Amazon.com: To Be or Not to Be (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] : Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack, Ernst Lubitsch: Movies & TV (original) (raw)
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Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2024
Product arrived today earlier than expected. Absolutely fantastic packaging, ty! Made this a great value.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013
Every once in a while you learn about a movie that you never knew existed, that you can't believe you never knew existed. "To Be Or Not To Be" is one of those movies.
A film produced by a Jewish director (Ernst Lubitsch) making fun of Nazi's in 1941 was a risk on a variety of levels, and although it met with much critical (and political) condemnation it stayed in the minds of all the right people, with Mel Brooks more comedic remake and later frequent tips of the hat by Quentin Tarantino/The Weinstein Company in Inglourious Basterds (Blu-ray + DVD). Being Jewish and making a pseudo comedy about Hitler carries a certain degree of satisfaction, but for Lubitsch it was personal. Indeed, Lubitsch's face had been used in an early Nazi propaganda film and Hitler used him as an example of supposed corrupt influences within Europe that needed to be stamped out.
Although we would probably call it a black comedy today, Lubitsch himself described TBONTB as a "tragical farce or a farcial tragedy". The film is certainly funny in parts, excellent really, but frequently enough in an understated manner that for me at least seemed more drama than comedy. That is not a criticism by any means, but for anyone thinking this will be a "Mel Brooks" type of funny it simply won't be. It is pretty unique, which is pretty rare indeed. If you like intelligent comedy that relies on context and wordplay you won't be disappointed.
Carole Lombard and Jack Benny are superb and on top of their game here, and the film transfer is excellent. Even if you have never heard of Lubitsch but are Benny or Lombard fans you will like this movie. The many Criterion DVD bonus features can be hit or miss, but with so many, and a great 25 page booklet, it is hard to feel nothing but satisfied with the extras. A 1916 silent film directed by and starring Lubitsch is the best of the bunch (and hard to believe it is almost 100 years old). With Lubitsch himself passing away in 1947, and Lombard dieing in a plane crash before the movie was even released, we are truly lucky that this historically important film even got made in the first place.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2023
I had just finished reading "Fireball - Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3" by Robert Matzen and wanted to see the actress in her final film, which was released after her death. Her performance, as a Polish theater actress, was spot-on, as well as that of her co-star, radio comedian Jack Benny and the rest of the cast. I was happy to see a young Robert Stack and familiar character actors Sig Rumann and Charles Halton. This 1942 movie had completed filming just prior to the U.S. entry into World War II so it could have been viewed as something happening far away to movie audiences. Still, some may have been shocked that such a comedy could have been produced making light of serious matter. Producer/Director Ernst Lubitsch answered his critics in a New York Times article, which is reprinted in a booklet accompanying this Blu-Ray version. I highly recommend this film as a piece of cinematic history and an entertaining movie on how Benny, Lombard and company conned the Nazis.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2013
A film that is both comedic and suspenseful is no easy trick to pull off. Two that come to mind are FOUL PLAY and SILVER STREAK. Now we finally have this wonderful Criterion release of the classic 1942 Ernst Lubitsch comedy , YES - comedy!, about the Nazis occupying Warsaw, Poland and a small troupe of Polish actors who help to sabotage their invaders. This story isn't played for total laughs, and there are plenty of suspenseful moments, which makes this film so incredibly great. Interesting to note, that when this film was released in 1942, in the thick of the war, it was generally panned and criticized. Even Jack Benny's father walked out on the initial screening-mortified that his son would appear in a Nazi uniform. (Benny later changed his father's mind, And the man ended up loving it and seeing it 46 times!) The passing of time would end up finding this film generally loved and considered a comedy classic.
Interesting notes: The film was Carole Lombard's last, and was released 2 months after she died in a plane crash.
Sig Ruman, who plays Col. Ehrhardt, would go on to play the original "Sgt. Schultz" in Billy Wiler's STALAG 17.
Look for an early role by Robert "Elliot Ness" Stack as the Polish pilot who has a crush on Carole Lombard's character.
It's funny, because if you've ever watched the Jack Benny show, every now and then somebody will remark on a film he made - THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT - as "THE ONE" film he made, and never lived it down. I realize it was played for comedic effect, but he certainly had nothing to be ashamed of his Tour-de- force role in this excellent film!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2024
I’ve now seen this version and the remake by Mel Brooks. I liked them both, however I appreciated the more subdued tone of this movie with Jack Benny and Carole Lombard to a greater extent. It conveyed the true danger the actors were facing against the Nazis while letting the humor of the situations develop more naturally. 4 stars because we couldn’t access the menu that would turn on captions.
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Top reviews from other countries
5.0 out of 5 stars Received on Time
Reviewed in Canada on October 30, 2023
Hard to find at under $30 as Amazon was selling it at. Both Jack Benny and Carole Lombard's last films.
1.0 out of 5 stars Disco non supportato
Reviewed in Italy on July 16, 2024
Inserendolo nel lettore compare la scritta "disco non supportato".
Ho provato altri dvd e bluray e funzionano tutti, non capisco quale possa essere il problema.
5.0 out of 5 stars Bättre förr!
Reviewed in Sweden on November 20, 2023
Detta är en av de roligaste filmer som någonsin gjort! 1942!
5.0 out of 5 stars It's a Riot! A delight by Billy Wilder's mentor. Very, very funny!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 10, 2022
Imported this from America. (You unfortunately need a multi-region or a region 1 player to enjoy it). Remade by Mel Brooks in 1983, this film, though I love Mel's version as well, just that little bit sharper when comes to dialogue, and less loud than his version. Being a Criterion release, the film looks stunning for its age. If you have the means to play it, and don't get frightened by the cost of import; this is a real treat which I can't recommend highly enough. It's a riot!
3.0 out of 5 stars Mala calidad de video y audio.
Reviewed in Spain on August 28, 2021
Precio barato pero pobre calidad.