The Picture Everyone Wants to See
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.
To Be or Not to Be (1942) is a comedy, war and romance film directed by Ernst Lubitsch, released on March 6, 1942 with a runtime of 1h 39m. It stars Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack and Felix Bressart. Viewers rate it 7.8 out of 10 across 858 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for To Be or Not to Be before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for To Be or Not to Be.
Trailer
Featurette
Featurette
Carole Lombard
as Maria Tura
Jack Benny
as Joseph Tura
Robert Stack
as Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski
Felix Bressart
as Greenberg
Lionel Atwill
as Rawitch
Stanley Ridges
as Professor Alexander Siletsky
Sig Ruman
as Col. Ehrhardt
Tom Dugan
as Bronski
Charles Halton
as Producer Dobosh
George Lynn
as Actor-Adjutant
Henry Victor
as Capt. Schultz
Maude Eburne
as Anna
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, written by Melchior Lengyel and Edwin Justus Mayer, produced by Ernst Lubitsch.
Average viewer score of 7.8/10 from 858 ratings.
So, a Polish acting company are busy putting on “Hamlet” whilst the Nazis are preparing something altogether more menacing across the border. “Joseph” (Jack Benny) and wife “Maria” (Carole Lombard) are the stars of the show, and she has no shortage of admirers including an air force officer “Sobieski” (Robert Stack) who bravely decamps to the UK following the invasion to join the RAF. Rather foolishly, as it turns…
Reviewed on January 11, 2026
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To Be or Not to Be (1942) is available to stream on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel and HBO Max, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of To Be or Not to Be (1942) includes Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart and Lionel Atwill. The film was directed by Ernst Lubitsch. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
To Be or Not to Be was released on March 6, 1942 and runs for 1h 39m.
To Be or Not to Be (1942) holds an average rating of 7.8 out of 10 from 858 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy, war and romance films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official To Be or Not to Be trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
