Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

To Be or Not to Be

  • 19421942
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
37K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,331
467
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
ComedyRomanceWar
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
37K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
6,331
467
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Melchior Lengyel(original story)
      • Edwin Justus Mayer(screenplay)
      • Ernst Lubitsch(original story)
    • Stars
      • Carole Lombard
      • Jack Benny
      • Robert Stack
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Melchior Lengyel(original story)
      • Edwin Justus Mayer(screenplay)
      • Ernst Lubitsch(original story)
    • Stars
      • Carole Lombard
      • Jack Benny
      • Robert Stack
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 158User reviews
    • 85Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Top rated movie #229
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations total

    Photos258

    Carole Lombard, Peter Caldwell, Alec Craig, Maude Eburne, James Finlayson, Miles Mander, and Frank Reicher in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Jack Benny, Paul Barrett, Felix Bressart, Tom Dugan, James Gillette, Charles Halton, Maurice Murphy, and Gene Rizzi in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Paul Barrett, James Gillette, and Charles Halton in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Tom Dugan, Charles Halton, and Stanley Ridges in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Tom Dugan in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Carole Lombard in To Be or Not to Be (1942)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Carole Lombard
    Carole Lombard
    • Maria Tura
    Jack Benny
    Jack Benny
    • Joseph Tura
    Robert Stack
    Robert Stack
    • Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski
    Felix Bressart
    Felix Bressart
    • Greenberg
    Lionel Atwill
    Lionel Atwill
    • Rawitch
    Stanley Ridges
    Stanley Ridges
    • Professor Siletsky
    Sig Ruman
    Sig Ruman
    • Colonel Ehrhardt
    Tom Dugan
    Tom Dugan
    • Bronski
    Charles Halton
    Charles Halton
    • Producer Jan Dobosz
    George Lynn
    George Lynn
    • Actor-Adjutant
    Henry Victor
    Henry Victor
    • Captain Schultz
    Maude Eburne
    Maude Eburne
    • Anna
    Halliwell Hobbes
    Halliwell Hobbes
    • General Armstrong
    Miles Mander
    Miles Mander
    • Major Cunningham
    Rudolph Anders
    Rudolph Anders
    • Gestapo Sergeant at Desk at Top of Hotel Stairs
    • (uncredited)
    Paul Barrett
    • Polish RAF Pilot
    • (uncredited)
    Sven Hugo Borg
    Sven Hugo Borg
    • German Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Danny Borzage
    • Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ernst Lubitsch
    • Writers
      • Melchior Lengyel(original story)
      • Edwin Justus Mayer(screenplay)
      • Ernst Lubitsch(original story) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Passion of Joan of Arc
    8.2
    The Passion of Joan of Arc
    It Happened One Night
    8.1
    It Happened One Night
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    8.1
    The Best Years of Our Lives
    The Wages of Fear
    8.2
    The Wages of Fear
    Sherlock Jr.
    8.2
    Sherlock Jr.
    The Battle of Algiers
    8.1
    The Battle of Algiers
    The Grapes of Wrath
    8.1
    The Grapes of Wrath
    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
    8.1
    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
    Dersu Uzala
    8.2
    Dersu Uzala
    Rebecca
    8.1
    Rebecca
    The General
    8.2
    The General
    Tokyo Story
    8.2
    Tokyo Story

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When Jack Benny's father went to see this movie, he was outraged at the sight of his son in a Nazi uniform in the first scene and even stormed out of the theater. Jack convinced his father that it was satire, and he agreed to sit through all of it. His father ended up loving the film so much he saw it forty-six times.
    • Goofs
      Although having Maria Tura give the cue line "To be or not to be" to the men in the audience she wishes to meet in her dressing room is a very funny premise of the film, it actually would be highly impractical for Maria to think she would have time to meet backstage. Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy is only about 3-4 minutes long and Ophelia has the very next line in the play (in fact Hamlet announces her entrance at the end of his soliloquy), which would barely give Maria any time to meet men in her dressing room.
    • Quotes

      Joseph Tura: [disguised as Professor Siletsky - speaking about Maria Tura] Her husband is that great, great Polish actor, Josef Tura. You've probably heard of him.

      Colonel Ehrhardt: Oh, yes. As a matter of fact I saw him on the stage when I was in Warsaw once before the war.

      Joseph Tura: Really?

      Colonel Ehrhardt: What he did to Shakespeare we are now doing to Poland.

    • Alternate versions
      In Poland, a brief introduction was edited in. Polish actor Kazimierz Rudzki assured the audience that the movie was done with best intentions by their "American friends". At the time the movie screened in Poland, many people still lived in trauma from the events of World War II; few could find comedy in the German invasion of Poland, instead finding the movie in poor taste, offensive, or hard to swallow.
    • Connections
      Featured in Showbiz Goes to War (1982)
    • Soundtracks
      Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1, 'Military'
      (1838) (uncredited)

      Written by Frédéric Chopin

      Orchestral arrangement by Aleksandr Glazunov

      Heard during the opening and closing credits

    User reviews158

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    An Immortal Comedy
    I'm not sure how many time I've seen it but it doesn't matter. Every time is like the first time. Carole Lombard in her last film before her untimely death is not just beautiful and impossibly funny but modern, profoundly modern. A performance that will still be relevant a hundred years from now. Jack Benny is perfect in what must be his very best film. Robert Stack, beautifully wooden, as usual, reports to duty with a delicious Lubitsch touch. As if all this wasn't enough, this film was made in 1942 and that in itself will give film lovers and historians a lot to tal;k about for centuries to come.
    helpful•50
    14
    • littlemartinarocena
    • Dec 27, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 6, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Sein oder Nichtsein
    • Production company
      • Romaine Film Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,270,000
    • Gross worldwide
      • $4,578,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 39 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    To Be or Not to Be (1942)
    Top Gap
    By what name was To Be or Not to Be (1942) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    New & Upcoming Superhero Movies and Series
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    These Stars Are on the Rise
    See the gallery

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Back to top
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.