To Be or Not to Be
- Synopsis
- Feature film. A comedy drama set in German-occupied Warsaw in World War II. Stars Jack Benny as Joseph Tura, the principal actor in a Polish troupe performing Hamlet. The film was controversial, not least in the notorious Nazi comment on Tura’s performance ‘what he did to Shakespeare, we are now dong to Poland’. There are also brief readings from The Merchant of Venice. The lines `...if you prick us, do we not bleed?' (III i) are used throughout as a comment on the situation of the Jews.
- Language
- English
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Film
- Technical information
- Black-and-white / Sound
- Year of release
- 1942
- Duration
- 99 mins; 8,897 feet
Credits
- Director
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Producer
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Cinematographer
- Rudolph Maté
- Screenplay
- Edwin Justus Mayer; Ernst Lubitsch; Lengyel Melchior
- Music
- Miklos Rosza
- Cast
Jack Benny Joseph Tura (Hamlet) Carole Lombard Maria Tura
Additional Details
- Production type
- Fiction Films
- Plays
- Hamlet; Merchant of Venice, The
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
- Related items
- Jack Benny Show, The [08/03/1942]
- To Be or Not to Be
Notes
- Notes
- Available on DVD region 1 only (9/2007).
Production Company
- Name
United Artists
Archive
- Name
Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting & Recorded Sound Division
- Web
- http://catalog.loc.gov/ External site opens in new window
- Phone
- (20) 707-8572
- Fax
- (20) 707-237’1
- Address
- Motion Picture & Television Reading Room
James Madison Building, LM 336
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C.
20540-4690
United States
Distributor (Sale)
- Name
British Film Institute
- Web
- http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 020 7255 1444
- Fax
- 020 7436 7950
- Address
- 21 Stephen Street
London
London
W1T 1LN
Online Retailer
- Name
amazon.com
- Web
- http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "To Be or Not to Be". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/21744 (Accessed 12 Nov 2024)