“The running gags, swift direction, and concise script makes it the best comedy about Fascism since Chaplin's THE GREAT DICTATOR.” - Michael Blowen, Boston Globe
“One of the most profound, emotionally complex comedies ever made, covering a range of tones from satire to slapstick to shocking black humor.” - Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Thursday, September 4, 6:00 p.m. & Friday, September 26, 6:00 p.m. | In production and in plot, TO BE OR NOT TO BE is a riotously clever act of cinematic defiance. Made at the height of World War II, Ernst Lubitsch ignored the old adage “comedy is tragedy plus time” and made this zany satire about a troupe of hammy actors who pull a fast one on the Nazis. It sent a profound message: the enemy is frightening, but they are also foolish, vulnerable—and beatable. When it was released, audiences weren’t sure if comedy during wartime was in poor taste, but Lubitsch’s film became recognized as one of his best. TO BE OR NOT TO BE is a reminder that even the act of laughing at the movies is a form of resistance.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best Score, Academy Awards
Cinema of Resistance | September 1–28, 2025
In Cinema of Resistance, we present eight films that expose the lowest moments of humanity, both real and imagined: war, corruption, cowardice, authoritarianism, and then raise high displays of bravery from movements that changed the course of history and individuals that put themselves on the line for the greater good. Join the fight from your cinema seat.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu