Film Review: To Be or Not to Be (1983)

Phrase “pointless remake” is these days associated with lack of creative ideas within major Hollywood studios, but at times it can be applied to the works of talented and accomplished film makers who should have known better. One such person is Mel Brooks, immensely successful actor, producer, screenwriter and director, who in decided to produce his own version of To Be or Not to Be, 1942 Hollywood black-and-white WW2 comedy by Ernst Lubitsch which is nowadays considered to be one of that era’s classics. The new version, released in 1983, was directed by famous choreographer and Brooks’ long time associate Alan Johnson.

The plot begins in August 1939. The protagonists are Frederick Bronski (played by Mel Brooks) and his wife Anna (played by Anne Bancroft), two main stars of their own Warsaw theatre company. Frederick is prone to overacting, especially when he is playing Hamlet at stage. And that is usually the time when his wife backstage is visited by Lt. Sobinski (played by Tim Matheson), dashing Polish air force officer who is in love with her. Bronskis’ martial problem are soon overshadowed by more important events like German invasion of Poland and start of World War Two. Poland is quickly defeated and Warsaw occupied and Bronski’s company struggles to survive under Nazi regime. Sobinski has managed to escape Nazis and join Polish squadron within British RAF. There he realises that resistance figure Professor Siletski (played by José Ferrer) is actually a German double agent, so his superiors order him back to Poland in a desperate bid to prevent Siletski from giving the list of resistance members of Gestapo. Sobinski kontakt Bronskis after which they use their acting talents in complicated and dangerous ruse first against Siletski, then against Gestapo Colonel Erhardt (played by Charles Durning).

More than four decades since the original version Brooks and Johnson were trying to improve film with elements Lubitsch could not. The most obvious was use of colour (too expensive and too precious technology for Hollywood in early 1940s) and less obvious was character of Anna Bronski’s dresser being changed from a woman into flaming homosexual (played by James Haake). This allowed the film to become one of the first Hollywood production to deal with the subject of Nazi persecution of homosexuals and, indirectly, with the Holocaust, in the scenes depicting Bronski and members of his troops hiding Jewish families from Nazis. This gives Brooks’ version of To Be or Not to Be seriousness that original version haven’t got. In 1942, when Lubitsch made his film, Poland is still under German occupation and the real volume of Nazi genocidal barbarity was not generally known. Unlike Lubitsch, who could have allowed himself luxury to make his film as light-hearted comedy in which Nazis were portrayed as pathetic buffoons, Brooks had to be more careful. Brooks’ task is even harder because he decided to stick with the original script as much as possible. Result is film that indulges in too much theatricality, and this is most visible in quality of acting, which often goes overboard, especially in the case of otherwise fine character actor Charles Durning. Apart from Brooks’ real wife Anne Bancroft, who successfully plays femme fatale, few members of cast leave particularly good impression. To Be or Not to Be is somewhat entertaining but, in the end of the day, not particularly inspired film and it could be recommended only to those who haven’t seen the original version.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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