Overview
A theatrical troupe navigates love and danger amidst the chaos of war.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- suspenseful
- classic movie night
- war comedy viewing
What critics said
Modern critics broadly regard Lubitsch’s audacious wartime satire as a finely acted, expertly constructed achievement, despite contemporary discomfort with its comic treatment of Nazi atrocities.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The Warsaw acting company uses roles, costumes, and stagecraft to recover the resistance list and outmaneuver the spy network.
The film builds comic situations around Nazi uniforms, Gestapo authority, Hitler satire, and the absurdity of fascist power.
Maria Tura’s admirers and Joseph’s theatrical ego complicate their marriage while Poland is under Nazi occupation.
The names and addresses of Polish contacts motivate Sobinski’s return and the actors’ elaborate counter-operation.
Films like To Be or Not to Be, and why
The Great Dictator
Shares wartime espionage, theatrical deception, irreverent political satire, and comic suspense.
The Lady Eve
Combines romantic entanglements, mistaken identities, farcical plotting, and sophisticated screwball comedy.
The Shop Around the Corner
Features resistance intrigue, wartime danger, and a blend of romance with darkly comic social satire.
The Producers
Uses performance, impersonation, and comic teamwork to confront authoritarian power during wartime.
Movie Details
- Director
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Release Date
- 1942-03-06
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (865)
Cast
- Carole Lombard
- Jack Benny
- Robert Stack
- Felix Bressart
- Lionel Atwill
- Stanley Ridges
- Sig Ruman
- Tom Dugan
- Charles Halton
- George Lynn
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, TCM, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is To Be or Not to Be about?
- A married theater-star duo turns comic performance, romantic chaos, and impersonation into weapons against Nazi espionage in occupied Poland.
- What is To Be or Not to Be like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of To Be or Not to Be as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is To Be or Not to Be violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in To Be or Not to Be as mild.
- What did critics think of To Be or Not to Be?
- Modern critics broadly regard Lubitsch’s audacious wartime satire as a finely acted, expertly constructed achievement, despite contemporary discomfort with its comic treatment of Nazi atrocities.
- Which films are like To Be or Not to Be?
- Films with a similar feel include The Great Dictator, The Lady Eve, The Shop Around the Corner, and The Producers.
- How long is To Be or Not to Be?
- To Be or Not to Be runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch To Be or Not to Be?
- In United States, To Be or Not to Be streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, TCM, HBO Max.
