To Be or Not to Be (1983)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Alan Johnson

Writers:

Edwin Justus Mayer (1942 screenplays)
Ronny Graham (writer)

Release Date:

1 February 1984 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War | Comedy

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...

Plot Keywords:

Gay Holocaust | Reference To Hamlet | Remake | German Occupation | Funny Nazi

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre | Finland:S | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | UK:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

Mel Brooks has said this is his favorite of his Brooksfilms movies.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Anne Bancroft's character's name is Anna Bronski. However, it should be Anna Bronska because it is an adjectival surname and all adjectives in Polish have masculine and feminine forms. The endings -i and -y are masculine, the feminine equivalents of adjectival surnames end in -a.

Quotes:

Lieutenant Andre Sobinski: I loved that picture of you on the farm. You behind the plow. By the way, where was that?
Anna Bronski: In the "Chronicle".
Lieutenant Andre Sobinski: No, I mean where's the farm?
Anna Bronski: Oh, the farm. The farm. Well, that's out of town somewhere... You know, that's where they keep them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Beat This!: A Hip Hop History (1984) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Georgia Brown

Definitely meant "to Be"...

I haven't seen the Ernst Lubitsch original of this gem but if I had, I might have been prejudiced in my decision of this being one of the finer films that Mel Brooks has been in.

Though not written by or directed by Mel, he and wife Anne Bancroft take center stage as Frederick and Anna Bronski, Poland's most famous acting family. When the Nazi war machine overtakes Warsaw, they and their acting troupe use every actor's trick in the book to escape and make their way to England.

All this, of course, while Anna becomes smitten with an American pilot (Matheson) who helps them both to freedom. In the meantime, there are threats from a devious doctor (Ferrer), a lecherous Nazi colonel (Durning) and a command for the troupe to perform for the Nazi Army with Hitler in the audience.

There are so many classic moments here that to list them would be a dis-service to the movie. Let me just say that I enjoyed this whole film from opening to closing and even the closing had some doozies.

The Nazis are seen as complete buffoons and the exchanges between Durning and his head officer (Lloyd) are classic. In fact, I can see why Durning was nominated for an Oscar for his role here; not just anyone could have pulled it off as well as he.

Everyone here has a good scene or two, including Mel's regulars (Graham, Wyner, Riley) and the dialogue even manages to get the proper sentiment and tension out of the proper scenes. A great effort by all involved.

Purists of the Jack Benny original may disagree, but this "To Be or Not to Be" is the "to Be" for me!

Ten stars. Mazeltov!