To Be or not To Be is Carole Lombard's last film before her tragic death in a plane crash and Jack Benny's finest. Another special thing about To Be or not To be is that it made fun of the Nazis so much so that some were very uncomfortable seeing it. There are few films that can boast this daring achievement making fun of Nazis in the midst of World War II. As well as succeeding at making some people uneasy, it also succeeded at making many laugh.
The story of To Be or not To Be about a theatrical company in Nazi-occupied Warsaw which is preparing to perform an anti-Nazi melodrama. Maria (Carole Lombard) and Joseph Tura (Jack Benny) are cast as the leading roles. However, the Polish government cancels the play as they are afraid it would have disastrous consequences. So instead they perform Hamlet, and when Joseph Tura is speaking those immortal words: "To be, or not to be", he notices a young man, Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski (Robert Stack), slipping out of the audience. He is, in fact, visiting Maria Tura backstage. When war breaks out, Sobinski makes it to London to fight with the RAF, and the Turas stay in occupied Warsaw. Hilarity ensues when Maria Tura is captured by the Gestapo and to rescue her, Joseph and their friends dress up as Nazis.
This movie is absolutely hilarious, witty and clever. When I was watching it, I was dumbfounded that anyone could think of such an intelligent story which kept you constantly guessing as to what they would do next. Ernst Lubitsch manages to handle such a delicate, fragile issue and make it into a side-splitting comedy. This is an especially bittersweet movie for me as I am a big fan of Carole Lombard but I am so grateful she went on a movie such as this: a truly priceless and hilarious portrayal of Nazis. This movie is not to be missed.
The story of To Be or not To Be about a theatrical company in Nazi-occupied Warsaw which is preparing to perform an anti-Nazi melodrama. Maria (Carole Lombard) and Joseph Tura (Jack Benny) are cast as the leading roles. However, the Polish government cancels the play as they are afraid it would have disastrous consequences. So instead they perform Hamlet, and when Joseph Tura is speaking those immortal words: "To be, or not to be", he notices a young man, Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski (Robert Stack), slipping out of the audience. He is, in fact, visiting Maria Tura backstage. When war breaks out, Sobinski makes it to London to fight with the RAF, and the Turas stay in occupied Warsaw. Hilarity ensues when Maria Tura is captured by the Gestapo and to rescue her, Joseph and their friends dress up as Nazis.
This movie is absolutely hilarious, witty and clever. When I was watching it, I was dumbfounded that anyone could think of such an intelligent story which kept you constantly guessing as to what they would do next. Ernst Lubitsch manages to handle such a delicate, fragile issue and make it into a side-splitting comedy. This is an especially bittersweet movie for me as I am a big fan of Carole Lombard but I am so grateful she went on a movie such as this: a truly priceless and hilarious portrayal of Nazis. This movie is not to be missed.