Ernst lubitsch was a germanborn film director, producer, writer, and actor. To be or not to be directed by ernst lubitsch video on demand. To be or not to be is a 1942 american black comedy film directed by ernst lubitsch and starring carole lombard, jack benny, robert stack, felix bressart, lionel atwill, stanley ridges and sig ruman. Carole lombard, jack benny, robert stack, felix bressart plot. Biography for ernst lubitsch turner classic movies. Started out as a performer in max reinhardts theater company before going on to star in silent comedies for berlins bioscope film studio. After a successful crossover to the much more sophisticated german film industry and a happy pairing with its finest director, ernst lubitsch she starred in the international smashhit, madame dubarry 1919. To be or not to be has been available for many years on dvd and it was always a film which called for a commentary. You cant better ernst lubitsch for screwball comedy,but somehow,although it has its moments,this one doesnt quite come off. Ernst lubitsch was a germanborn filmmaker who had great success in hollywood from the 1920s through the 1940s as a specialist in sophisticated comedies of manners. Find similar and related movies for to be or not to be 1942 ernst lubitsch on allmovie. Lubitschs german period tends to be eclipsed, not without reason, by his more masterly american period.
Ernst lubitsch was not only one of the greatest film directors of the classical hollywood period, he was also one of the most modern. The name ernst lubitsch may not be as familiar to casual moviegoers as frank capra, howard hawks or john ford, but some would argue he ought to be. Angel is a film which almost defies genre classification, working on different levels as a comedy, drama, romance, melodrama, and character study and therein lies its biggest problem. Merle oberon is miscast and we should have seen more of ace wisecracker eve arden. Originally a cabaret performer in berlin, lubitsch got his foot in the door at the studios of bioscope in 1912. Stills must not be reproduced, copied or downloaded in any way. This biography of ernst lubitsch is highly detailed and fairly dryat first i thought that it must be the only biography about the director, because it is not all that fabulous, but no, that is not the case. Ernst lubitschs to be or not to be1 gerd gemiinden it is not only time that is out of joint, but space, space in time, spacing. Instead of a fluff piece, this particular movie has incredible. What made lubitsch modern was that he was a director of surfaces and illusions, insisting that what was not shown was as important as what was visible on the screen. With the advent of sound and audiences clamoring for talkies, lubitsch combined his love of european operettas and his mastery of. Richard brody on ernst lubitschs to be or not to be 1942. Now we can learn about jack benny, carole lombard, ernst lubitsch and all the components that came together. Melchior lengyel original story, edwin justus mayer.
Ernst lubitschs to be or not to be 1942 teaser trailer. Since 1984, weve dedicated ourselves to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions of the highest technical quality. This movie had carole lombard, jack benny, robert stack in the lead roles of the film. To be or not to be is an american comedy drama about an acting troupe in world war ii poland that uses their skills to fool the nazis. Left school at 16 to pursue a career in the theater. If any one moment shifted towards the absurd, lubitsch would dial it back for a more humane, grounded segment, and in a few sections, he even shook the two flavors and. The film is now available in a first rate print with a first rate commentary. One that got away from ernst, but still worth watching. As mild as the hollywood response to the third reich may have been in the days and years before the second world war, two movies. This is a list of films directed by ernst lubitsch.
Ernst lubitsch scene from the merry widow 1934 duration. As nervy as it is hilarious, this screwball masterpiece from ernst lubitsch stars jack benny and, in her final screen appearance, carole lombard as husbandandwife thespians in nazioccupied warsaw who become caught up in a. But with the great cast assembled here charles durning is particularly great in his role, its certainly worth a look. Lubitsch reached great artistic heights with to be or not to be 1942 and heaven can wait 1943 before dying midcareer in 1947, leaving behind a legacy virtually unmatched by a filmmaker before or since. Considered to be in bad taste at the time, it was, to say the least, a bold film to make, one that mocked the very real and active threat of the nazis to. Topics jack benny, carole lombard, ernst lubitsch, poland, war time, comedy, nazism. This photograph originates from a press photo archive. In occupied poland during wwii, a troupe of ham stage actors led by joseph tura and his wife maria match wits with the nazis. Ernst lubitsch is pissed off but entirely confident in his storytelling, never relenting from harsh realities but still sly enough to make a smile and a tear one and the same. January 29, 1892 november 30, 1947 was a germanborn film director, producer, writer, and actor. Tribute to classic film director ernst lubitsch who was best known for bringing his masterful touch to witty, sophisticated, romanticcomedies and musicals. Jack benny and ernst lubitsch share a laugh on the set of to be or not to be lubitsch himself was born to a jewish family in berlin. He continued acting in german films throughout the teens.
