DiscoverLost in CriterionSpine 670: To Be or Not to Be
Spine 670: To Be or Not to Be

Spine 670: To Be or Not to Be

Update: 2025-11-07
Share

Description

A problem talking about the films of Ernst Lubitsch is that it's very hard not to just start listing the good gags, and To Be or Not to Be (1942) is full of great gags. It's also full of suspense - a film that seamlessly balances noir-ish intrigue with farce. Fascism deserves to be mocked. Fascism is a performance, and can be undermined with performance. To wring our hands over jokes about Hitler, or any other fascist past or present, is to suggest fascist figures are somehow sacrosanct. They aren't. They never will be. Become the frog that plagues Pharaoh, make der Fuehrer into a clown, reject their authority and reject the fear they want to use against you. And where whatever mask you need to to do so.

Comments 
In Channel
Spine 673: Stromboli

Spine 673: Stromboli

2025-11-2101:38:11

Spine 669: Charulata

Spine 669: Charulata

2025-10-3101:36:14

Spine 668: The Big City

Spine 668: The Big City

2025-10-2401:51:58

Spine 667: Seconds

Spine 667: Seconds

2025-10-1701:57:22

Spine 665: Babette's Feast

Spine 665: Babette's Feast

2025-10-0301:57:36

Spine 663: Shoah Era 2

Spine 663: Shoah Era 2

2025-09-1201:51:50

Spine 663: Shoah Era 1

Spine 663: Shoah Era 1

2025-09-0501:52:57

Spine 662: Safety Last!

Spine 662: Safety Last!

2025-08-2902:03:19

Spine 660: Things to Come

Spine 660: Things to Come

2025-08-1501:59:48

Spine 659: Life is Sweet

Spine 659: Life is Sweet

2025-08-0801:48:00

Spine 658: Medium Cool

Spine 658: Medium Cool

2025-08-0102:00:11

Spine 657: 3:10 to Yuma

Spine 657: 3:10 to Yuma

2025-07-2501:46:44

Spine 656: Jubal

Spine 656: Jubal

2025-07-1801:29:15

loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Spine 670: To Be or Not to Be

Spine 670: To Be or Not to Be

Lost in Criterion