To Be or Not to Be (1942) 8.1
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy. Director:Ernst Lubitsch |
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To Be or Not to Be (1942) 8.1
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy. Director:Ernst Lubitsch |
|
| 0Share... |
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Carole Lombard | ... | ||
| Jack Benny | ... | ||
| Robert Stack | ... | ||
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Felix Bressart | ... |
Greenberg
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| Lionel Atwill | ... | ||
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Stanley Ridges | ... | |
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Sig Ruman | ... | |
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Tom Dugan | ... |
Bronski
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Charles Halton | ... | |
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George Lynn | ... |
Actor-Adjutant
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Henry Victor | ... | |
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Maude Eburne | ... |
Anna
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Halliwell Hobbes | ... |
Gen. Armstrong
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Miles Mander | ... | |
In occupied Poland during WWII, a troupe of ham stage actors (led by Joseph Tura and his wife Maria) match wits with the Nazis. A spy has information which would be very damaging to the Polish resistance and they must prevent it's being delivered to the Germans. Written by Ken Yousten <kyousten@bev.net>
This movie proves that comedy can be sublime. At a time when the gods are crazy, this movie swims with the current, seeking to outdo their craziness. That's why it's also very touching. The outcome of the craziness was unknown at the time. That also makes this film daring. Whether intentionally or not, the film implies that Hitler himself was a Hitler-impersonator, that Hitler is a kind of unattainable ideal, a Platonic idea of pure evil. A similarly sublime and bold and touching film made during another craziness (not twenty years thereafter, as its more applauded cousins!) is "THE GAY DECEIVERS" (1969). It too dances with the gods, and breaks your heart as it makes you laugh.