(Originally Posted December 31st, 2011)
To Be or Not To Be (1983)
Oh Mel Brooks, you crazy Jew you. I've been a fan of Brook's work since I was a kid, when my dad first showed my brother and I what was at the time, Brook's latest film, 1993's Robin Hood Men in Tights. Not long after, while home sick, I watched the film on television, followed by 1987's Spaceballs. From there it was a matter of time before I started going through the rest of Brook's comedies, usually with the help of my dad. Was a few years later when he taped Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein for us to watched, and that pretty much cemented it- Brooks was a comedic genius.
However, for a time, these four pretty much remained the only Brook's films I watched. I knew of a few others, but rarely had the chance to watch them. After watching the musical remake of The Producers, which I enjoyed, I found a copy of the original which was also really good. Still, it was while watching trailers on the DVD for Men in Tights that I learned of three other films that I would begin to track down: High Anxiety, Silent Movie, and To Be Or Not To Be. The first I happened to catch on television, and soon after bought on DVD. The second was harder to find but worth it, although the DVD I purchased, while new, skips during one scene- and of course, I no longer had the receipt.
That left me with today's movie, which took even longer to find then Silent Movie. 1983's To Be Or Not To Be, like the Maltese Falcon before it, is a remake of an earlier film. However just the same, I will allow it on the grounds that- it's Mel Brooks, do I need another reason?.
Plot
The year is 1939, the place, Warsaw, Poland. The German's have already invaded a number of European countries, and they sit on the border of Poland. Invasion is imminent, but most people seem content to go about their days anyway, and this involves going to the famous Bronski theatre, home of the greatest actor in Poland, Frederick Bronski, played by Mel Brooks. Contrary to his own delusion, Frederick is not a great actor, but is still wrapped up in himself, so much that he puts his wife and co-star, Anna Bronski, played by Brook's real life wife Anne Bancroft, at the bottom of the posters with her name in parenthesis. Frederick tries to ignore the threat of war, although the rest of his theatre troupe know better and fear the worst. Add into this, a young Polish officer named Lt. Sobinski, played by Tim Matheson who not only gets up during one of Frederick's performances- a terrible interpretation of the soliloquy from Hamlet from where the films title derives, but does so to meet with Anna backstage. It is during one of their meetings that fellow troupe members arrive with news- war has broken out, and the Germans are bombing Poland. Soninski departs to meet with his fellow officers, while The Bronski troupe try to rebuild and go on with their lives despite the Nazis, the rounding up of Jews, Gypsies and Homosexuals, and the loss of property. However things take a turn when Sobinski learns that an important Professor who has been the voice of free Poland, Prof. Siletski, played by Jose Ferrer, is actually a spy for the Germans and in possession of the names of Polish resistance members. Sobinski follows Siletski back to Poland to prevent his turning over the list to the Gestapo, and enlists the aid of the Bronski's to do so, using Frederick's subpar acting skills to their advantage. This leads to a number of roles for Frederick to assume, including the Gestapo, Prof. Siletski, and even Hitler, as he attempts to retrieve the list and get his fellow actors out of Poland alive.
Favorite Character
When you deal with a Mel Brooks film, one of two things can happen. If Mel is playing the main character, you are going to enjoy his performance. If he is a supporting character, he is going to steal the show. You need to understand this going in, because it is very rare that someone else will take the spotlight away from Mel. In this case however, someone does, and given the actor it's not difficult to see how. Christopher Lloyd, best known as Doc Brown from Back to the Future, has a great role here as German officer Capt. Schultz. Schultz is like someone out of Hogan's Hero's, a very dumb soldier who is just trying to follow orders. He is straight to the point and not one for idle conversation, but it is when he is in trouble, usually due to the machinations of Frederick, that he shines. When faced with a problem, more often then not all he is able to do is salute and when his superior salutes back, run. It's quite simple but really makes for a great character- here he is, a German officer, who is so unable to think of a real response to pretty much anything, just falls back on his salute and escapes before he can be blamed for anything. Of course, Mel's Frederick is great as well, playing the conceited actor who really has to show how good he is at his craft, and Col. Erhardt, played by Charles Dunning, plays an entertaining and buffoonish Gestapo. Still, it is Schulzt who steals the show in his few scenes, showing that turning tail and running never gets old.
Favorite Line
Again, as this is a Mel Brooks film, there are always plenty of great lines and scenes to chose from- the man knows his craft well. There were a few lines I saw in the trailer that I figured would more then likely take this spot. However, while watching the film I realized as good as those lines are, there is one better, and it's not even spoken by a character. After the film's opening musical number, a Polish version of Sweet Georgie Brown done by Frederick and Anna, the two have an argument behind the curtain about Anna receiving flowers while Frederick receives nothing, again, still in Polish. This is interrupted by the Narrator, who had prior to this simply existed to explain the German invasions. As happens in a Brooks film, the fourth wall is broken, as Frederick and Anna both listen as the Narrator delivers a line that won me over right away
"Ladies and Gentlemen: In the interest of clarity and sanity, the rest of this movie will not be in Polish."
It's a simple throwaway line yes, but it reminds us that this is a movie, and more importantly, a comedy. Yes the setting is bad and the history involved worse, but for a little while we can laugh about it, and the Narrator tells us such. He may have just finished telling us all the bad, but he quickly counters it with that line and that sets us up for what is coming.
Favorite Scene
This was a little harder to chose, but the more I thought about it the easier it became. While there were many lines that I could chose from, one in particular needed the scene surrounding it to work. Not long after the Nazi's have invaded, Frederick returns to the theatre, his car pulled by a horse, and discusses events with his fellow actors. He then receives a notice that his house is going to be used as Gestapo headquarters. This is the last straw and Frederick goes on a angry tirade about the German's first taking his gas, then his possessions, and then his theatre, but angrily states they are not taking his house. Momentary cut to black and anyone that knows Brooks or even good comedy knows exactly what comes next. Frederick, Anna and her homosexual dresser stand in the house with suitcases as the German's begin moving their things in. You know it's coming the moment Frederick gets the notice but its the build up that makes it work. The line itself is only funny in this context, because it sets everything up. That's where good comedy writing comes in,
when even if you know the punchline, the joke still works.
Conclusion
While not Brook's funniest film, To Be Or Not To Be is well done and also quite poignant. Further research showed me that it was the first Hollywood film to explicitly show the inclusion of homosexuals in the groups condemned to Nazi death camps. This, along with a number of scenes including the performance in the film's final act in which the troupe attempts to escape the Nazi filled theatre, reminds us of the reality of the situation on the screen- yes it's a movie, but the events surrounding it's comedic plot really did happen, and they were beyond tragic. That said, the movie is still enjoyable, the jokes work and are meshed well with the circumstances, and Brook's reminds us why he is one of the funniest men in comedy. If you like Brook's other works but have not gotten around to this one, give it a shot- he may not have written it, but he makes it his own. If your not a fan of Brooks, I suggest trying some of his better known films first, just to get yourself a taste before diving into this.
3 Interrupted Soliloquies out of 5
That's all for today and for 2011, until next time and next year, I'm The Drew, and I Be Awesome.
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