S5E06b - To Be Or Not To Be [1942] with Peter Labuza

How Would Lubitsch Do It?

Peter Labuza returns for the second of two episodes on To Be Or Not To Be. We discuss the film’s production history, the way in which the film both fulfills and frustrates conventions of comedic structure, Lubitsch’s specific habits in directing actors, the film’s unusual tonal arc, the film’s depiction of fascist ideology, and Rudolph Mate’s cinematography.

Edited by Eden Cote-Foster.

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NEXT WEEK:

Willa Ross returns to discuss Heaven Can Wait. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page.

WORKS CITED:

Bosley Crowther’s Review of TO BE OR NOT TO BE in the New York Times

Ernst Lubitsch's Response

Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System by Emily Carman

Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris