Sein oder Nichtsein

What a refreshing film about World War II that shows the truth about Poles who fought against the Nazi rule. Brooks and his wife shine in this comedy in Warsaw as they protect Jews and gays in those grim days. What great acting. What a classic film. !!!! It should be in the top 250. Mel Brooks has the magic touch

When I saw this I had no idea it was a remake. I didn't know the original had been rated the 49th best comedy of all time by the AFI or that Brooks neither wrote nor directed it.

What I knew was that from the moment it started to the moment the curtains came down I was laughing nonstop in awe of an incredible plot. The film managed to escalate with each passing scene. Just when you thought nothing more could be done to it, they managed to push it further and further. Brook's performance was dead on, as was the entire casts. It's the sort of movie that gives Christopher Loyd only seven or eight lines, and you love him for it and need to ask for anything more.

It continually makes fun itself, building on jokes you thought were over half a movie ago. I'd place this movie above Spaceballs and below Men in Tights, but would say that it is without a doubt the best plot of any movie I've seen in some time, comedy or otherwise.

This is a movie that you should waste no time seeking out and renting, buying, seeing in whatever way you can.

Still not sold? I'll retell one of the jokes. Don't read further if you want the first five minutes to be as fresh as they were for me - if you're debating whether to see it or not, I hope this is able to sway you.

They're in a theater, putting on a show. We hear the Polish songs - not quite sure what they're singing about. The curtain comes down on the two actors smiling and bowing together as the audience claps. The moment the audience can no longer see them the actors start bickering in Polish. We're not sure what they're discussing, but it's clearly a heated debate. The curtain then comes up, they immediately are smiling, bowing, curtain comes down once again and it's back to the Polish bickering. They continue bickering, stopping for an announcement over the loudspeakers in this vaudeville theater. "Attention, for the Sanity and Clarity of the Audience the rest of this movie will be English"

Then the movie switches into English, and the plot begins.

If I heard about a remake of To Be or Not to Be and didn't know the cast, I'd probably shrug it off and stick with the original. One of the reasons I loved the 1942 version is because it was made during wartime and had an extra sense of fear in every scene, since no one knew how the war would turn out. A remake in the 1980s wouldn't have that same effect, no matter how good it was. But, since I knew the cast, I decided to rent it. Who doesn't want to see Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft together?

The remake is extremely similar to the original, so if you did love the 1942 film, you'll still love this one. Just in case you don't know the plot, I won't spoil it for you here. It follows a theater troupe in Poland during WWII, and how they get involved in the fight "backstage". Just as in the original, the comic timing in the remake is impeccable, and you'll see some familiar faces joining the cast. Charles Durning plays Erhardt, Christopher Lloyd plays Schultz, and José Ferrer plays Siletski. If you don't know who those characters are, then you obviously haven't seen either version of this story. It's time you started! Pick whichever cast appeals to you and get ready to split your sides laughing.

This remake of Ernst Lubitsch's wartime comedy has often been dismissed as a ham-fisted and unnecessary vanity exercise. This is grossly unfair, as the Brooks' version is in fact a deft and funny comedy that stands up well in comparison to its forebear. Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft make their own the roles of the Bronskis, a Warsaw theatrical duo ("world famous in Poland")who star in revues at the Bronski theatre. When war breaks out the Bronskis become brood-hens to an ever-growing community of Jewish refugees while staying one step ahead of the Nazis. Brooks and Bancroft are fine in the roles of the battling Bronskis, particularly Mel Brooks who finds a touching level of vulnerability beneath the bombast and bluster of Frederick Bronski. Despite the farcical and improbable plot twists, the narrative is sound and genuine pathos registers throughout the film. Those with fond memories of Jack Benny and Carole Lombard in the lead roles may have boycotted this on first release, but they have denied themselves a rare treat - a sure-footed and genuinely entertaining film.

I loved the Benny/Lombard version but Brookes and Bancroft are so personable you cannot help but love this. Durning was so funny and Christopher Lloyd was great....

I liked it.