Some pretext to lure you in

A famous theater actor emerges from behind the curtain. He’s doing Hamlet by Shakespeare. He proceeds to deliver his first line. The moment he’s done, some block jumps up from the audience. Clumsily tries to pass the other audience and leaves the theater hall. There’s not a hint of guilt! Wow! The actor is speechless! Who can commit the atrocity of leaving the hall while he’s on the stage?! This is humiliating.

But no, it doesn’t stop at that. That very same block leaves the theater again the next day—just after the very first line of hamlet. The actor is now furious. This is unacceptable!

Poland is at war. Germany attacked Poland without any provocation. At that moment, no one can even believe it. Neither can the actor—that pesky little son of a gun left my theater!

The Lubitsch Touch

This film was made during the Second World War. When the entire world was busy fighting, destroying, murdering each other—german born veteran film director Ernst Lubitsch made this black-comedy film on the ongoing war. Now, Lubitsch’s comedy is famous, it has its own corner in the cinema world. His style is known as — The Lubitsch Touch. Now, what exactly Lubitsch Touch is hard to explain. Another great director Billy Wilder explained it here.

We can see Lubitsch Touch in To Be Or Not To Be. The film is filled with thrill, romance and warm comedy.

Synopsis

The story goes like this — In occupied Poland, a certain risk emerges that a list consisting of names of polish soldiers and their family members might fall into the hands of gestapo. The entire polish underground resistance is at the risk of annihilation.

The theater actors and other technicians take up the challenge to recover the list and make a fool out of the gestapo itself. The whole thing is a cat-and-mouse chase! It’s a delight to see the film to be honest. It’s lighthearted enough, despite the heavy plot.

However, I didn’t like the portrayal of gestapo. Although, back then no one knew the full extent of the horror they exercised throughout the war. When the film was made, it was when America first joined the war. Pretty early to know anything concretely. So Lubitsch couldn't have known. But then again, they say, a Lubitsch film takes place in Lubitsch Land, not in reality.

I can boldly say this one is one of the most enjoyable films I saw.