Review of To Be or Not to Be (1942) by Risa B — 01 Jun 2008

As biting as the perfect satire should be and touched by lubitsch (however you define the lubitsch touch as a) the perfection of sexual innuendos in order to get by the hays code or b) the perfect combination of crying and laughter at the same time - it has them both!).

let it teach you that important lesson of how easy it can be to fall for a show, even a fascist one, as long as it is good - and yet "to be or not to be" does not exculpate anyone who fell for it: lubitsch makes his point very clear that one has "to take arms against a sea of troubles" even, or especially, in a totalitarian regime, but the film also asks this essential, but for its audience very unpleasant question especially we today could escape so easily (but shouldn't!), just because we are so lucky to be born decades later: would _we_ have been able to see through it? - my all time favourite film comedy!