elvircorhodzic Interestingly, when the serious and tragic theme of the Second World War used as the basis for a great comedy. From this point of view it is difficult to separate the horrors in people's lives and the way that fashioned this comedy. Comedy based on the tragedy is not entirely correct thesis. TO BE OR NOT TO BE is extremely brave, required and great project. The title is not a parody phrase from Shakespeare's works, but alluding to the existence and struggle for survival.Frivolous and inappropriate descriptions are that only correspond to the characteristics of the genre. Hilarious fun theater company in Warsaw trying to outwit the Nazis during the war. This is enough to man peed with laughter. Not pertinent, but it is necessary.The film can be seen as shocking joke, making fun of the Nazi approach and spectacle, but certainly not anti - Polish propaganda. The characters in the film do not cease to be what they are. They are actors. With good acting, improvisation, ingenuity and courage, winning terrible enemy.Carole Lombard as Maria Tura, an actress in Nazi-occupied Poland was a brave woman, an actress whom everyone admired, and we all know that the charm of a woman can be a powerful tool. The funny thing is in the film, no one can "break" other than her husband. Although, it is in this case quite helpless. Jack Benny as Joseph Tura, an actor and Maria's husband. He is "the first line" of ridicule. Uncertain is in itself and turns a fool several times. But in the end he shows to us his "great acting". Robert Stack as Lt. Stanislav Sobinski, a Polish airman in love with Maria is a handsome soldier and lover required in the script. Felix Bressart as Greenberg and Sig Ruman Col. Ehrhardt are hilarious. One wants a role because it is only created for her and the other for their mistakes "that can not be counted" always blame his servant.To be or not to be is fun movie. It has a hilarious story, great dialogue, acting and good scenery. I am aware of the other side, which may have the opposite impression. I think the aesthetic and spiritual this movie does not offend anyone who passed all the horrors of the Second World War.

doorholder I wasn't familiar with Jack Benny going into this movie, other than his rep that said he couldn't cross over into film. I don't really see why, I thought he was quite capable and had a command of guises and disguises that weren't dissimilar from someone like Sacha Guitry. There can also be a connection made to Preston Sturges, with all the madcappery going on that still feels just as vital today. Some of the jokes could very well be inserted into an episode of The Simpsons and viewers wouldn't bat an eyelash. I loved seeing Robert Stack show up as a dippy flingy paramour. I think what impresses me most with To Be Or Not To Be is the sense of play throughout, and not just onstage. There are matters of love, life and death that are treated most often as debonair or romantic whimsy. A farce about humanity's greatest threat. IN YOUR FACE, Hitler

