To Be Or Not To Be

365 Films

Entry #77

To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

I first became aware of the cinematic titan known as Ernst Lubitsch back in 2005 when I observed his name being bandied about as an influence on Woody Allen’s Match Point.  Seeing as how I struggled mightily with over coming the toxic nihilism of Allen’s film, I saw no point in immediately seeking out the work of its inspiration.  When I finally did catch up, I was at a loss as to how exactly the two lined up as ceremoniously as others had described.  In retrospect it was probably more of a stylistic observation than a philosophical one, seeing as how in that department the two could not be more diametrically opposed.  However, when revisiting Lubitsch’s 1942 gem To Be Or Not To Be, the boldness of the satirical eye at work definitely feels reminiscent of the best of Woody Allen.  I should have known better than to tussle with the at large film critic intelligentsia, they’re always right.  Speaking of which, one of the first things one encounters when diving into this filmmaker’s splendid resume is a filmmaking style that is known simply as “The Lubitsch Touch.”  Perhaps best understood in terms of movie terminology as the mumblecore of its day, the Lubitsch touch remains curiously undefined and it stands to reason that it is more of a marketing term than anything else.  That being said, it is an indescribable essence one gets from watching his films.  It’s his way with comic timing and his execution of performance that always leaves one grasping for straws in order to best describe what is up on screen.  To Be Or Not To Be is a wonderful example of is ineffable gifts and there is no better proof of that than the disastrous reception the film received upon its initial release.  Perhaps I should elaborate on what it was in the film that got people so riled up in the first place.  To Be Or Not To Be is about a troupe of actors in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who use their gifts for deception, performance, and disguise to foil a plot by the occupying forces to root out the Polish resistance.  As one can imagine, back in 1942 it was not at all de rigueur to mock or otherwise belittle the very real threat of Nazi ideology.  Time and shifts of perception have been most kind to the film and it stands to reason that Lubitsch was in fact fighting fascism the only way he knew how.  The actors at the center of To Be Or Not To Be are the stand in for the fluidity of the complex human personality in all of its amorphous glory.  Each character in the film dons several different faces throughout the story either by improvisatory necessity in the face mortal danger or for the sake of a blind, all consuming passion for another.  Yet for all of their goofy miscommunications and ill-conceived screw ups, they never look as lost or misguided as the seemingly mechanized Nazi officers who can’t seem to take five consecutive breaths without raising their arms and shouting “Heil Hitler.”  In taking what was at the time (and still is in a lot of ways) a taboo subject and choosing to blatantly and proudly spit in its eye, Lubitsch made the ultimate tonic for dealing with an indescribable force of hatred and violence.  While that may not have any practical applications in the real world, the film still stands as a proud testament to the power of art and expression over fascism and the wonders of flesh and blood screwball antics over pale-faced automatons.  And while film’s title is taken from a soliloquy questioning the meaning of existence in the face of overwhelming hardships, it is telling that it is also the cue in the film for one character to scurry off for a secret romantic rendezvous.  I think we know which of half of the to be or not to be question these people have chosen.