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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Edwin Justus Mayer (1942 screenplays)
Ronny Graham (writer)
more
Release Date:
1 February 1984 (France) more
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... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Walk This Way: Nine-Disc Mel Brooks Blu-ray Set!
(From Cinematical. 27 October 2009, 4:48 PM, PDT)
What I Watched, What You Watched: Installment #12
(From Rope Of Silicon. 11 October 2009, 1:08 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Definitely meant "to Be"... more (26 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
107 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre | Finland:S | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Mayfield Senior School - 500 Bellefontaine Street, Pasadena, California, USA
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
A street sign reads "Kubelski Avenue". To Be or Not to Be (1942) starred Jack Benny, whose real name is Benny Kubelski. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the Naughty Nazis sketch, a sign reading "The Mark stops here" is standing on Hitler's desk. Since Harry Truman coined the phrase "The buck stops here" for his desk at the Oval Office in the late 1940s, it would have been impossible to make a pun on it in 1939, when the film is set. more
Quotes:
Sasha:
Enter, Andre Sobinski.
Anna Bronski:
Exit, Sasha Kinski.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Producers (2005) more
Soundtrack:
Ladies more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (26 total)
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I haven't seen the Ernst Lubitsch original of this gem but if I had, I might have been prejudiced in my decision of this being one of the finer films that Mel Brooks has been in.
Though not written by or directed by Mel, he and wife Anne Bancroft take center stage as Frederick and Anna Bronski, Poland's most famous acting family. When the Nazi war machine overtakes Warsaw, they and their acting troupe use every actor's trick in the book to escape and make their way to England.
All this, of course, while Anna becomes smitten with an American pilot (Matheson) who helps them both to freedom. In the meantime, there are threats from a devious doctor (Ferrer), a lecherous Nazi colonel (Durning) and a command for the troupe to perform for the Nazi Army with Hitler in the audience.
There are so many classic moments here that to list them would be a dis-service to the movie. Let me just say that I enjoyed this whole film from opening to closing and even the closing had some doozies.
The Nazis are seen as complete buffoons and the exchanges between Durning and his head officer (Lloyd) are classic. In fact, I can see why Durning was nominated for an Oscar for his role here; not just anyone could have pulled it off as well as he.
Everyone here has a good scene or two, including Mel's regulars (Graham, Wyner, Riley) and the dialogue even manages to get the proper sentiment and tension out of the proper scenes. A great effort by all involved.
Purists of the Jack Benny original may disagree, but this "To Be or Not to Be" is the "to Be" for me!
Ten stars. Mazeltov!