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To Be or Not to Be

Play trailer 1:20 Poster for To Be or Not to Be 1942 1h 39m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Acting couple Joseph (Jack Benny) and Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) are managing a theatrical troupe when the Nazis invade Poland. Maria is having an affair with Lieutenant Sobinski (Robert Stack), who suspects Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges) is a Nazi spy. With Siletsky in possession of a list of members of the Polish resistance, the Turas' company takes action. Using their skill for impersonation, Joseph and company must confuse the Nazis and stop Siletsky from handing over the list.

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To Be or Not to Be

To Be or Not to Be

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Critics Consensus

A complex and timely satire with as much darkness as slapstick, Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not To Be delicately balances humor and ethics.

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Critics Reviews

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Kat Sachs Chicago Reader Sep 12
The humor is so dark, but as in any Lubitsch film, it’s delivered still so elegantly. Go to Full Review Michael Blowen Boston Globe 05/17/2023
The running gags, swift direction, and concise script makes it the best comedy about Fascism since Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Go to Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker 07/05/2022
The film’s high purpose propels Lubitsch to unsurpassed extremes of inventive audacity. Go to Full Review Daniel Barnes Dare Daniel Oct 30
4/5
A funny, gutsy piss-take that deftly navigates a tonal minefield. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 07/01/2023
It took the mix of grace, sex, and slapstick energy that makes up the Lubitsch touch to create the funniest film ever made about the German invasion of Poland. Go to Full Review Hannah Brown Jerusalem Post 05/02/2022
It stars Jack Benny, one of the great Jewish-American comedians of the 20th century, and Carole Lombard, a wonderful screwball comedian, as well as Robert Stack and Sig Ruman. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Marcos David C @Cukierkorn Sep 3 Best comedy script Melhor roteiro de comédia See more Revolver 0 @Revolver08 Apr 19 shakespearean inglourious basterds See more Martijn t @RT86920254 02/22/2025 It gets good when they get into the snappy 40s oneliners, but it consists mostly of a lot of farcical stuff with fake moustaches, like a long episode of 'Allo 'Allo. Carole Lombard's silver dress is amazing though, no denying that. See more Roger D @RT66191917 01/29/2025 A comedic masterpiece. Jack Benny was a brilliant comedic actor and Carole Lombard was terrific also. The supporting cast was good. See more Ronald F @RT28164074 08/15/2024 Simply another classic by Lubitsch and the cast. See more Michael L @RT67850023 01/29/2024 Come on Carole Lombard and Jack Benny...how can it miss! See more Read all reviews
To Be or Not to Be

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Cast & Crew

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Ernst Lubitsch

Director

Carole Lombard

Maria Tura

Jack Benny

Joseph Tura

Robert Stack

Lt. Stanislav Sobinski

Felix Bressart

Greenberg

Lionel Atwill

Rawitch

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To Be or Not to Be

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To Be or Not to Be

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Movie Info

Synopsis Acting couple Joseph (Jack Benny) and Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) are managing a theatrical troupe when the Nazis invade Poland. Maria is having an affair with Lieutenant Sobinski (Robert Stack), who suspects Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges) is a Nazi spy. With Siletsky in possession of a list of members of the Polish resistance, the Turas' company takes action. Using their skill for impersonation, Joseph and company must confuse the Nazis and stop Siletsky from handing over the list.
Director
Ernst Lubitsch
Producer
Ernst Lubitsch
Screenwriter
Melchior Lengyel, Ernst Lubitsch, Edwin Justis Mayer
Distributor
Warner Home Vídeo, United Artists
Production Co
Ernst Lubitsch-Film
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 1942, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 15, 2020
Runtime
1h 39m
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