Greater Boston Film Classics Club

Hi Group! The movie gods have not smiled upon us this month, as our plan had been to watch both the 1942 To Be Or Not To Be (with Carole Lombard & Jack Benny) and the 1983 To Be Or Not To Be (with Mel Brooks & Anne Bancroft). This was to be our tribute to Mel Brooks' 100th Birthday, but sadly the 1983 film is only available on one obscure streaming service. Sidenote: I didn't see it in any of the local theater listings for the birthday celebration either (on a personal note, I find this a gross omission). We'll plan something spectacular around Mel's work as a writer, director, and actor for an upcoming event.

Instead, let's discuss the 1942 version which has been called one of "the funniest and most perfect comedies ever made" and director Ernst Lubitsch's "finest work".

The Criterion Collection description of the film: "As nervy as it is hilarious, this screwball masterpiece from Ernst Lubitsch stars Jack Benny and, in her final screen appearance, Carole Lombard as husband-and-wife thespians in Nazi-occupied Warsaw who become caught up in a dangerous spy plot. TO BE OR NOT TO BE is a Hollywood film of the boldest black humor, which went into production soon after the U.S. entered World War II. Lubitsch manages to brilliantly balance political satire, romance, slapstick, and urgent wartime suspense in a comic high-wire act that has never been equaled."

Let's discuss Liza Minnelli's NY Times bestselling memoir, as told to Michael Feinstein, entitled Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!

From Amazon: Global icon Liza Minnelli shares her inspiring story: stepping out from the long shadow of a mega-star mother and legendary film director father, fighting a lifetime battle with addiction, and emerging from it all to become a once-in-a-lifetime artist.