SimonJack "To Be or Not to Be" is one of a very small number of films that are genuine satire. Of course, satire is comedy and humor. But it can also be dramatic, action-filled, pathos, empathy and mystery or intrigue. It is most often a combination of these. The comedy is often the release or relief from what the story would be without it. The genius of comedy- satire is its ability to make audiences laugh by its treatment of a subject that most often is not otherwise very funny. Satire can cover any and all aspects of life, but the very best – and that with unquestionably wide appeal – is political satire. That's what we have in "To Be or Not to Be."I recall the first time I saw this movie – how I was gripped by the humor, then by the intrigue about what came next, then by concern that Carol Lombard would be found out, and then back to the humor again. This film has considerable darting between its emotion-inducing scenes. That makes it all the more a great satire and comedy. Of course, I knew it was to be a comedy. What else could it be with Jack Benny and Carole Lombard? Still, a somewhat zany story, with great screen writing and equally great direction by Ernst Lubitsch, was able to hold sway over my viewing. Then we add superb acting all around. Carol Lombard is excellent in her role as Maria Tura. Her humorous lines are very good, but as in many other films, her "straight man" role plays perfectly with Jack Benny's Joseph Tura. His are the exaggerated blown-up lines, side glances, smirks and assorted facial expressions that ignite our uproarious laughter. Since my first viewing, I now watch this film for the pure humor and satire, and I watch for the many little subtleties that I often miss in such clever films on first viewing. And, they're not all by the main stars. The movie has several top-flight supporting actors of its day. They are the source of many of the laughs. Most are members of the Polish theater group. Felix Bressart plays Greenberg, Tom Dugan plays Bronski, Charles Halton plays Producer Dobosh, and Lionel Atwill plays Rawitch. Viewers knew for sure that the role of SS Col. Ehrhardt would not be too stern or serious – with Sig Ruman in the role. Robert Stack is very good in his role as Polish pilot, Lt. Stanislav Sobinski, and Stanley Ridges does well in the straightest role of the film, as Professor Siletsky.This film is a must for any movie library. It may not be as funny to younger audiences who haven't yet studied the history of the World War II period. The film was made in 1941, before the U.S. entered the war. Because America was still neutral, this movie was considered too controversial so it was held back. It was finally scheduled for release in March, 1942, Then a sad event preceded its opening when Carol Lombard was killed in a plane crash in January. She was just 33 years old.One oddity I found in this film occurred in a scene after Tura (playing Siletsky) leaves Col. Erhardt's office. The camera then pans to Erhardt's appointments calendar next to his name plaque on his desk. The top of the page is dated in large letters: "1941, Tuesday, December 16." That seemed like a huge jump in time in the film – more than two years. The movie opens on Aug. 31, 1939, the day before Germany invades Poland. Are we to think that it was more than two years later that the rest of the events transpire? The U.S. would have been at war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and surely there would have been some mention of that in the film. I think this was a slight oversight from the movie being filmed in late 1941 – before Pearl Harbor. Then, when the film's release was held back because the U.S. was not yet at war, this scene wasn't re-shot. The calendar most likely should have read 1939 or 1940 in the first place. Another little oddity appears on the calendar. It is filled in with appointments at 15-minute intervals. The 10:30 slot lists Maria Tura. And, at 10:45, a single name is listed: "Schindler." Might that be a reference to Oskar Schindler, whose story is told in the 1993 blockbuster film, "Schindler's List?" If so, it would be ironic because people in 1941 (including Hollywood movie makers) would have known of Schindler only as an exploiter of Jewish labor for his wartime industrial plant in Krakow, Poland. Only after the war were Schindler's efforts made known – how he saved the lives of hundreds of Jews. Some of the lines in this film are riotously funny. Here are a couple samples. Tura/Siletsky says, "I didn't like the way Capt. Schulz shifted the responsibility back to you." Col. Erhardt, "Neither did I. You know there's always something wrong with a man who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't eat meat…" Tura/Siletsky, "You mean our Führer?" Erhardt, "Oh, no. Please, professor, I hope you won't …"Before he leaves Erhardt's office, Tura (playing the fake Siletsky) asks if Erhardt had heard of that great, great Polish actor Joseph Tura. Erhardt says, "Oh, yes. As a matter of fact, I saw him on stage when I was in Warsaw once before the war." Tura/Siletsky says, rhetorically, "Really?" And Erhardt replies, "What he did to Shakespeare we are doing now to Poland."

richard-1787 Actors and actresses are remembered for their performances of the great classics, in anglophone culture usually Shakespeare. And yet, as many an actor has said, the only thing harder to do than great tragedy is great comedy.And the only thing harder than that is a convincing mixture of both.And that is what this movie is.There are a lot of Lubitsch comedies that I can watch over and over, especially those he did with Jeannette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier. It mixes the most serious tragedy with the cleverest comedy, taking you from one to the other flawlessly.There is nothing funny about Felix Bressart's delivery of Shylock's speech; his character has every reason to believe he may be killed by the gestapo. It is deeply moving.Yet there is nothing funnier than when a young man walks out on Joseph Tura's/Jack Benny's "To be or not to be" soliloquy.I've seen this movie several times. I marvel at it every time. It is by turns deeply moving and wonderfully funny. It is, indeed, one wonderful movie.