Rent To Be or Not to Be (1942)

3.9 of 5 from 96 ratings
1h 35min
Rent To Be or Not to Be Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
In Warsaw at the beginning of WWII, Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) and husband Joseph (Jack Benny) perform anti-Nazi plays with their theater troupe until they are forced to switch to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Lt. Stanislav Sobinski (Robert Stack) falls for Maria and meets up with her during Joseph's famous "To Be or Not to Be" speech as Hamlet. When Stanislav is eventually dispatched for war, he implicates Maria with Professor Siletsky (Stanley Ridges), who has a secret plan to destroy the Warsaw resistance. The Polish theater troupe is then forced to use their theatrical skills to ensure their survival.
Eventually, they turn to impersonating Nazi officers - and even Hitler himself - in order to outwit the enemy and keep the resistance safe from spies.
Actors:
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Directors:
Producers:
Ernst Lubitsch
Writers:
Melchior Lengyel, Edwin Justus Mayer, Ernst Lubitsch
Others:
Werner Heymann
Studio:
StudioCanal
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like To Be or Not to Be, A Few More Screen Princes, All the Twos: 1902-62, All You Need to Know About Dump Month Movies, Award Winners, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know: Tilda Swinton, Hitchcock in the 1940s, Paramount's Laughing Thirties, The Biggest Oscar Snubs: Part 1, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide to Wes Anderson, The Instant Expert's Guide to: Mel Brooks, Top 10 Best Last Films: World Cinema, Top 10 Bookshop Scenes, Top Films
BBFC:
Release Date:
Unknown
Run Time:
95 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Photo Gallery
  • Trailer

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Reviews (1) of To Be or Not to Be

Polish Caper - To Be or Not to Be review by NO

Spoiler Alert
05/06/2021

I could not make my mind as to whether this was a comedy or a serious war film.There were moments of humour mixed up with seriousness,then sheer silliness.I also never knew that Jack Benny acted in films,I had only heard him on radio.Tragically this was Lombards last film.Robert S tack looked so young,I did not regognise him at first.Rather

dated but worth seeing.

2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.

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