To Be or Not to Be (1942)
This is a powerful and yet peculiar and flawed movie. The best of it is the satire of the Nazi regime and Hitler himself. You have to remember this is during the war, and so it was aimed at the enemy.
Carole Lombard is clearly the lynchpin here, acting with aplomb-both humor and, oddly, gravitas at times. Jack Benny is all over the map-both humor (of course) and sometimes the serious actor they needed from him. But he's sometimes off pitch, hitting chords that are out of step (for me) with the script. One example would be the overextended use of Hamlet, which is meant to add another layer both deep and comic, but it runs dry fast.
Of course, behind this all is the strong direction by Lubitsch, who was trying for an elevated mix of humor and irony. Sometimes it's spot on, as when the dramatic comedy is interrupted by a bombing raid and the leading actors are in a shelter. Briefly.
Most of the time there is a mix of actors pretending to be Nazi types and usually getting away with it, with the laughs you'd expect. But underneath it all is the dreadful truth, which the audience felt all too deeply, and which you can still sense today.
I see the movie is highly rated, and I'd say the best of it is sublime. But not every scene or every character rises to this level, and the larger result is a mixed experience. One worth seeing, however.
This is a powerful and yet peculiar and flawed movie. The best of it is the satire of the Nazi regime and Hitler himself. You have to remember this is during the war, and so it was aimed at the enemy.
Carole Lombard is clearly the lynchpin here, acting with aplomb-both humor and, oddly, gravitas at times. Jack Benny is all over the map-both humor (of course) and sometimes the serious actor they needed from him. But he's sometimes off pitch, hitting chords that are out of step (for me) with the script. One example would be the overextended use of Hamlet, which is meant to add another layer both deep and comic, but it runs dry fast.
Of course, behind this all is the strong direction by Lubitsch, who was trying for an elevated mix of humor and irony. Sometimes it's spot on, as when the dramatic comedy is interrupted by a bombing raid and the leading actors are in a shelter. Briefly.
Most of the time there is a mix of actors pretending to be Nazi types and usually getting away with it, with the laughs you'd expect. But underneath it all is the dreadful truth, which the audience felt all too deeply, and which you can still sense today.
I see the movie is highly rated, and I'd say the best of it is sublime. But not every scene or every character rises to this level, and the larger result is a mixed experience. One worth seeing, however.