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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 9780790790039
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 0790790033
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 01, 2005
Running Time: 99 minutes
Sales Rank: 10739
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: March 06, 1942
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
A polish theatre troup is put out of business by the nazis until they become involved in espionage and find their skills being put to the ultimate test. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 03/01/2005 Starring: Jack Benny Carole Lombard Run time: 99 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com essential video:
Just as Roberto Benigni found himself on the receiving end of some finger-wagging for making a comedy set during the Holocaust, so the great Ernst Lubitsch caught some heat for this extraordinary 1942 satire set behind enemy lines during World War II. In his best performance on film, Jack Benny stars as Joseph Tura, the lead actor and head of a Polish theater troupe that is suddenly enlisted as a Resistance organization when an American pilot (Robert Stack) requires protection. The twist is that the pilot has been having a series of trysts with Tura's wife (Carole Lombard), the hilarious evidence being the disruptive departure of Stack's character from a theater audience each night as the hammy Tura unknowingly cues the lovers by launching into Hamlet's famous soliloquy. The remarkable script by Edwin Justus Mayer ingeniously folds the tensions of a betrayed marriage into the comic suspense surrounding Tura and company's efforts to pull off a Mission: Impossible-like sting on the local Nazi command. Many unforgettable moments and lines of dialogue adorn this black comedy, and the performances--most memorably Sig Ruman's crisp volleys with Benny--are a dream. Above it all, however, is Lubitsch's unmistakable Continentalism, his accent on Old World manners especially in a dangerous situation, suggesting the Nazis' very vulgarity was a reflection of their profound evil. --Tom Keogh
Average Rating: 
Rating: -
This classic film of the 30's was ahead of its time, considering that Poland would be invaded by the Germans -- the concept has a seriocomic take on what the Poles had to do when their country got invaded. This VHS package was a delightful surprise and thank the vendor for sharing!
Thanks
Rating: -
What happens when you mix the late Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack with Adolph Hitler? One very funny comedy. The script is great, very fast moving, and truly enjoyable to watch. Black and white never looked so elegant.
And don't forget to watch the extra feature, too. Very funny situational comedy called 'The Rounder.'
You may have never heard of it, but it is a classic to watch and to share with your friends and family.
Rating: -
I came to this film late, mostly as a curiosity having watched the Mel Brooks remake many times.
Boy am I glad I finally caught this. This film provides a rare window on the early days of the war, as seen by a Western Europe equally perplexed and disgusted by the rise of Nazism. In the hands of a brilliant director, and a motivated cast, this film transcends its moment and enters the realm of high art.
I could go on about the sets, the intricate comic plot that grows ... Read More
Rating: -
I won't add my unqualified praise to the long list of enthusiastic reviews, with which I heartily agree.
The other day I saw a documentary about "Gentleman's Agreement," which mentioned that it was the first Hollywood film to use the word "Jew," which had supposedly been taboo because the studio heads did not want to call attention to their own ethnicity.
Actually, Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" had dealt openly with the plight of Jews, in Germany, long before "Gentleman's ... Read More
Rating: -
I don't like to throw around superlatives, for the most part. But I really think that this is the funniest film that I have ever seen. The humor is a combination of farce/screwball, satire, black and a some slapstick to boot. But what makes it really stand out is the directing, Lubitsch is simply brilliant. The cuts are just right, the timing of the scenes and the pacing of the film overall keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. In a sense, the film feels like one extended dance ... Read More
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