Among his best known works are trouble in paradise, design. Germanamerican director ernst lubitsch was born in berlin in 1892. Ernst lubitschs to be or not to be is a black comedy about a polish theater companyled by joseph and maria tura jack benny and carole lombard. New to this familiar cinematic world is a life or death tension that takes the typically playful lubitsch touch and makes the whole approach quite touchy indeed. To be or not to be is an english movie directed by ernst lubitsch released in the year 1942. Not as outwardly funny as to be or not to be or trouble in paradise, but just as elegantly and stylishly executed, not to mention unexpectedly suspenseful i genuinely wasnt sure if it was going to play out like i thought it should up until the moment lubitsch shows his hand. To be or not to be 1942 ernst lubitsch watch online. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being hollywoods most. Among his best known works are trouble in paradise. Directed by ernst lubitsch, it is set in germanoccupied warsaw during world war ii. To be or not to be film by lubitsch 1942 britannica. Listen on the players above, on apple podcasts, or on spotify. He entered show business instead of following in his fathers footsteps and being a tailor. Angel by ernst lubitsch ernst lubitsch, marlene dietrich.
During the nazi occupation of poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a polish soldiers efforts to track down a german spy. Watch to be or not to be 1942 full movie free online. Lubitschs next american project, the marriage circle 1924, was a resounding triumph and the progenitor of a long succession of commercial and critical hits that made the lubitsch touch a household phrase. However, to be or not to be the film this evening is a remastered version of a 1942 american political satire classic comedy directed by ernst lubitsch, about a troupe of actors in nazioccupied warsaw who use their abilities at. Eventually, they turn to impersonating nazi officers and even hitler himself in order to outwit the enemy and keep the resistance safe from spies. As nervy as it is hilarious, this screwball masterpiece from ernst lubitsch stars jack benny and, in her final screen appearance, carole lombard as.
I love ernst lubitschs classic the shop around the corner, and thought id give this picture a try. To be or not to be, ernst lubitsch, 1942 intro sequence. He made a total of 72 films 44 feature films and 28 short films in a career that spanned 4 decades. Among his best known works are trouble in paradise, design for living, ninotchka, the shop around the corner, to be or not to be and. The film was adapted from a story by melchior lengyel and was produced and directed by ernst lubitsch. But that touch will not be repressed, and working with writer edwin justus mayer, lubitsch maintains the comedy for which he is so justly renowned.
To be or not to be 1942 directed by ernst lubitsch. To be or not to be, american screwball comedy film, released in 1942, that was carole lombards last film. To be or not to be 1942 ernst lubitsch, carole lombard, jack benny, robert stack august 17, 2018 comedy, war in occupied poland during wwii, a troupe of ham stage actors led by joseph tura and his wife maria match wits with the nazis. Mel brooks to be or not to be is entertaining, but the best version is ernst lubitschs 1942 film with jack benny and carole lombard. From ernst lubitschs experiences in sophien gymnasium high school theater, he decided to leave school at the age of 16 and pursue a career on the stage. Find highquality ernst lubitsch stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. Jacques derrida2 i in a discussion of works by leslie epstein, tadeusz borowski, and art spiegelman, terrence des pres in 1987 coined the term holocaust laughter to describe the way in which humor is used in the. Ernst lubitsch, film director vintage photography ebay. Director ernst lubitsch does not meld the disparate styles into a cohesive unit, resulting in individual scenes that work very well, but a film that, as a whole, does not feel.
Lubitsch was an anomaly as an active director who also served as the head of production at a major studio, as he did briefly at. Lubitsch grasped the american psychology with an amazing accuracy and focused his satire on two main themes sex and money. I think it would appeal to someone who was really into the nitty gritty details of who said what about whom when, what was written, and. Ernst lubitsch, born january 29, 1892, berlin, germany died november 30, 1947, hollywood, california, u. Carole lombard and jack benny lead chaos in 1942s to be or not to be, ernst lubitsch s classic black comedy set amongst a group of actors turned resistors in occupied poland. Rent ernst lubitsch movies and tv shows on dvd and bluray. Lubitsch musicals renowned as a silent film pioneer and the man who refined hollywood comedy with such masterpieces as trouble in paradise, the shop around the corner, and to be or not to be, ernst lubitsch also had another claim to fame. But knowledge of lubitschs creative development in his native land during the years just before, during, and immediately following the great war is indispensable to understanding his overall career path. In warsaw at the beginning of wwii, maria tura and her husband joseph perform antinazi plays with their theater troupe until they are forced to switch to shakespeares hamlet. Jack benny, carole lombard, robert stack, lionel atwill en felix bressart. The films comedic skewering of nazis was particularly controversial at. Melchior lengyel original story, edwin justus mayer screenplay actors. In the present thesis the visual language of director ernst lubitsch will be discussed on the basis of 3 of his films. German actor juergen vogel smiles with his ernst lubitsch prize in berlin, germany, 10 february 2007.
Lubitsch musicals criterion collection eclipse series 8. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being hollywoods most elegant and sophisticated director. He had to compromise with his father and keep the account books for the family tailor business while he acted in cabarets and music halls at night. He left germany in the early 1920s for hollywood, and found great success crafting a personal brand with a number of hit screwball comedies and musicals. With carole lombard, jack benny, robert stack, felix bressart. The plot concerns a troupe of actors in nazioccupied warsaw who use their abilities at disguise and acting to fool the occupying troops. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. It was lubitschs ticket to hollywood as well as polas. Lubitsch musicals criterion collection eclipse series 8 dvd.
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