this was not a film I had heard of, but based on his pitch, I was sort of expecting, you know,

a farce involving a theater troupe in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. I thought, that sounds like a bit of

an odd premise. I can't really see it. But yep, supposedly this is a good movie. It's a celebrated

classic. Let's watch it. And this is indeed, in many ways of farce. It is a very, very funny movie, but it also,

to my surprise and to my great delight, you know, works very well as just a sort of wartime

espionage thriller. And it's incredibly clever, incredibly fun. I found particularly in the third

act, you know, it really pays off at a number of places, particularly when it comes to the

comedy. I've seen this movie maybe three or four times over the years, and I always forget that

basically for the first hour, you're right. It is an espionage drama with a handful of funny

moments. And the patience that Ernst Lubich, as well, the screen, Edwin Justice Mayer, show in laying the groundwork

for the last half of the movie. The comedy in this movie really comes from the repetition of

certain motifs, and it's undergirded with this really strong and intricate story. I thought about

this movie, because when we were talking about classic Hollywood movies, one of the options was Casablanca, and I thought about this movie because when we were talking about

classic Hollywood movies, one of the options was Casablanca. And I think that this movie is

pleasurable in a way very similar to Casablanca because so much of the pleasure comes

from just watching the moving parts develop. It was successful at the box office, but not as

successful as everyone was hoping. It's clear they didn't

know how to sell this movie either. The poster makes it look like just a normal romantic comedy.

It has Lombard and Benny's faces really big. It evinces nothing of the wartime elements.

And basically, it's sold as, here are two movie stars you like.

Come see two stars you like.

To be or not to be?

...