To Be or Not to Be [Region 2]

Buy This Item To Be or Not to Be [Region 2]  Available from Amazon  Click 'BUY IT NOW' to get price.  on 11-17-2008     Just as Roberto Benigni found himself on the receiving end of some finger-wagging for making a comedy set during the Holocaust, so the great Ernst Lubitsch caught some heat for this extraordinary 1942 satire set behind enemy lines during World War II. In his best performance on film, Jack Benny stars as Joseph Tura, the lead actor and head of a Polish theater troupe that is suddenly enlisted as a Resistance organization when an American pilot (Robert Stack) requires protection. The twist is that the pilot has been having a series of trysts with Tura's wife (Carole Lombard), the hilarious evidence being the disruptive departure of Stack's character from a theater audience each night as the hammy Tura unknowingly cues the lovers by launching into Hamlet's famous soliloquy. The remarkable script by Edwin Justus Mayer ingeniously folds the tensions of a betrayed marriage into the comic suspense surrounding Tura and company's efforts to pull off a <I>Mission: Impossible</I>-like sting on the local Nazi command. Many unforgettable moments and lines of dialogue adorn this black comedy, and the performances--most memorably Sig Ruman's crisp volleys with Benny--are a dream. Above it all, however, is Lubitsch's unmistakable Continentalism, his accent on Old World manners especially in a dangerous situation, suggesting the Nazis' very vulgarity was a reflection of their profound evil. <I>--Tom Keogh</I> Reader Reviews In the midst of World War II, before the Americans had entered into the fray, Ernst Lubitsch made what appears on the face of it an oxymoron: a light-hearted comedy about the Polish Resistance to the Nazis. (The film was released just after Pearl Harbor, but had been in the works while the United States continued to stand on the sidelines.) Of course, while it does end up being quite funny, the film has a much more serious subtext -- about the responsibilities of Hollywood (and of the United States) in the face of the increasing dangers faced by countries across Europe. An acting troupe in Warsaw prior to the Polish invasion is planning a production to expose the dangers of Nazism, when they are shut down for fear of angering the Germans. Their practice in portraying Nazis, however, becomes extremely valuable when they are needed to keep information regarding the Polish resistance out of the hands of the Gestapo. The story is very clever, and played with panache by a delightful cast of characters lead by Carole Lombard and Jack Benny. What makes the film especially interesting, apart from being a fine Lubitsch comedy, is the film's message to the audience and to other filmmakers about the responsibilities and limitations of the artist during wartime. The director of the Polish acting troupe wants them to make a serious play about Nazis; the actors want to make it into a comedy. Still, their actions proceed from a false perception of their safety -- it is easy to criticize the enemy when he is not at the gates. As I take it, the message of the film is that artists (both actors and filmmakers) should not be afraid to use their unique talents in the service of war, and should not be afraid to risk their lives and repuations, and that their power and potential should not be underestimated. A further message seems to be that humor and satire can be more effective than serious propaganda. An enjoyable film in its own right that also provides a valuable window into a period of American and world history.

To Be or Not to Be [Region 2] Available from Amazon Price: Click 'BUY IT NOW' to get price. Updated on 11-17-2008.

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