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To Be or Not to Be (1983)

 -  Drama | War | Comedy  -  1 February 1984 (France)
6.6
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Ratings: 6.6/10 from 5,544 users  
Reviews: 27 user | 21 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. His wife has the habit of entertaining young Polish officers while ... See full summary »

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(screenplay), (screenplay), 3 more credits »
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Title: To Be or Not to Be (1983)

To Be or Not to Be (1983) on IMDb 6.6/10

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronny Graham ...
Sondheim
...
Gruba
Zale Kessler ...
Bieler
...
Lewis J. Stadlen ...
Lupinsky
...
...
Ratkowski
James 'Gypsy' Haake ...
Sasha (as James Haake)
Scamp ...
Mutki
...
...
Prof. Siletski (as Jose Ferrer)
...
...
...
...
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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

Taglines:

That is the movie!

Genres:

Drama | War | Comedy

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

1 February 1984 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Soy o no soy  »

Box Office

Gross:

$13,000,000 (USA)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The novelty rap song "To Be or Not to Be (The Hitler Rap)" is not actually heard in the movie but it does feature on this movie's soundtrack. The song was a music video tie-in for the movie and was also release as a 45 single on vinyl. The song peaked at the No #12 spot on the American Billboard charts during February 1984 and in the same year at No #3 on the Australian Singles Chart (Kent Music Report). The song was banned from being broadcast on television and radio in Germany making it a highly controversial and politically sensitive single in that country. This was due to is treatment of Nazi involvement in World War II. See more »

Goofs

Bronski becomes agitated when Sobinski wishes him good luck, because wishing an actor "good luck" is bad luck. Yet earlier, Anna wishes him good luck and Bronski is not at all bothered. See more »

Quotes

Anna Bronski: Oh look, a piano! With KEYS! And it WORKS!
See more »

Crazy Credits

In the credits at the end, Anne Bancroft's name first appears in parenthesis, until Mel Brooks "waves" them off. This is a reference to a poster in the movie that has Anna Bronski's name in parenthesis. See more »

Connections

Spoofs A Little Night Music (1977) See more »

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)
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Homage to Jack Benny
24 December 2006 | by See all my reviews

Actually, when interviewed about this movie, Mel Brooks said it was an homage to Jack Benny. And if you look, the Bronskis live on Kubelsky Street, Benny Kubelsky is Jack Benny's real name. There are many other touches that also show Brooks' love for the original. Anne Bancroft is a true treat. Her comedic talents shine, she was truly a rare actress, and will be missed.

It was well done, with Mel Brooksian flair, and respectful of the original. I won't add comments about the acting, there are so many pros and cons at this point, one more won't make a difference. But if you have some free time, see BOTH of the movies. It's not sacrilege to like them both.


9 of 9 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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