To Be Or Not To Be Blu-ray

(aka "Jeux dangereux" )

directed by Ernst Lubitsch
USA 1942

August, 1939. Poland is still free, but the Nazis are about to make their fateful move. Suddenly: "It's the little man with the black moustache!" Adolf Hitler is strolling calmly through Warsaw, completely alone, staring into a butcher's window. But he's a vegetarian! Naturally, he attracts some attention, and the narrator takes us into a flashback to explain how Hitler arrived alone in a Warsaw high street.

Ernst Lubitsch's black comedy details the efforts of a Polish theatrical company to help the resistance effort. All-round star of vaudeville, stage, radio, screen and television, Jack Benny, is the star with Carole Lombard as his unfaithful but heroic wife.

The real trouble starts when a Professor Siletsky arrives in Warsaw supposedly to spy on the Nazis, but in reality to help the Gestapo destroy the Resistance. The theatre group use their skills to impersonate Nazi officers, Gestapo agents, and even Hitler, yet nothing goes to plan...

On its initial release this film was a flop, deemed as bad taste since America had just gone to war. Also, 33 year old Carole Lombard was killed one month previous to the premiere, in a plane crash whilst selling U.S. war bonds, tragically cutting off her distinguished career of screwball comedies asnl light dramas. But as time has passed, the film has received much praise from film historians and has finally made a profit, if belatedly. It is, admittedly, riddled with wartime propaganda, as the Nazis are all bungling incompetents arresting each other and the RAF flyers are all high spirited heroes, but these touches add to the comic value of the piece. Note too that Lubitsch was himself a Berliner of Jewish descent and keen to show his opposition to the Nazis.

Jack Benny as Josef Tura is excellent as the ham actor delivering his one-liners with proficiency, as is comedienn Carole Lombard as Maria Tura ("What a husband doesn't know won't hurt his wife"). Sig Ruman, German in real life, puts his accent to good use as "Concentration Camp" Errhard, and Robert Stack is the airman who destroys Tura's life by walking out on his Hamlet soliloquy.

Excerpt from Martin Hunt's review from the EUFS Programme 1992-93 located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 6 March 1942 - USA

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL vs. Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Ole Kofoed and Dimitri van den Engel and Guillaume Mareri for the DVD Screen Caps!

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers

	The Warner edition can also be purchased in the Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be):

Distribution	Films sans Frontières Region 0 - PAL	Studio Canal Region 2 - PAL	Warner Region 1 - NTSC	Studio Canal Collection Region 'B' -Blu-ray
Runtime	1:34:14 (4% PAL speedup)	1:35:08 (4% PAL speedup)	1:39:06	1:39:12.583
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.70 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.17 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.54 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 36,772,126,961 bytes Feature: 23,099,842,560 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Films sans Frontières
Bitrate: Warner
Audio	English (mono)	2.0 Dolby Digital Mono French, English	English (mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1644 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1644 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit / DN -4dB) DTS-HD Master Audio French 1648 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1648 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit / DN -4dB) DTS-HD Master Audio German 1612 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1612 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit / DN -4dB)
Subtitles	French, none.	French, none	English, French, Spanish, none	French, German, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Films sans Frontières Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • About the Movie (In French). • List of Lubitch films. • Trailer (0:43). DVD Release Date: 2001 Keep Case Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: Studio Canal Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: November 7th, 2001 Digipak Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Warner Aspect Ratio: Fullscreen - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Jack Benny in comedy short • Wartime promo • All subtitles are white DVD Release Date: March 1, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 26	Release Information: Studio: Carlotta Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 36,772,126,961 bytes Feature: 23,099,842,560 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Commentary (in French) with Jean Douchet • To Be a Classic (35:39 in 1080i) • To Be a Film Favorite (9:59 in 1080i) • Gallery Blu-ray Release Date: February 21st, 2012 Custom Blu-ray Case (see photo) Chapters 7

Comments

NOTE: These Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (April 2012): Cracking film chosen by Studio Canal for their Blu-ray Collection. Lubitsch's To Be or Not To Be is a consummate masterpiece.. It looks pretty sweet on this dual-layered BD package from Studio Canal. The film 'crisps-up' and showcases some nice textures. The contrast is significantly more-layered and detail rises. It may not seem like an overwhelming improvement via the static screen captures but its advancement is more evident as the film runs in 1080P.

The initial menu screen offers either French or German - but the film IS in English and has the ability to be played with NO subtitles. The audio offers DTS-HD Master DUBs in French and German as well as the original English in similar lossless. The Blu-ray disc is coded region 'B'-locked.

Supplements are mostly not English-friendly with a commentary (in French) by Jean Douchet, a 35-minute piece entitled To Be a Classic (in 1080i) mostly in French with Truffaut and others discussing the importance of the film. Joe Dante gives his accolades (in English) for 10-minutes in To Be a Film Favorite (also in 1080i) and there is a digital gallery. This is housed in another of Studio Canal's wonderful Digi-books (French text) - see image above - and the disc offers an impressive presentation of a fabulous film.

It's hard not to give this a full endorsement - what a film - and seeing it looking so much closer to theatrical-like quality was such a pleasure I already want to repeat. This Blu-ray will get plenty of play in my Home Theater.

***

ON THE DVDs: The Films sans Frontières edition doesn't look too bad here but has a high amount of speckles and dirt. Amusingly as well the Films sans Frontières version has translated the signs and letters of the film into French !?! (see large capture #5). Both PAL DVDs are cropped on both side edges. Both PAL editions are so dark that some details are lost (see large capture #3). The Warner is sharper, brighter and the best choice overall. Heil Warner!

- Gary Tooze

DVD Menus
(Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920 X 1080 RESOLUTION

Screen Captures

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

NOTE: Only in the Warner can you identify that the character on the far left is wearing a pin-stripe suit.

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Films sans Frontières - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - THIRD

4) Studio Canal - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

More Blu-ray Captures

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Image:	Blu-ray
Sound:	Blu-ray
Extras:	Blu-ray

Box Covers

	The Warner edition can also be purchased in the Classic Comedies Collection (Bringing Up Baby / The Philadelphia Story Two-Disc Special Edition / Dinner at Eight / Libeled Lady / Stage Door / To Be or Not to Be):
Distribution	Films sans Frontières Region 0 - PAL	Studio Canal Region 2 - PAL	Warner Region 1 - NTSC	Studio Canal Collection Region 'B' -Blu-ray