To Be or Not to Be (1983)

Director:

Alan Johnson

Writers:

Edwin Justus Mayer (1942 screenplays)
Ronny Graham (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

1 February 1984 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War | Comedy

Tagline:

That is the movie!

Plot:

A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when what should intrude but World War II in the form of an invasion...

Plot Keywords:

Title Based On Shakespeare | WWII | Remake | Hitler Spoof | Gay Slur

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Mel Brooks	...	Dr. Frederick Bronski
Anne Bancroft	...	Anna Bronski
Tim Matheson	...	Lt. Andre Sobinski
Charles Durning	...	Col. Erhardt
Christopher Lloyd	...	Capt. Schultz
José Ferrer	...	Prof. Siletski
Ronny Graham	...	Sondheim
Estelle Reiner	...	Gruba
Zale Kessler	...	Bieler
Jack Riley	...	Dobish
Lewis J. Stadlen	...	Lupinsky
George Gaynes	...	Ravitch
George Wyner	...	Ratkowski
James 'Gypsy' Haake	...	Sasha (as James Haake)
Earl Boen	...	Dr. Boyarski
Ivor Barry	...	Gen. Hobbs
William Glover	...	Maj. Cunningham
John Francis	...	British intelligence agent
Raymond Skipp	...	RAF flight sergeant
Marley Sims	...	Rifka, Gruba's Niece
Larry Rosenberg	...	Rifka's husband
Max Brooks	...	Rifka's son
Henry Kaiser	...	Gestapo officer
Milt Jamin	...	Gestapo soldier
George Caldwell	...	Gestapo guard
Wolf Muser	...	Desk sergeant
Henry Brandon	...	Nazi officer #1
Lee E. Stevens	...	Nazi officer #2
Frank Lester	...	Officer in command car
Roy Goldman	...	Adolf Hitler
Robert Goldberg	...	Hitler Adjutant
John McKinney	...	Elite Guard officer
Eda Reiss Merin	...	Frightened Jewish woman
Manny Kleinmuntz	...	Frightened Jewish woman's husband
Phil Adams	...	Airport sentry
Curt Lowens	...	Airport officer
Robin Haynes	...	Polish Flier
Ron Kuhlman	...	Polish Flier
John Otrin	...	Polish Flier
Blane Savage	...	Polish Flier
Joey Sheck	...	Polish Flier
Ron Diamond	...	Pub Bartender
Gillian Eaton	...	Pub Barmaid
Paddi Edwards	...	Pub Waitress
Terence Marsh	...	Startled British Officer
Winnie McCarthy	...	Picadilly Usherette
Paul Ratliff	...	Naval Officer
Scott Beach	...	Narrator
Sandra Gray	...	Lady
Clare Culhane	...	Lady
Laurie Manning	...	Lady
Leeyan Granger	...	Lady
Stephanie Wingate	...	Lady
Ian Bruce	...	Klotskis Klowns
John Frayer	...	Klotskis Klowns
Edward J. Heim	...	Klotskis Klowns
Spencer Henderson	...	Klotskis Klowns
George Jayne	...	Klotskis Klowns
Bill K. Richards	...	Klotskis Klowns
Neil J. Schwartz	...	Klotskis Klowns
Tucker Smith	...	Klotskis Klowns
Ted Sprague	...	Klotskis Klowns

Directed by
Alan Johnson

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ronny Graham		writer
Melchior Lengyel		story
Ernst Lubitsch		story
Edwin Justus Mayer		1942 screenplay
Thomas Meehan		writer

Produced by
Mel Brooks	....	producer
Howard Jeffrey	....	executive producer
Irene Walzer	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Morris

Cinematography by
Gerald Hirschfeld

Film Editing by
Alan Balsam

Casting by
Terry Liebling

Production Design by
Terence Marsh

Art Direction by
J. Dennis Washington

Set Decoration by
John Franco Jr.

Costume Design by
Albert Wolsky

Makeup Department
John M. Elliott Jr.	....	makeup department head
Cheri Ruff	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Jack Frost Sanders	....	production manager
Jack Frost Sanders	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ross G. Brown	....	assistant director
Pamela M. Eilerson	....	second assistant director
Dennis Maguire	....	dga trainee

Art Department
Craig Edgar	....	set designer
Joseph E. Hubbard	....	set designer
Steven Kerlagon	....	stand-by painter
Guy A. MacLaury	....	construction foreman
Mary Mathews	....	assistant property master
William S. Maxwell III	....	lead man
Dennis J. Parrish	....	property master
Hope M. Parrish	....	assistant property master
John A. Scott III	....	swing gang
S. Bruce Wineinger	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Raul A. Bruce	....	boom operator
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	production sound mixer
Louis L. Edemann	....	supervising sound editor
Richard C. Franklin	....	sound editor
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Varney	....	sound re-recording mixer

