Film Review
This glitzy remake of Ernst Lubitsch's classic film
To Be or Not to Be (1942) lacks
the darkness and sophistication of the original but it is nonetheless a
rollicking good romp that offers plenty of laughs and one or two
enjoyably tacky musical numbers. Although Mel Brooks
produced and starred in the film, he handed over the direction to Alan
Johnson - a sensible move as it allows Brooks to concentrate on what he
is best at, aided and abetted by his equally talented (but slightly
more glamorous) wife, Anne Bancroft.
The remake is surprisingly faithful to Lubitsch's film, retaining
virtually all of the plot elements and replaying much of the dialogue,
although the humour is more strongly emphasised, perhaps to the
detriment of the story. One noticeable departure from the
original was the introduction of an openly gay character - this was the
first time that a mainstream Hollywood film had depicted the
persecution of homosexuals by the Nazis during WWII. Enjoyable
supporting contributions from Tim Matheson, Charles Durning and
José Ferrer keep the comedy engine ticking over nicely, although
Brooks (predictably) gets all the best lines and shows a slight
tendency to over-egg the pudding. Whilst it falls way short of
the sustained brilliance of Lubitsch's comic masterpiece, this revamped version of
To Be or Not to Be still has much
to commend it and is a must-see for all fans of Brooks and Bancroft.
© James Travers 2011
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Frederick and Anna Bronski are two of Poland's leading theatrical artistes and
their latest show, a revue poking fun at Adolf Hitler, is likely to be a
sell-out. Unfortunately, on the day the show opens, the Germans
decide to invade Poland and the Bronskis have no choice but to replace
it with something less controversial,
Highlights
From Hamlet. Whilst Frederick is busy murdering Shakespeare
on stage, a member of the audience, a young lieutenant in the Polish
airforce named André Sobinski, slips away to visit Anna in her
dressing room. Sobinski is madly in love with the actress, but
before he can start an affair with her he is called away on active
service. Stationed in England, he meets a man who purports to be
an important member of the Polish resistance movement, Professor
Siletsky. Convinced that Siletsky is a Nazi agent, Sobinski gets
permission from his superiors to return to Poland to prevent him from
passing on a list of the names of resistance fighters to the Nazi high
command. He seeks Anna's help, but she is arrested and taken to
Siletsky, who falls for her lethal feminine charms. Meanwhile, Frederick
is coerced by Sobinski into impersonating Colonel Ehrhardt, a senior
Gestapo officer, so that he can wheedle the damning list out of
Siletsky. After Siletsky is killed in a shoot-out, Frederick must
impersonate him in order to recuperate a copy of the list.
Unfortunately, he is rumbled by Ehrhardt - or so it would seem...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.