CINÉ AU THÉÂTRE : To be or not to be

Before becoming a director of essential importance to all film lovers, Ernst Lubitsch was first and foremost a lover of the theatre. He brings to the screen a delightful take on ‘to be or not to be’. From the very first frames, the filmmaker plays with pretence. This Hitler, wandering aimlessly through the streets of Warsaw under the gaze of stunned passers-by: illusion or reality? The very real invasion of Poland forces a troupe of actors to abandon the staging of an anti-Nazi play. Faced with censorship, they revert to their previous production: *Hamlet*. But offstage, the actors will use their talent to thwart the Nazis’ plans. Somewhere between sentimental vaudeville and political satire, Lubitsch orchestrates a dizzying ballet of slamming doors, fake officers and sidelong glances, where the mechanics of burlesque ultimately shake the very gravity of history. A timeless masterpiece to be seen or revisited on the big screen.