To Be or Not to Be

"THAT is the movie!"

1983 1h 47m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 243

ComedyWarRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when Poland is invaded by the Germans in World War II. His wife has the habit of entertaining young Polish officers while he's on stage, which is also a source of depression to him. When one of her officers comes back on a Secret Mission, the actor takes charge and comes up with a plan for them to escape.

“THAT is the movie!”

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Where to watch · US

Shout! Factory Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Mel Brooks
Dr. Frederick Bronski
Anne Bancroft
Anna Bronski
Tim Matheson
Lt. Andre Sobinski
Charles Durning
Col. Erhardt
José Ferrer
Prof. Siletski
George Gaynes
Ravitch
Christopher Lloyd
Capt. Schultz
George Wyner
Ratkowski

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alan Johnson
Writers: Ronny Graham, Melchior Lengyel, Ernst Lubitsch
Languages: Polish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Polish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Alan Johnson, shot by Gerald Hirschfeld. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Morris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alan Balsam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft and Tim Matheson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "THAT is the movie!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0086450 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alan Johnson directs. Gerald Hirschfeld behind the camera. John Morris scores. Alan Balsam cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Polish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Polish, English.
3Directed by Alan Johnson, shot by Gerald Hirschfeld. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Morris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Alan Balsam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft and Tim Matheson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "THAT is the movie!".
8IMDB entry: tt0086450 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "nazi", "world war ii", "parody", "remake".