Hilarious

Rating: 9/10 (14 January 2012)

It's often overshadowed by The Great Dictator, which preceded it by two years and was technically the first American WW-II themed comedy, but To Be Or Not To Be deserves the honor both for being the first comedy to refer to Hitler and Nazi Germany by name, and also for being made while the US was very much an active side in the war. It's still incredibly funny, but it's much more impressive, almost shockingly so, when you realize that it was made while Hitler was alive, and just how powerful it was back then. Carole Lombard is show-stoppingly terrific, and it's probably the best place to see her talent on display, since sadly it was her final performance.