To Be or Not to Be
“The Picture Everyone Wants to See”
Synopsis
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
To Be or Not To Be (1942) «Tráiler Original» Ernst Lubitsch
Type: Trailer • Published 2025-04-01
Top Cast
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Carole Lombard
Maria Tura
Jack Benny
Joseph Tura
Robert Stack
Lieut. Stanislav Sobinski
Felix Bressart
Greenberg
Lionel Atwill
Rawitch
Stanley Ridges
Professor Alexander Siletsky
Sig Ruman
Col. Ehrhardt
Tom Dugan
Bronski
Charles Halton
Producer Dobosh
George Lynn
Actor-Adjutant
Henry Victor
Capt. Schultz
Maude Eburne
Anna
Halliwell Hobbes
Gen. Armstrong
Miles Mander
Major Cunningham
Rudolph Anders
Gestapo Sergeant at Desk at Top of Hotel Stairs (uncredited)
Paul Barrett
Polish RAF Pilot (uncredited)
Sven Hugo Borg
German Soldier (uncredited)
Danny Borzage
Member of Audience at Performance of Hamlet (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
Los Angeles, California
Festival / Special Debut
March 6, 1942
Wide Cinema Exhibition
December 6, 2006
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$1.2M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$1.5M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
1.25x
+$300K net gain
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Ernst Lubitsch
- Screenplay & Story
- Edwin Justus Mayer
- Original Score
- Werner R. Heymann
- Original Title
- To Be or Not to Be
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, German, French
- Runtime
- 1h 39m
- Production Budget
- $1.2M
- Worldwide Gross
- $1.5M
- Production Studios
- Romaine Film Corporation
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Ernst Lubitsch
Edwin Justus Mayer, Melchior Lengyel
Werner R. Heymann
Rudolph Maté
Dorothy Spencer
Ernst Lubitsch
Department Leadership Roster
Ernst Lubitsch
Director
Ernst Lubitsch
Producer
Rudolph Maté
Director of Photography
Werner R. Heymann
Original Music Composer
Irene
Costume Design
Dorothy Spencer
Editor
Vincent Korda
Production Design
Edwin Justus Mayer
Screenplay
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for To Be or Not to Be.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring To Be or Not to Be.
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (All editions 2003-2024). A cumulative list including films subsequently removed in later editions. Totaling 1,260 films as of Nov 2024. 《1001部死前必看的电影》（2003-2024 全版本累积版）： 包含自2003年首版至2024年11月德语版修订的所有影片。即使在后期版本中被剔除的电影也予以保留。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#019] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#418] Dekalog (1989) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:40:36 UTC+8)*
S&S Critics - Greatest Films
Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022 (Critics' Poll). Every decade the Sight and Sound team asks critics to name the greatest films of all time. Here are the results of the 2022 poll – the largest ever, with 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists and academics each submitting their top ten ballot - and now updated with the complete list. 《视与听》2022年影评人评选影史百大电影（含并列完整版）： 由 1639 位影评人、策展人及学者共同票选的影史最伟大电影。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#152] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#171] Out 1 (1971) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:37:09 UTC+8)*
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films
Letterboxd's Top 500 Films. Ranks narrative feature films by average member rating (minimum 25,000 ratings). Excludes documentaries, shorts, and TV series. Letterboxd 官方 Top 500 电影榜单： 根据用户平均评分排名的剧情长片（最低2.5万评价门槛）。已排除纪录片、短片及剧集。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:35:27 UTC+8)*
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-18 07:30:01 UTC+8)*
Limelight Not Seen
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Frequently Asked Questions About To Be or Not to Be
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is To Be or Not to Be about?
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, an acting troupe becomes embroiled in a Polish soldier's efforts to track down a German spy.
Who directed To Be or Not to Be?
To Be or Not to Be was directed by Ernst Lubitsch.
Who stars in To Be or Not to Be?
The principal cast of To Be or Not to Be includes Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill.
When was To Be or Not to Be released and how long is it?
To Be or Not to Be was released in 1942 with a total runtime of 1h 39m.
What was the box office and production budget of To Be or Not to Be?
To Be or Not to Be had a reported production budget of $1.2M and grossed $1.5M at the worldwide box office (1.25 return on budget, classified as a budget recovered).
Who composed the musical score for To Be or Not to Be?
The original motion picture soundtrack for To Be or Not to Be was composed by Werner R. Heymann.
What is the age rating and content advisory for To Be or Not to Be?
To Be or Not to Be holds official age classifications: DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.); US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).