Film Review: To Be Or Not To Be - 40th Anniversary

 "To Be Or Not To Be"

*** (out of ****)

"I'm the only Jew who ever made a buck off Hitler!"

- Mel Brooks

If it wasn't based on pre-existing material, it wouldn't be hard to believe the plot of "To Be Or Not To Be" (1983) was devised in the mind of comedy madman / maestro Mel Brooks.

However, who else but Brooks would have the chutzpah to remake an American classic comedy directed by the great Ernst Lubitsch and slip into a role originated by comedy legend Jack Benny?! 

On the other hand it may have been a step too far even for Brooks, who did not direct or write the movie's screenplay. Instead serving as the movie's producer and co-star with his wife, Anne Bancroft. 

Coming from the man that made his directorial debut with "The Producers" (1968), "To Be Or Not To Be" hits on many of the same comedy targets taking aim at WW2, Hitler jokes and the backstage musical. There's also a slight commentary on the separation between art and politics and the contribution an artist can make to society.

Brooks plays the world famous (in Poland) Polish actor, Frederick Bronski, who runs the Bronski Theater with his wife, Anna (Anne Bancroft) in Warsaw. It is 1939 and Nazi troops are on the Polish border. War can break out at any moment but as a narrator tells us, people come to the Bronski Theater to forget their troubles and be entertained. Unfortunately, their entertainment includes Frederick playing Hamlet, after one of the comedy routines - a musical satire involving Nazis - is banned from the show for being too controversial. More infuriating than the censorship to Frederick is an audience member that leaves every time Frederick finishes his line "To be or not to be" when playing Hamlet.

What Frederick doesn't know is the person leaving is a RAF pilot named Andrei Sobinski (Tim Matheson) who sneaks backstage to steal a few moments with Anna while Frederick is on stage. Andrei has a celebrity crush on Anna and has been sending her flowers every day. This causes Anna to not only be flattered but curious as to who this young man is. It creates a delicate line between friendship and adultery. What exactly were Anna's intentions with the young man? And what exactly are his? It is a line even the original had trouble finding the correct balance for, especially given the time period.

This potential love triangle becomes all the more complicated after war has broken out and Nazi troops invade Poland, stripping the Bronski's of their home and business. Meanwhile Andrei uncovers a Nazi spy within the ranks of the RAF, Professor Siletski (Jose Ferrer). He has collected the names and addresses of members of the Polish underground and plans to deliver these names to the Gestapo, all but ensuring their death. With the aid of Frederick and Anna, Andrei plans to stop Siletski from delivering the letters to SS Colonel Erhardt (Charles Durning).

Their plan involves at various points for Frederick to impersonate either Siletski or Colonel Erhardt in order to retrieve and destroy the letter. But can ham actor Frederick actually pull off the performance of a lifetime?

Perhaps the best thing about watching "To Be Or Not To Be" is to witness the chemistry between Brooks and Bancroft in their only screen roles opposite each other - minus a cameo appearance Bancroft makes in Brooks' "Silent Movie" (1976). Watching them together makes us wish Brooks had written roles for her in his films.

Bancroft, who won an Academy Award for her performance in "The Miracle Worker" (1962), needn't prove to anyone her acting credentials but who knew Brooks could act? Screen comedy acting seems to be a thankless endeavor. Audiences usually don't recognize all that goes into playing comedy. Brooks doesn't help the situation with his broad, zany and vulgar style of comedy. Brooks almost makes his acting look spontaneous. In "To Be Or Not To Be" the comedy and Brooks' performance are a bit more polished. 

Pay attention to all the wonderfulness happening in the movie's opening sequence between Frederick and Anna singing on-stage, in Polish, to "Sweet Georgia Brown" - Brooks once joked they danced in Polish too! The sequence helps establish the tone of the movie, the characters and their relationship. We immediately learn Frederick is a ham, Anna is beloved and Frederick is kind of jealous of her. More importantly though, pay attention to their body language. Without speaking words we can sense the tension between them.

The main reason for the restrained nature of the comedy would have to be because of Alan Johnson's directing. Johnson was a chorographer who worked with Brooks on "The Producers", "Blazing Saddles" (1974) and "History of the World: Part 1" (1981). "To Be Or Not To Be" was Johnson's directorial debut. He would only go on to direct one other movie. However Johnson doesn't have Brooks' visual eye for comedy. I don't know if a personality like Brooks really let Johnson direct the movie - Tim Matheson on the late Gilbert Gottfried's podcast hinted Brooks was very much involved - but there is a noticeable difference between this movie and ones where Brooks is credited as the director. In his Chicago Sun-Times review, movie critic Roger Ebert describes the situation as "To Be or Not To Be" works as well as a story as any Brooks film since "Young Frankenstein".

Released in 1942 the original "To Be Or Not To Be" was a timely story with war being fought in Europe. The movie reflected the time period in ways this remake obviously couldn't. And although I am not one for remakes, Brooks and Company do their best to separate themselves from the original even though many lines are repeated verbatim. It was odd however for Brooks to want to remake this movie and play the Jack Benny role. If a younger person is reading this (which I seriously doubt), Jack Benny was a great comedian. He was best known for his radio and television show. He was never able to successfully translate on the big screen though he did regard "To Be Or Not To Be" as his best movie. Affectionately, there is a reference to Benny in this movie with the name of a street called Kubelsky. Kubelsky was Benny's real surname.

Benny and Brooks created comedy in different ways. Benny was a master of gestures and timing. He wasn't afraid of taking long pauses. To modern eyes his comedy moves slow. Brooks by contrast is a maniac with an almost demonic energy. He's not afraid to chew the scenery and keep the spotlight on himself at all times. Benny didn't mind playing second fiddle and allowing someone else to get the laugh. I think it was a much harder assignment for Brooks to make this role his own than for Bancroft to separate herself from Carole Lombard - who was also a wonderful actress.

Some of the supporting performances equal Brooks' maniac level. Christopher Lloyd takes a nothing character with no dimension and has a lot of fun with it creating something memorable - a timid and confused yes man. Charles Durning - who was not only a terrific character actor was also a WW2 vet and decorated solider - has fun playing a dimwitted Nazi. For his trouble he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, earning the movie's sole Oscar nomination. He lost that year to Jack Nicholson for "Terms of Endearment" (1983).

"To Be Or Not To Be" fits nicely into the Mel Brooks cannon of movies even though he is not the official director. He and Bancroft are a joy to watch on-screen and some of the songs written by Brooks and frequent collaborator Ronny Graham are funny. I especially like a song called "A Little Peace", which I embarrassingly still sing to myself on occasion. Each Brooks comedy can't be "Blazing Saddles" but "To Be Or Not To Be" is an entertaining diversion.