To Be or Not to Be (1942)

I watched Carole Lombard in Supernatural. Her last film was a comedy with some very serious overtones. Lombard died in a plane crash before the film was released. Mel Brooks was in the remake. 

Brooks is most famous for his earlier Hitleresque parody, The Producers, which I found tiresome. I vaguely remember watching him in the remake of this film (he didn't direct) and liking it okay. I liked this film. It has more bite than the remake, especially when the stuff is coming down mid-war. 

Ernst Lubitsch, a famous director involved in multiple classics, directed and produced this film. The film -- like Hotel Berlin -- had added weight since it was released during World War II. Poland was invaded in September 1939. This film came out shortly after Pearl Harbor.  

The film made some fun of the Nazis but the events overall were quite serious mixed with some farce. The Nazis invade Poland. There is potential for a turncoat exposing the Polish underground. The beautiful lead actress and others now are working with the resistance. A Jewish actor has a chance to speak the words of the famous Shylock soliloquy. 

There are various familiar faces. Jack Benny plays the lead (the Mel Brooks role in the remake).  A supporting player was also in the director's earlier film, A Shop Around the Corner (Jimmy Stewart). The ham actor (the Jewish actor notes "You are something I won't eat") also played in several familiar films. 

The interesting commentary helps us understand the various complexities of the film and its charms. For instance, certain bits are repeated in different contexts, including the real person and imposter saying something.  The Shylock speech pops up 3x. 

I also watched Brief Encounter (again) the family doomed love story. Richard Burton and Sophia Loren later played in the remake. Hard to see that those two would have the same effect as the originals. 

The film has many cinematic touches along with the classic performances, especially Celia Johnson as the female leader and narrator. It is a great piece of filmmaking. She does seem to have two annoying kids. To be unkind, unlike her.