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To Be or Not to Be (1983)

PG  107 min  -  Drama | War | Comedy   -  1 February 1984 (France)
6.5
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Ratings: 6.5/10 from 4,492 users  
Reviews: 27 user | 18 critic

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... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Johnson

Writers:

Thomas Meehan (screenplay), Ronny Graham (screenplay), and 3 more credits »
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Oscar Nominations    Photos    more »

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Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

To Be or Not to Be -- The story touches on young men and women from different societal backgrounds, addresses cultural and sexual barriers between youth and drives home some truths and realities about contracting HIV.
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronny Graham Ronny Graham ...
Sondheim
Estelle Reiner Estelle Reiner ...
Gruba
Zale Kessler Zale Kessler ...
Bieler
Jack Riley ...
Lewis J. Stadlen Lewis J. Stadlen ...
Lupinsky
George Gaynes George Gaynes ...
George Wyner ...
Ratkowski
James 'Gypsy' Haake James 'Gypsy' Haake ...
Sasha (as James Haake)
Scamp Scamp ...
Mutki
Christopher Lloyd ...
José Ferrer ...
Prof. Siletski (as Jose Ferrer)
Charles Durning ...
Tim Matheson ...
Mel Brooks ...
Anne Bancroft ...
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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>  

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Satire | Polish Stereotype | Gay Interest | Gay | World War Two  | See more »

Taglines:

That is the movie!

Genres:

Drama | War | Comedy

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Polish (only a few words)

Release Date:

(France) See more »

Also Known As:

Mel Brooks' To Be or Not to Be See more »

Box Office

Gross:

$13,000,000 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Though this is the first time that Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroftactively star-teamed together, they had actually appeared in a number of the same productions. See more »

Goofs

Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double for Mel Brooks during the first musical when he and Anne Bancroft are flipping one another over each other's backs. See more »

Quotes

[Frederick, disguised as Hitler, bursts in on Erhardt trying to assault Anna]
Colonel Erhardt: [weakly] Heil Hit... Hit... Hit...
Anna Bronski: Hitler.
Colonel Erhardt: Hitler.
Frederick Bronski: Heil.
Anna Bronski: I tried to tell him somebody big was coming.
Colonel Erhardt: Big! But...
Frederick Bronski: Come schatze, ve're late.
[Anna exits, but Frederick turns back to Erhardt]
Frederick Bronski: Vat's your name?
[...]
See more »

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. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Beat This!: A Hip Hop History (1984) See more »

Soundtracks

"Ladies"
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks and Ronny Graham
Performed by Mel Brooks See more »