To Be or Not to Be

To Be or Not to Be

1942. USA. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. With Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Lionel Atwill, Felix Bressart. Lubitsch had been a major director in Germany during World War I and under Weimar (specializing in comedies and spectacles), but he came to Hollywood a decade before the Nazis’ rise to power. A native Berliner and Max Reinhardt protégé, Lubitsch seemed to relish the opportunity to scathingly satirize his former countrymen. Weimar veteran Bressart had a major role in Henry Koster’s Peter, which was shown earlier in this series. 99 min.