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IMDb > To Be or Not to Be (1983)
To Be or Not to Be
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To Be or Not to Be (1983) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   3,379 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Alan Johnson
Writers:
Edwin Justus Mayer (1942 screenplays)
Ronny Graham (writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for To Be or Not to Be on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 February 1984 (France) more
Genre:
Drama | War | Comedy more
Tagline:
That is the movie!
Plot:
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... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Actress Anne Bancroft Dies at 73
 (From IMDb News. 8 June 2005)

Actress Anne Bancroft Dies at 73
 (From IMDb News. 7 June 2005)

User Comments:
The most under rated Brooks film more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Mel Brooks ... Dr. Frederick Bronski

Anne Bancroft ... Anna Bronski

Tim Matheson ... Lt. Andre Sobinski
Charles Durning ... Col. Erhardt

Christopher Lloyd ... Capt. Schultz
José Ferrer ... Prof. Siletski
Ronny Graham ... Sondheim
Estelle Reiner ... Gruba

Zale Kessler ... Bieler
Jack Riley ... Dobish
Lewis J. Stadlen ... Lupinsky
George Gaynes ... Ravitch

George Wyner ... Ratkowski
James 'Gypsy' Haake ... Sasha (as James Haake)
Earl Boen ... Dr. Boyarski
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
107 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Company:
Brooksfilms more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Col. Earhardt's joke is about Hitler becoming a "pickle". In German, "pickel" means "pimple" or "zit". more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Kinski displays a pink triangle on his lapels when going out, explaining this to be mandatory for gay men. Even though Jews were forced to wear the infamous yellow badge in public in occupied Poland after November 1939, gays were not subject to this practice of public discrimination. Pink badges were used exclusively inside concentration camps. more
Quotes:
Colonel Erhardt: Mrs. Bronski, Mrs. Bronski, Mrs. Bronski.
Anna Bronski: We're all here.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Rhinestone (1984) more
Soundtrack:
Sweet Georgia Brown more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful:-
The most under rated Brooks film, 6 January 2006
9/10
Author: thebulfrog from United States

When I saw this I had no idea it was a remake. I didn't know the original had been rated the 49th best comedy of all time by the AFI or that Brooks neither wrote nor directed it.

What I knew was that from the moment it started to the moment the curtains came down I was laughing nonstop in awe of an incredible plot. The film managed to escalate with each passing scene. Just when you thought nothing more could be done to it, they managed to push it further and further. Brook's performance was dead on, as was the entire casts. It's the sort of movie that gives Christopher Loyd only seven or eight lines, and you love him for it and need to ask for anything more.

It continually makes fun itself, building on jokes you thought were over half a movie ago. I'd place this movie above Spaceballs and below Men in Tights, but would say that it is without a doubt the best plot of any movie I've seen in some time, comedy or otherwise.

This is a movie that you should waste no time seeking out and renting, buying, seeing in whatever way you can.

Still not sold? I'll retell one of the jokes. Don't read further if you want the first five minutes to be as fresh as they were for me - if you're debating whether to see it or not, I hope this is able to sway you.

They're in a theater, putting on a show. We hear the Polish songs - not quite sure what they're singing about. The curtain comes down on the two actors smiling and bowing together as the audience claps. The moment the audience can no longer see them the actors start bickering in Polish. We're not sure what they're discussing, but it's clearly a heated debate. The curtain then comes up, they immediately are smiling, bowing, curtain comes down once again and it's back to the Polish bickering. They continue bickering, stopping for an announcement over the loudspeakers in this vaudeville theater. "Attention, for the Sanity and Clarity of the Audience the rest of this movie will be English"

Then the movie switches into English, and the plot begins.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for To Be or Not to Be (1983)
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Mel & Anne AgnesGooch
best brooks khmmo
Best scene of the film and unique to a Mel Brooks picture bigdbc
Why not use Robert Stack in a cameo? Mysteryfan645
The Real Director marshallfoltz
The Polish song livieresm
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