This farce, set just before and just after the 1939 invasion of Poland, is about a Warsaw theater company that becomes entangled with the Nazis, and it makes all sorts of tasteless jokes. But Lubitsch knew that, given his subject, good taste would have been the worst possible taste of all. To those with their back against the wall, culture can seem a flossy irrelevancy. At the beginning, the troupe is rehearsing an anti-Nazi propaganda play. I scream and suddenly the lights go down and the audience discovers me on the floor in this gorgeous gown.
Word comes that the Polish government has nervously canceled the performance.
It's the first test the movie puts the actors through. So plump that he looks like he's bursting out of his own skin and with a big walrus mustache and a Katzenjammer Kids accent, he's a walking, talking sight gag. Erhardt is an immensely likable guy, jovial and hearty and fated to get himself in one pickle after another. He's so delighted by the gag that it's out of his mouth before he realizes his mistake. Anyone who's ever made an indiscreet remark would be heartless not to identify with him.