (TV)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sonoro Filme (Portugal)
• Spiegel Media GmbH
• YLE Teema (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1959) (Finland) (TV)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:12 (2003) | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7834) | West Germany:12

Company:

Romaine Film Corporation

Trivia:

Miriam Hopkins was the original choice for Maria Tura. She turned the role down because she didn't want to work with Jack Benny.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Tura is disguised as Colonel Erhardt in his meeting with Siletsky he is wearing the uniform of a Major General (actually an SS-Gruppenfuehrer).

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Joseph Tura: [disguised as Colonel Ehrhardt] So they call me Concentration Camp Ehrhardt?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hitler - ein Film aus Deutschland (1977)

Soundtrack:

German National Anthem (Das Lied der Deutschen)

Playing Hamlet in Poland

Having seen most of Ernst Lubitsch American films, we had missed this one because it's not played often these days. "To Be, or not to Be" is a wonderful satire that only a director like Lubitsch, with his European background could have pulled. The film is a good comedy that seems to has kept some of its freshness intact.

The film works because of the great contribution of Jack Benny and Carole Lombard, who sadly, died before the film had its premiere. They play the Turas, a Polish theatrical couple that foresee the Nazi invasion of their country.

In fact, Jack Benny, a man associated as a comedian, first on radio, then on television, was an actor with an uncanny sense of timing. Mr. Benny was a natural for this type of comedy, as he proves in the film. His pairing with Carole Lombard was a stroke of genius. In fact, for being associated to lighter fare, he demonstrates with his take on Joseph Tura, he was an actor of stature.

Carole Lombard is seen as Maria Tura, a grand dame of the Polish theater. Ms. Lombard gave a marvelous performance and her contribution to the success of this film is amazing. Robert Stack is seen as the pilot Sobinski. Other faces in the cast include Felix Bressard, Lionel Atwill, Sig Ruman, George Lynn, and others that are perfect under Ernst Lubitsch guidance.

This is a film to be treasured because of the work of Jack Benny and the impeccable direction of Ernst Lubitsch.