Visual Effects by
Chuck Comisky	....	visual effects producer
Phil Abramson	....	visual effects designer (uncredited)
Roy Arbogast	....	visual effects designer (uncredited)
Robert Blalack	....	optical effects (uncredited)
Christopher Dusendschon	....	optical compositor (uncredited)
David Emerson	....	optical lineup (uncredited)
Austin McKinney	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Rexford L. Metz	....	visual effects director of photography (uncredited)
Christopher Nibley	....	visual effects director of photography (uncredited)
Mark M. Pompian	....	visual effects camera operator (uncredited)
Chris Regan	....	optical supervisor (uncredited)
Jay Riddle	....	visual effects coordinator (uncredited)
Robert Skotak	....	visual effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Bernie Godlove	....	stunt pilot
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunts
Harvey Parry	....	stunts
Art Scholl	....	stunt pilot
Dick Ziker	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Beaird	....	dolly grip (as Bill Beaird)
Michael W. Blymyer	....	best boy
Alfred Budniak	....	best boy
Joe Collins	....	best boy
Lindsay P. Hill	....	video playback operator
Marc Hirschfeld	....	assistant camera
Ronald W. McLeish	....	gaffer
Chuck Sereci	....	best boy
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer
Robert West Sr.	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Bruce Ericksen	....	wardrobe: men
Ann Somers Major	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Nancy Forner	....	assistant editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Patrick Magee	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Ralph Burns	....	orchestrator
Greg Fulginiti	....	music engineer
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Eugene Marks	....	music editor
Tommy Tedesco	....	musician: guitar
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Michael Connolly	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
William Allyn	....	production suggested by
Bruce Bahrenburg	....	unit publicist
Penny Brocato	....	craft service
Bart Doe	....	title illustrator
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Stanley Gibbs	....	production assistant
Tom Gillman	....	assistant: Mr. Johnson
Mona Izdebska	....	dialogue coach
K. Lenna Katich	....	production controller (as K. Lenna Woodward)
David Lunney	....	production suggested by
Michele Markino	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks
Princess McLean	....	production assistant
Charlene Painter	....	assistant choreographer: Mr. Johnson
Pattie Pica	....	assistant: Mr. Jeffrey
Cynnie Troup	....	script supervisor
John R. Woodward	....	location manager
Anna Zappia	....	production coordinator
Leah Zappy	....	assistant: Mr. Brooks (as Leah S. Zappy)
Art Scholl	....	pilot (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Brooksfilms
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox Video (1985) (Belgium) (video)
• Fox Video (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:S | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

Mel Brooks tells a character named Sondheim to "Send in the clowns!" Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim wrote the song "Send in the Clowns" for his musical "A Little Night Music."

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the Naughty Nazis song, "A Little Piece...", they mention Pakistan as one of the countries. Pakistan was not created until 1947.

Quotes:

Frederick Bronski: If it wasn't for Jews, fags, and gypsies, there would be no theater.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Beat This!: A Hip Hop History (1984) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A Little Peace

TO BE OR NOT TO BE (Alan Johnson, 1983) **1/2

This is an unnecessary but not displeasing remake of Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film, which is an undisputed classic (and one of my own all-time favorites). It turned out very faithful to the original: wisely, Brooks opted not to spoof what was already a black comedy – this may have had something to do with his decision not to write and direct the film himself.

The fast-moving plot still works beautifully, though the jokes tend to fall flat – since they don't have the same immediacy of the wartime years, while the level of acting is far below that of the 1942 version. The remake adds sentimentality and the unfortunate inevitability of a gay stereotype; all in all, however, Brooks' earlier lampoon of Nazism in the form of the "Springtime For Hitler" set-piece in THE PRODUCERS (1968) was much more effective. There are, nonetheless, a couple of good songs here – while the original's gem of a final gag involving Hitler has been replaced by an equally priceless one.

As I said, the leads are no match for Jack Benny and Carole Lombard from the 1942 version (and are overage to boot) – though it was certainly nice to watch real-life couple Brooks (who, unsurprisingly, gets to double as both Professor Siletsky and Hitler) and Anne Bancroft playing alongside each other for once. Still, Jose' Ferrer fills the old Stanley Ridges role more than adequately…but, then, Charles Durning makes for a poor substitute to Sig Rumann in the all-important role of Colonel "Concentration Camp" Erhardt (amazingly, Durning's rather forced performance here was nominated for an Oscar!).