Watch out, spoilers!
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Ernst Lubitsch, To Be or Not to Be (1942) This is an acutely satirical anti-Nazi comedy, the action of which takes place in Poland - first in the pre-war, and then in the occupied, which the audience at one time perceived very negatively, because they believed that such a topic could not be presented in a comedic way. But gradually the attitude towards the film has changed. Set in early 1939, the theater rehearses a satirical play called the Gestapo, which features many Nazi figures of the time, including Hitler himself. But after a while, the authorities prohibit the production, fearing to offend the Germans, who soon attack Poland. In the theater, there is a production of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, in the main roles are the famous and very narcissistic actor Joseph Toura (Jack Benny) and his wife Maria (Carol Lombard), whom Joseph is jealous of fans, not without reason, however, because just a while ago bouquets of flowers began to appear on her table, and then Maria is brought a note in which an enthusiastic fan writes that she wants to meet with her, to which she agrees and invites him to come to her bathroom when her husband begins to read a monologue on stage, and he does not do it. In view of the fact that this will happen again, Joseph is enraged by this, runs to the bathroom, throws a tantrum there that someone dared to leave during his speech, but then the war begins. And then the events become more serious and very fantastic, although at times the heroes are in serious danger. The ending is fantastically happy and again humorous.
The film, of course, does not claim any realism, so it makes no sense to analyze it from this point of view, but for its genre it is good.