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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 4,490 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 »

Stars:

Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft and Ronny Graham
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20 photos | 1 video | 20 news articles | full cast and crew »

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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 ...
Full cast and crew »
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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 »

Filming Locations:

Mayfield Senior School - 500 Bellefontaine Street, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$13,000,000 (USA)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brooksfilms, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation See more »
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

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." See more »

Goofs

Anachronisms: In the Naughty Nazis sketch, a sign reading "The Mark stops here" is standing on Hitler's desk. Since Harry Truman coined the phrase "The buck stops here" for his desk at the Oval Office in the late 1940s, it would have been impossible to make a pun on it in 1939, when the film is set. See more »

Quotes

Frederick Bronski: [disguised as Prof. Siletski] Remember, Erhardt, I'm going to see the Fuhrer tonight. Who knows *what* we'll talk about!
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

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

Soundtracks

"A Little Peace"
Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks and Ronny Graham
Performed by Mel Brooks, George Wyner and George Gaynes See more »