To Be or Not to Be (1983)

63% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
71% of users liked it
(2,785 ratings)

Mel Brooks and his real-life wife Anne Bancroft play Frederick and Anna Bronski, musical comedy stars in 1939 Poland. The highlight of the Bronskis' act is Frederick's imitation of Adolf Hitler, but he is forced to eliminate this turn for fear of offending the Nazis. Meanwhile, Anna enters into a… More Mel Brooks and his real-life wife Anne Bancroft play Frederick and Anna Bronski, musical comedy stars in 1939 Poland. The highlight of the Bronskis' act is Frederick's imitation of Adolf Hitler, but he is forced to eliminate this turn for fear of offending the Nazis. Meanwhile, Anna enters into a harmless flirtation with Polish bomber pilot Andre Sobinski (Tim Matheson). The pilot's nightly signal to visit Anna in her dressing room is "To Be or Not to Be," spoken by Bronski during the Shakespearean portion of his act. When the Germans march into Warsaw, the Bronskis and the rest of their troupe are forced into hiding (notably the homosexual Lupinski, played by Lewis J. Stadlen, who is forced to endure the humiliation of wearing a pink star). Flying for the Polish resistance in England, Sobinski asks kindly Professor Seletzky (Jose Ferrer) to deliver his "To Be or Not to Be" message to Anna. When Seletzky doesn't seem to recognize the name of Anne Bronski, Warsaw's biggest star, Sobinski suspects that something is amiss. Sure enough, Seletzky is a Nazi spy, heading to Warsaw to help Col. "Concentration Camp" Ehrhardt (Oscar-nominated Charles Durning) destroy the underground movement. Parachuting into Poland, Sobinski enlists the aid of the Bronski troupe to foil the Nazis. What follows is an uproarious series of disguises and deceptions, capped by Bronski's impersonation of Der Fuhrer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: Alan Johnson
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 16, 1983 Wide
On DVD: Jan 25, 2005

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Bancroft's sustained delights are not matched by Brooks, who seems to be trying too hard.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Brooks combines a backstage musical with a wartime romance and comes up with an eclectic comedy that races off into several directions, usually successfully.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Ssmashingly funny.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
I can't remember another film that took so little care with the details of ambience: the cruddy sets and flat, underworked sound track drain any sense of life from the project.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The plot is much the same as in the Ernst Lubitsch original, with everything played for laughs and Brooks at his funniest in impersonations of Nazis. What's missing is the relevance of the 1942 film, released while Germany occupied Poland.
, Time Out
Johnson may not quite have Lubitsch's lightness of touch, but he puts an excellent cast through their paces with great verve, and the charm is as potent as ever.
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
A very well-executed farce, and Brooks' most underrated movie.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Superfluous remake of the Lubitsch classic is OK on its own merits, but no more.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Kind of a dud.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
This movie has its moments; but it is not as funny as the Jack Benny original; Brooks for all his wit, is no Ernst Lubitsch.
Frank Ochieng, TheWorldJournal.com
Brooks and his comedic cohorts bring their brand of high-strung mockery to Alan Johnson's flavorable farce...relentlessly riotous!

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Phil H

Excellent and long forgotten spoof from funny man Brooks, his version of a classic satire. Some excellent casting with his regular bunch of misfits and character actors...Chris Lloyd, Charles Durning, George Wyner, George Gaynes etc..Its quite a touching little plot too, but… More
Excellent and long forgotten spoof from funny man Brooks, his version of a classic satire. Some excellent casting with his regular bunch of misfits and character actors...Chris Lloyd, Charles Durning, George Wyner, George Gaynes etc..Its quite a touching little plot too, but ultimately very funny and quite witty, especially loving Lloyd and Durning as nazi soldiers :)
moon r

The Nazis march into Poland and that spells big trouble for the greatest musical comedy star there (and his wife) --- the premise itself is a joke in this mostly-for-the-fun-of-it remake. Its not the original, true, but its fun watching the cast have fun funning the idea of a master… More
The Nazis march into Poland and that spells big trouble for the greatest musical comedy star there (and his wife) --- the premise itself is a joke in this mostly-for-the-fun-of-it remake. Its not the original, true, but its fun watching the cast have fun funning the idea of a master race, all who are portrayed as anything but that. Sometimes the kraut accents sound as bad as your friends doing it and the sets look only a little better than that.
jay n

Lighthearted remake of the classic Benny/Lombard film. Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft seem to be having lots of fun while handling the serious moments well. The supporting cast couldn't be better. A winner.
Cindy I

Not even CLOSE to as good as the Jack Benny/ Carol Lombard original.
Daniel D

Besides 12 chairs this is my least favorite Mel Brooks movie. It just didn't have that Mel Brooks spunk in it. Yes it had some funny quotes, e.g. "are they Jews or are they rabbits". But there were many recycled jokes from old films. It was still an OK movie
Leo L

A favorite! Great cast. Absolutely hilarious!

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Mel Brooks as Frederick Bronski

            Anne Bancroft as Anna Bronski

            Charles Durning as Col. Erhardt

            Tim Matheson as Lt. Andre Sobinski

            José Ferrer as Prof. Siletski

            Christopher Lloyd as Capt. Schultz

            George Gaynes as Ravitch

            George Wyner as Ratkowski

            Jack Riley as Dobish

            Lewis J. Stadlen as Lupinski

            RONNY GRAHAM as Sondheim

            Ivor Barry as Gen. Hobbs

            Scott Beach as Narrator

            Earl Boen as Dr. Boyarski

            Henry Brandon as Nazi Officer

            Max Brooks as Her Son

            George Caldwell as Gestapo Guard

            Paddi Edwards as Pub Waitress

            John Francis as British Intelligence Aide

            James Haake and Scamp as Sasha and Mutki

            Henry Kaiser as Gestapo Officer

            Zale Kessler as Bieler

            Ron Kuhlman as Polish Flier

            Curt Lowens as Airport Officer

            Eda Reiss Merin as Frightened Jewish Woman

            Wolf Muser as Desk Sergeant

            John Otrin as Polish Flier

            Estelle Reiner as Gruba

            Tucker Smith as Klotskis Klown

            Ron Diamond as Pub Bartender

            Spencer Henderson as Klotskis Klown

            Terence Marsh as Startled British Officer

            Leeyan Granger as Lady

            Phil Adams as Airport Sentry

            Ian Bruce as Klotskis Klown

            William Glover as Maj. Cunningham

            Blane Savage as Polish Flier

            Robin Haynes
            
            John McKinney as Elite Guard Officer

            Raymond Skipp as RAF Flight Sergeant

            James 'Gypsy' Haake
            
See full cast