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Sein oder Nichtsein

Original title: To Be or Not to Be
  • 1942
  • 12
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
43K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,400
855
Tom Dugan in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
ComedyRomanceWar

During the German occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.During the German occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.During the German occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.

  • Director
    • Ernst Lubitsch
  • Writers
    • Melchior Lengyel
    • Edwin Justus Mayer
    • Ernst Lubitsch
  • Stars
    • Carole Lombard
    • Jack Benny
    • Robert Stack
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    43K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,400
    855
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Melchior Lengyel
      • Edwin Justus Mayer
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Stars
      • Carole Lombard
      • Jack Benny
      • Robert Stack
    • 173User reviews
    • 74Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #240
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos243

    Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny, Paul Barrett, Felix Bressart, Tom Dugan, James Gillette, Charles Halton, Maurice Murphy, and Gene Rizzi in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Paul Barrett, James Gillette, and Charles Halton in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Tom Dugan, Charles Halton, and Stanley Ridges in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Carole Lombard and Sig Ruman in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, and Maude Eburne in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)
    Carole Lombard, Tom Dugan, and Sig Ruman in Sein oder Nichtsein (1942)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Carole Lombard
    Carole Lombard
    • Maria Tura
    Jack Benny
    Jack Benny
    • Joseph Tura
    Robert Stack
    Robert Stack
    • Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski
    Felix Bressart
    Felix Bressart
    • Greenberg
    Lionel Atwill
    Lionel Atwill
    • Rawitch
    Stanley Ridges
    Stanley Ridges
    • Professor Siletsky
    Sig Ruman
    Sig Ruman
    • Colonel Ehrhardt
    Tom Dugan
    Tom Dugan
    • Bronski
    Charles Halton
    Charles Halton
    • Producer Jan Dobosz
    George Lynn
    George Lynn
    • Actor-Adjutant
    Henry Victor
    Henry Victor
    • Captain Schultz
    Maude Eburne
    Maude Eburne
    • Anna
    Halliwell Hobbes
    Halliwell Hobbes
    • General Armstrong
    Miles Mander
    Miles Mander
    • Major Cunningham
    Rudolph Anders
    Rudolph Anders
    • Gestapo Sergeant at Desk at Top of Hotel Stairs
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Barrett
    • Polish RAF Pilot
    • (uncredited)
    Sven Hugo Borg
    Sven Hugo Borg
    • German Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Danny Borzage
    • Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Melchior Lengyel
      • Edwin Justus Mayer
      • Ernst Lubitsch(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Jack Benny's father went to see this movie, he was outraged at the sight of his son in a Nazi uniform in the first scene and even stormed out of the theater. Jack convinced his father that it was satire, and he agreed to sit through all of it. His father ended up loving the film so much he saw it forty-six times.
    • Goofs
      Although having Maria Tura give the cue line "To be or not to be" to the men in the audience she wishes to meet in her dressing room is a very funny premise of the film, it actually would be highly impractical for Maria to think she would have time to meet backstage. Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy is only about 3-4 minutes long and Ophelia has the very next line in the play (in fact Hamlet announces her entrance at the end of his soliloquy), which would barely give Maria any time to meet men in her dressing room.
    • Quotes

      Joseph Tura: [disguised as Professor Siletsky - speaking about Maria Tura] Her husband is that great, great Polish actor, Josef Tura. You've probably heard of him.

      Colonel Ehrhardt: Oh, yes. As a matter of fact I saw him on the stage when I was in Warsaw once before the war.

      Joseph Tura: Really?

      Colonel Ehrhardt: What he did to Shakespeare we are now doing to Poland.

    • Alternate versions
      In Poland, a brief introduction was edited in. Polish actor Kazimierz Rudzki assured the audience that the movie was done with best intentions by their "American friends". At the time the movie screened in Poland, many people still lived in trauma from the events of World War II; few could find comedy in the German invasion of Poland, instead finding the movie in poor taste, offensive, or hard to swallow.
    • Connections
      Featured in Showbiz Goes to War (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1, 'Military'
      (1838) (uncredited)

      Written by Frédéric Chopin

      Orchestral arrangement by Aleksandr Glazunov

      Heard during the opening and closing credits

    User reviews173

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    An Immortal Comedy
    I'm not sure how many time I've seen it but it doesn't matter. Every time is like the first time. Carole Lombard in her last film before her untimely death is not just beautiful and impossibly funny but modern, profoundly modern. A performance that will still be relevant a hundred years from now. Jack Benny is perfect in what must be his very best film. Robert Stack, beautifully wooden, as usual, reports to duty with a delicious Lubitsch touch. As if all this wasn't enough, this film was made in 1942 and that in itself will give film lovers and historians a lot to tal;k about for centuries to come.
    helpful•70
    12
    • littlemartinarocena
    • Dec 27, 2018

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    FAQ19

    • How long is To Be or Not to Be?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 12, 1960 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • French
    • Also known as
      • To Be or Not to Be
    • Production company
      • Romaine Film Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,270,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,578,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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