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Storyline
A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when what should intrude but World War II in the form of an invasion. His wife has the habit of entertaining young Polish officers while he's on stage which is also a source of depression to him. When one of her officers comes back on a Secret Mission, the actor takes charge and comes up with a plan for them to escape. Written by
John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
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That is the movie!
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Did You Know?
Trivia
This movie's title, as with the earlier version
To Be or Not to Be, is taken from a line in
William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", written around the year 1600. The "To be or not to be" line is one of the most famous quotations in literature, taken from Hamlet's soliloquy. As both versions of this film involve a Polish theatrical troupe, this is therefore explains the relevance of the line as a film title. The full version of the stanza it appears in: "To be or not to their titles. To be or not to be - that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: Or to take arms against a sea of troubles."
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Goofs
Anne Bancroft's character's name is Anna Bronski. However, it should be Anna Bronska because it is an adjectival surname and all adjectives in Polish have masculine and feminine forms. The endings -i and -y are masculine, the feminine equivalents of adjectival surnames end in -a.
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Quotes
Anna Bronski:
They say its going to be a really cold winter.
Capt. Schultz, of Erhardt's Staff:
I don't know anyzing about zat!
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Crazy Credits
At the end of the movie, each cast member comes and takes a bow, as they would for a stage play, while their names are on the screen.
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Connections
Remake of
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
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Soundtracks
"Sweet Georgia Brown"
Written by
Ben Bernie (uncredited),
Maceo Pinkard (uncredited) and
Kenneth Casey (uncredited)
Polish translation by
Tad Danielewski
Performed by
Mel Brooks (uncredited) and
Anne Bancroft (uncredited)
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I was so pleased to come across this movie on tv, and found it delightful every step of the way even though it does go "over the top" in its script. I could almost sense Sid Caesar's presence in the group but he was not a part of it here, which I regret.
Although the subject matter is serious enough, as it deals with the Nazi military and their activities, there is so much humor to be found in the foibles of citizens and soldiers alike that we are swept up in the steady action.
Mel Brook and Anne Bancroft carry the plot along splendidly. I don't think Jose Ferrer had been in many comedies so it was a pleasure to see him take part in this type of film.
Good entertainment and full of action.