To Be or Not to Be
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Movie Reviews of To Be or Not to Be
Movie Review: ...And They're Going to Name a Cheese After Him
Summary: 5 Stars
"To Be Or Not to Be" falls under the rarified category of indispensible. This film is ambitious and it succeeds on all levels it aims for. It is a screwball comedy that is also a thrilling tale of the Polish resistance as well as a lampoon of the absurdly evil nature of the Third Reich. Director Ernst Lubitsch and his collaborators successfully navigate all the intricate threads of this yarn. Jack Benny, in his inimitable deadpan style, is a marvel as ham actor Josef Tura who utilizes his skills to infiltrate the Gestapo. Carole Lombard, in her last film role, is alluring as Tura's wife Maria. Another good comic turn by Sig Ruman as Colonel Erhardt. The DVD also contains an amusing comedy short starring Benny that should not be missed.Movie Review: a true underrated classic.......
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a great fan of one of the rightful kings of comedy, the late, great Jack Benny. He is featured at his wry best, here, along with the stunningly beautiful Carole Lombard--the last film she made before she tragically died in a plane crash. The title is based on the famous "To Be, Or Not To Be" soliloquy in William Shakespeare's HAMLET. A troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw must get by on their ability as thespians to elaborately (and effectively) disguise themselves, as well as adapt new identities, in order to fool the occupying troops. Jack Benny is hilarious and Carole Lombard is gorgeous and charismatic. Don't miss out on this.Movie Review: To Be or Not to Be (1942)
Summary: 5 Stars
Criticized for satirizing the raging war in Europe on its release in 1942, Lubitsch's clever, spirited, often side-splitting farce doubled as a tribute both to the Polish resistance and, quite ingeniously, to the mighty art of play-acting. Benny is terrifically funny as "that great, great actor" Joseph Tura, especially playing opposite Sig Rumann (as a Nazi colonel), and a young Robert Stack, the lovestruck lieutenant whose cue to tryst with Maria is the first line of Hamlet's soliloquy. Tragically, this was the feisty Lombard's final screen appearance--and she makes a grand though premature exit under Lubitsch's inspired direction.Movie Review: A must. Plan and simple.
Summary: 5 Stars
You know very little about Jack Benny? Don't matter. This film has no right to be this funny. No film that deals with Nazis and death has any reason to be this hilarious. And yet, Benny and director Ernst Lubitsch found the perfect balance between wittiness and suspense. The scene near the end where Benny is put in a room with the body of the man he is impersonating? Genius. I actually had been laughing ten seconds early and then my chest tightened up. Great film with classic lines, terrific acting and genuine charm.Movie Review: A Comedy Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
What happens when you mix the late Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack with Adolph Hitler? One very funny comedy. The script is great, very fast moving, and truly enjoyable to watch. Black and white never looked so elegant.
And don't forget to watch the extra feature, too. Very funny situational comedy called 'The Rounder.'
You may have never heard of it, but it is a classic to watch and to share with your friends and family.