To Be Or Not to Be (1983) | Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft

To Be Or Not to Be (1983) | Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft | Excellent!

vhs video:

To Be Or Not to Be...

	To Be Or Not to Be (1983) Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft 20th Century Fox, 1997 average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

No filmmaker seems to take such glee at poking fun of the Nazis as Mel Brooks. In To Be or Not to Be, a remake of a 1942 Jack Benny comedy, Brooks and an all-star ensemble cast have a splendid time working as a makeshift Polish underground in World War II, using as their cover their theatrical company. Brooks stars as Frederick Bronski, a legend-in-his-own-mind leading man, and Anne Bancroft, Brooks' real-life wife, is his glamorous--and amorous--spouse. It's a joy to see the two spar, snuggle, and softshoe together. Bancroft, in her early '50s, is so gorgeous and seductive it's perfectly believable that she's beguiling to men of all ages--from a hunky young flier played by Tim Matheson to a wizened Nazi collaborator played by Mel Ferrer. As one would expect in a Brooks film, there's lots of silliness, but the script is leavened with real drama and fleshed out by a superb cast, including Charles Durning as a semi-clueless Nazi official. There are witty blink-and-you'll-miss-them moments, too; early in the film, Bronski is barking orders to his theater staff, including one crew member who's named Sondheim, apparently solely so that later Bronski can bark, "Sondheim, send in the clowns!" Also not to miss is the production number "Naughty Nazis," in which Bronski, as a misunderstood Hitler, sings, "All I vant is peace... a little piece of Poland, a little piece of France...." No wonder he's "world famous in Poland"! Extras include a behind-the-scenes making-of featurette, and interviews with Brooks, Durning, and the lovely Bancroft, all the more bittersweet viewed after her 2005 death. --A.T. Hurley

for more information click here

Mr & Mrs Brooks

Mrs. Robinson has grown up and turned to comedy. Anne Bancroft (Mrs. Mel Brooks) is an outstanding comedienne. Don't let the beginning put you off-stick with it. And Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Charles Durning. Mel for once in a STARRING role, although George Gaynes steals the show (Police Academy commandant Lazard). Wonderful musical, treats a serious subject with extreme slapstick and zaniness. Almost a visual political cartoon--dancing, singing, romance, mystery, spies, Nazis, Jews in hiding, clowns. Must see--must collect.

Excellent!

To Be or Not to Be by Mel Brooks is a classic. Worth the money.

for more information click here

To Be or Not To Be

A very hard video to find, but Amazon had it, this is one of Mel Brooks best films, very funny.I reccomend it highly to everyone.

Mel the Man

This is a slightly more serious side of Mel, which is to say, madly funny; and I found it absolutely hilarious. Taking on a suspenseful WWII drama in Poland, probably the last thing you think of is slapstick. The comedy had its perhaps poignantly cheesy moments, which are the only detractors in the entire film, and I'm sure most viewers will recognize them, and yet also has some classic, mad hilarity.

Having not seen the original, I think I will have to now. Mel is surely one of the greatest American comedians, and I also agree with other reviewers here that he displays his acting skills more strongly than in other films. There is, BTW, no raunchy humor here, and some of the best slapstick I've seen for a while. From the first moment, Mel and the stunning Anne Bancroft as well as all supporting roles are well done and tasteful. Any references to or portrayal of homosexuality are well done and not lewd or offensive.

Because as you may well know, Bronski, played by Brooks, is a director determined to rescue family and friends from his theatre from certain death in the Nazi occupation, and at one point says, "without Jews, gypsies and qu66rs, there would be no theatre. [paraphrased, but very close]" I imagine this film is the inspiration of the 90s synth-pop band choosing the name "Bronski Beat." In this film one of Bronski's gay employees is forced to wear the imfamous pink triangle, and it is remarkable that Mel should portray that historical fact in this film.

But that is just a side-note, as the film is larger than that one issue, and Mel's taking on such a serious drama armed with slapstick, and one absolutely gorgeous co-star, is testimony to the power of humor, (And Anne's beauty) to redeem and enliven, and help us through moments too grim to bear otherwise. And because of that I'd recommend this film strongly. Mel is the man.

for more information click here

To Be or Not To Be

If you like Mel Brookes' quirky humour you'll love this. An extremely entertaining film with one liners by the dozen. A great performance from the late Ann Bancroft also; playing alongside her husband in a comedy role lets you see her in a different light. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and rate it one of my favourites.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

products you might be interested in