To Be or Not to Be
Joseph and Maria Tura operate and star in their own theater company in Warsaw. Maria has many admirers including a young lieutenant in the Polish air force, Stanislav Sobinski. When the Nazis invade Poland to start World War II, Sobinski and his colleagues flee to England while the Turas find themselves now having to operate under severe restrictions, including shelving a comical play they had written about Adolf Hitler. In England meanwhile, Sobinski and his friends give Professor Siletski - who is about to return to Poland - the names and addresses of their closest relatives so the professor can carry messages for them. When it's learned that Siletski is really a German spy, Sobinski parachutes into Poland and enlists the aid of the Turas and their fellow actors to get that list back.
Working with a tight budget of $1.2M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $1.5M in global revenue (+25% profit margin).
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 5 wins & 2 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
To Be or Not to Be (1942) showcases deliberately positioned narrative architecture, characteristic of Ernst Lubitsch's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 39 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Joseph Tura
Maria Tura
Professor Alexander Siletsky
Colonel Ehrhardt
Lt. Stanislav Sobinski
Greenberg
Main Cast & Characters
Joseph Tura
Played by Jack Benny
Egotistical Polish stage actor who leads his theater troupe in outwitting the Nazis during the invasion of Warsaw.
Maria Tura
Played by Carole Lombard
Joseph's glamorous wife and fellow actress who uses her charm and wit to help deceive Nazi officers.
Professor Alexander Siletsky
Played by Stanley Ridges
Duplicitous Nazi collaborator posing as a friend of the Polish resistance who must be stopped from betraying underground members.
Colonel Ehrhardt
Played by Sig Ruman
Pompous and vain Nazi commander in Warsaw who becomes the target of the theater troupe's elaborate impersonation scheme.
Lt. Stanislav Sobinski
Played by Robert Stack
Young Polish bomber pilot who falls for Maria and alerts the troupe to Siletsky's treachery.
Greenberg
Played by Felix Bressart
Jewish actor in the troupe who impersonates Hitler in a brilliant performance that aids their escape plan.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Warsaw, 1939: The famous Polish theatre troupe led by Josef and Maria Tura rehearses a satirical play about Hitler, establishing their world of performance, ego, and artistry before the Nazi occupation.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Nazi Germany invades Poland. Warsaw is bombed, the theatre is destroyed, and the actors' world of performance is shattered by the brutal reality of occupation. Lt. Sobinski escapes to England to join the RAF.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Sobinski parachutes into Warsaw to warn the underground that Siletsky is a Nazi spy carrying a list of resistance members. Josef Tura, despite his jealousy over Sobinski's relationship with Maria, agrees to use his acting skills to stop Siletsky., moving from reaction to action.
At 50 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Siletsky is killed when he discovers the deception, but the body creates a new crisis - and the real Colonel Ehrhardt now expects to meet with Siletsky. The stakes escalate from retrieving a list to an impossible con: fooling the actual Gestapo., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 74 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The Gestapo discovers the deception. The troupe is trapped with no apparent escape. Hitler himself is scheduled to attend the theatre, and the Nazis are closing in. Death seems inevitable for the entire company., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 79 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Josef conceives the ultimate performance: the troupe will impersonate Hitler and his entourage at the theatre, using the chaos to escape. Art will defeat fascism not through satire but through audacious deception., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
To Be or Not to Be's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping To Be or Not to Be against these established plot points, we can identify how Ernst Lubitsch utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish To Be or Not to Be within the comedy genre.
Ernst Lubitsch's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Ernst Lubitsch films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. To Be or Not to Be takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ernst Lubitsch filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Ernst Lubitsch analyses, see The Shop Around the Corner.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Warsaw, 1939: The famous Polish theatre troupe led by Josef and Maria Tura rehearses a satirical play about Hitler, establishing their world of performance, ego, and artistry before the Nazi occupation.
Theme
A government official tells the troupe they cannot perform their Hitler satire because "we don't want to offend Hitler" - establishing the theme of how performance and reality intersect, and whether art can confront tyranny.
Worldbuilding
The theatrical world of the Turas is established: Josef's fragile ego about his Hamlet, Maria's flirtatiousness with admirer Lt. Sobinski, the troupe's camaraderie, and Warsaw's precarious peace on the eve of invasion.
Disruption
Nazi Germany invades Poland. Warsaw is bombed, the theatre is destroyed, and the actors' world of performance is shattered by the brutal reality of occupation. Lt. Sobinski escapes to England to join the RAF.
Resistance
The troupe survives under Nazi occupation while Sobinski serves with Polish airmen in England. Professor Siletsky, seemingly a Polish patriot, offers to carry messages to loved ones in Warsaw - but Sobinski suspects treachery when Siletsky doesn't recognize Maria Tura's famous name.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Sobinski parachutes into Warsaw to warn the underground that Siletsky is a Nazi spy carrying a list of resistance members. Josef Tura, despite his jealousy over Sobinski's relationship with Maria, agrees to use his acting skills to stop Siletsky.
Mirror World
Maria agrees to use her feminine wiles to lure Siletsky, transforming her flirtatious nature from a source of marital tension into a weapon for the resistance. The Turas' troubled marriage becomes the foundation of their partnership against the Nazis.
Premise
The actors become resistance fighters through performance. Josef impersonates Gestapo Colonel Ehrhardt to interrogate Siletsky, delivering comedic bravado while extracting the spy list. Maria plays the seductress. Their theatrical skills prove devastatingly effective against Nazi bureaucracy.
Midpoint
Siletsky is killed when he discovers the deception, but the body creates a new crisis - and the real Colonel Ehrhardt now expects to meet with Siletsky. The stakes escalate from retrieving a list to an impossible con: fooling the actual Gestapo.
Opposition
The troupe must stage increasingly dangerous deceptions. Josef impersonates Siletsky to meet Ehrhardt. The Nazis grow suspicious. Each performance risks exposure and death. The comedic tension intensifies as the actors navigate genuine terror with theatrical aplomb.
Collapse
The Gestapo discovers the deception. The troupe is trapped with no apparent escape. Hitler himself is scheduled to attend the theatre, and the Nazis are closing in. Death seems inevitable for the entire company.
Crisis
The actors face their darkest hour, realizing their theatrical tricks may have run out. Josef must confront that his vanity and ego are meaningless against real evil - but also that his art may be their only remaining weapon.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Josef conceives the ultimate performance: the troupe will impersonate Hitler and his entourage at the theatre, using the chaos to escape. Art will defeat fascism not through satire but through audacious deception.
Synthesis
The troupe executes their greatest performance. Greenberg finally delivers his Shylock speech to Hitler's face. The fake Hitler orders the plane, and the entire company escapes to England, their theatrical skills having saved their lives and struck a blow against tyranny.
Transformation
In England, the troupe performs Hamlet again. When Josef begins "To be or not to be," a young soldier rises to visit Maria backstage - history repeating, but now Josef smiles knowingly. Art endures, love persists, and the actors have proven that performance can be resistance.