Editing To Be or Not to Be (1942 film) (section)

==Plot==
The well-known stars of a Warsaw theater company, including "[[wikt:ham#Etymology 3|ham]]" Joseph Tura and wife Maria, are rehearsing ''[[Gestapo]]'', a satirical play. That night, when the company performs ''[[Hamlet]]'', with Joseph in the title role, one actor, Bronski, commiserates with colleague Greenberg about always being [[spear carrier]]s. Greenberg, implied to be Jewish, reveals he has always dreamed of playing [[Shylock]] in [[The Merchant of Venice|''The'' ''Merchant of Venice'']].

Maria receives an admiring letter from Lieutenant Stanislav Sobinski; she invites him to visit her in her dressing room that night when Joseph begins his "[[To be, or not to be]]" speech. Soon, the government issues orders to cancel ''Gestapo'' in order to avoid worsening relations with Germany. The following night, Sobinski again walks out during "To be..." to meet Maria, infuriating Joseph. Sobinski confesses his love to Maria, assuming that she'll leave her husband, and the stage, to be with him. Before Maria can correct him, news breaks out that [[Invasion of Poland|Germany has invaded Poland]]. Sobinski leaves to join the Polish division of the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF), and the actors hide as Warsaw is bombed.

Sobinski and his fellows meet the [[Polish resistance movement in World War II|Polish resistance]] leader Professor Siletsky. Siletsky will return to Warsaw soon, and the men give him messages for their loved ones. However, Sobinski becomes suspicious when Siletsky does not know of Maria Tura. The [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] realize that Siletsky knows the identity of Polish airmen's relatives, against whom reprisals can be taken should he tell the Nazis. Sobinski flies back to warn Maria; however, Siletsky has Maria brought to him by German soldiers and passes on Sobinski's message to her. He invites Maria to dinner, hoping to recruit her as a Nazi spy. Just before she arrives home, Joseph returns and finds Sobinski in his bed. Maria and Sobinski try to figure out what to do about Siletsky, while Joseph tries to understand his wife's relationship with the pilot. Joseph proclaims he'll kill Siletsky.

A company member in Gestapo disguise summons Siletsky to "Gestapo headquarters", the theatre. Joseph pretends to be Gestapo Colonel Ehrhardt. After giving Joseph the list of Polish resistance fighters' loved ones, Siletsky becomes suspicious and mentions Sobinski's message for Maria and that "To be or not to be" signals their rendezvous. A surprised Joseph uncontrollably reveals himself. Siletsky pulls a gun on him and tries to escape but is shot and killed on the theatre's stage by Sobinski. Joseph disguises himself as Siletsky and goes to Siletsky's hotel to retrieve an extra copy of Siletsky's list. There he finds Maria, who was unable to leave without Siletsky's approval, and Captain Schultz, who has come to take him to meet with Ehrhardt.

Joseph successfully passes himself off as Siletsky and names recently executed prisoners as the leaders of the resistance. The next day, Ehrhardt, who believes Siletsky convinced Maria to join the Nazi cause, informs her that they found Siletsky's corpse in the theatre. Unaware of this, Joseph telephones Ehrhardt still masquerading as Siletsky and comes to meet with him. To expose Joseph as an impostor, Ehrhardt leaves him in a room with Siletsky's dead body. Joseph has an extra fake beard, shaves off Siletsky's beard and applies the fake beard. He then goads Ehrhardt into pulling it off, convincing him Joseph is the real Siletsky. Unaware of Joseph's successful scheme, several actors disguised as Hitler's safety squad arrive, yank off Joseph's fake beard, and pretend to drag him out. Everyone is safe but now cannot leave Poland on the plane Ehrhardt had arranged for Siletsky.

The Germans stage a show to honor the visiting Hitler. The actors slip into the theater dressed as Germans and hide until Hitler and his entourage take their seats. As the Germans sing the ''[[Deutschlandlied]]'', Greenberg suddenly appears and rushes Hitler's box, causing enough distraction to allow the actors to infiltrate the real Germans. Acting as the head of Hitler's guard, Joseph demands to know what Greenberg wants, giving the actor his chance to deliver Shylock's speech, ending with "if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?!" Joseph orders Greenberg to be "taken away". All the actors march out, including Bronski disguised as Hitler, get in Hitler's cars and drive away.

At her apartment Maria waits for the company to pick her up, but Ehrhardt arrives and tries to seduce her. Bronski enters costumed as Hitler then walks out speechless, which makes Ehrhardt believe she's Hitler's mistress. Maria runs after Bronski, and Ehrhardt shoots himself out of shame.

The actors take off in Hitler's plane, and Sobinski flies to Scotland. When Joseph is asked by the press what reward he would like for saving the underground movement, Maria asserts that he wants to play Hamlet. While performing, Joseph is gratified to see Sobinski sit quietly in the audience at the critical moment of his soliloquy. But as he proceeds, another handsome young officer gets up and heads noisily backstage.