To Be Treasured and Not To Be Missed!

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 2007)

A gem in so many ways that should not be missed. And please don't accept later remakes. There is a subtlety here with the people who are going through the actual events in real life playing at the same time the events are going on, with a Jewish man in the lead role. There is an edge to the humor against Hitler and the Nazis (interestingly, pronounced "NAH-zees" by the narrator, Lombard and others in the film, rather than "NOT-zees" as we pronounce it today). None of this can be reproduced.
Not enough credit is given to Jack Benny for his leading man looks, so often overlooked because he started in radio, starred in very few films, and was an old man by the time he got into television where most folks could see him. But he could hold his own as a leading man in looks (unlike most comics, especially of that day). I'm guessing the reason whomever reviewed the movie for television gave it only 3 rather than 4 stars might be because Benny might not be totally convincing in the Hamlet, serious pieces. But that is more a flaw in the eyes of the viewer (we keep seeing a replaying of the comic in our eyes rather than the actor). Maybe it was preachy when the lines of Shakespeare's Shylock are repeatedly delivered, an ironic plea of the Jewish people's humanity against the inhumanity of those who still seek to harm them, in Shakespeare's day, in Hitler's day, and in ours. But Benny's performance is strong enough, his conviction real enough, and the truth of those words of Shakespeare virile enough to still live and reach hearts today.
I gave this a 9-out-of-10 only for a sentimental reason...the ending. It's funny, and you'll enjoy it I'm sure. Maybe it is the perfect ending. But for a sentimental old Italian like myself, it was a little bittersweet. I'm sentimental enough to have wanted a happier and less ironic ending, that's all.
Other than that, it is a gem that you can't miss. You won't be disappointed. And speaking of Jack Benny...run, don't walk...okay, you can't do either of those, but go to the Internet Archive Old Time Radio page (the free one, not the one that charges you for public domain files) and listen to every Jack Benny radio show. You won't be sorry. And you'll enjoy his movies all the more.