The Story of To Be or Not to Be
To Be or Not to Be opens on Warsaw, 1939, as German tanks roll through the streets and Poland's fate hangs in the balance. At the center of this chaos is a struggling Polish actor—vain, perpetually broke, and nursing a wounded ego. His wife, meanwhile, has developed a rather inconvenient habit of entertaining young Polish officers while he's stuck on stage delivering wooden performances to half-empty houses. When one of those officers returns with a secret mission that could change everything, the actor sees his chance. What unfolds is a high-stakes game of deception, mistaken identity, and improvisation that forces him to become something he's never been: a hero. Except he's still terrible at it. The premise walks a tightrope between farce and tragedy—and that's exactly where the film's electricity comes from.
Behind the Making of To Be or Not to Be
Director Alan Johnson and producer Mel Brooks took on one of cinema's most audacious remakes in 1983, adapting the original 1942 Ernst Lubitsch film for a new generation. The screenplay, written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, had to navigate tricky waters: how do you make an audience laugh about Nazi occupation without trivializing the real horror underneath? Brooks assembled a powerhouse cast alongside himself—Anne Bancroft as his wife, Tim Matheson as the young officer, Charles Durning as a Gestapo spy, Christopher Lloyd in a scene-stealing role, and José Ferrer as a Polish general. The film runs 107 minutes and carries an R rating, giving Brooks and his collaborators the freedom to push boundaries that a studio comedy wouldn't have dared touch in earlier decades. While the film didn't become a box-office juggernaut, it's found steady appreciation among comedy enthusiasts and remains a cult favorite on Movie OTT and other streaming platforms where audiences can discover its particular brand of anarchic humor.
What Makes To Be or Not to Be Stand Out
What's striking is how the film refuses to play it safe. Brooks doesn't shy away from Hitler jokes, Gestapo puns, or the sheer absurdity of wartime bureaucracy—and somehow, it works because the comedy isn't punching down at victims but rather at the machinery of fascism itself. The performances anchor everything: Brooks brings his trademark manic energy tempered with genuine pathos, while Bancroft steals scenes with effortless charm and impeccable comic timing. There's a scene where the actor has to impersonate a Gestapo officer, and the way Brooks commits to the physical comedy—the walk, the accent, the sheer confidence of a man pretending to be something he absolutely isn't—is the heart of the whole enterprise. Christopher Lloyd's turn as a trigger-happy Nazi is simultaneously terrifying and hilarious, which shouldn't work but does. The film's real trick is that it doesn't ask you to forget the war is happening; it asks you to laugh at human beings scrambling to survive it. That's a harder, stranger thing to pull off than a straightforward wartime drama, and the film mostly succeeds.
Where to Stream To Be or Not to Be Online
To Be or Not to Be is currently available on major OTT services—check the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page to see which platforms carry it in your region. Streaming availability shifts regularly, so Movie OTT tracks current availability across Netflix, Prime Video, and other major services to help you find exactly where you can watch it right now. Whether you're a Mel Brooks devotee or you've never seen his work, the film's blend of slapstick, satire, and surprisingly genuine emotion makes it worth seeking out wherever it's currently streaming.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed To Be or Not to Be?
Alan Johnson directed the 1983 version, with Mel Brooks producing through his Brooksfilms company. The screenplay was written by Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan, drawing on the original 1942 film by Ernst Lubitsch.
Q: Is To Be or Not to Be a remake?
Yes. It's a remake of the 1942 film of the same name, though this version adds Brooks' particular comedic sensibility and updates the humor for 1980s audiences.
Q: How long is To Be or Not to Be?
The film runs 107 minutes, giving it plenty of time to build its absurdist plot and let the performances breathe.
Q: What's the IMDb rating for To Be or Not to Be?
The film holds a 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb, reflecting mixed but generally positive reception among viewers who appreciate its irreverent approach to wartime comedy.
Q: Is To Be or Not to Be appropriate for all audiences?
The film carries an R rating and includes Nazi references, adult humor, and some violence. It's definitely not for kids, and it's worth noting that the comedy relies heavily on the audience being willing to laugh at dark subject matter.
Final Thoughts on To Be or Not to Be
To Be or Not to Be remains one of Mel Brooks' most polarizing but genuinely inventive films. It's not his most quotable work, and it won't appeal to everyone—some find the premise in poor taste, while others think it's the only way to truly satirize fascism. But for viewers willing to meet it on its own terms, there's something almost brave about a comedy this willing to court controversy in service of laughs. Honest, messy, and occasionally brilliant. That's the movie.
