The Entertainer (1960)
Average Rating: 7.8/10
Reviews Counted: 9
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Release Date: Jan 1, 1960 Wide
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Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 1,076
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Movie Info
Laurence Olivier recreates his stage role of Archie Rice in this in-your-face film adaptation of John Osborne's play. The son of a legendary music hall comedian (Roger Livesey), Archie is strictly a third-rater, headlining a tacky music hall revue in a seedy seaside resort town. Archie can't admit that he's a failure, and his grim insouciance destroys everyone around him. Archie finagles his dying father into financing one last revue; he cheats shamelessly on his alcoholic wife (Brenda De
Jan 1, 1960 Wide
Jun 19, 2001
Cast
-
Laurence Olivier
Archie Rice -
Brenda De Banzie
Phoebe Rice -
Joan Plowright
Jean Rice -
Roger Livesey
Billy Rice -
Alan Bates
Frank Rice -
Albert Finney
Mick Rice -
Daniel Massey
Graham -
Miriam Karlin
Soubrette -
Shirley Ann Field
Tina Lapford -
Thora Hird
Ada Lapford -
MacDonald Hobley
Film Star -
Charles Gray
Columnist -
Geoffrey Toone
Harold Hubbard -
Gilbert Davis
Brother Bill -
Anthony Oliver
Interviewer -
Max Bacon
Charlie Klein -
George Doonan
Eddie Trimmer -
-
James Culliford
Cobber Carson
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All Critics (13) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (1) | DVD (5)
Laurence Olivier gives one of his most riveting, Oscar-nominated performances in this bleak drama about a selfish, aging, pathological vaudevillian.
One of Olivier's best roles; overall production A+.
A stagebound tragi-comedy that remains limp despite Sir Laurence Olivier's powerful performance.
Testemunhar as estréias de Plowright e Finney no Cinema e observar os paralelos entre as atitudes de Olivier e seu personagem com relação às mulheres são, infelizmente, os únicos atrativos deste melodrama pouco inspirado.
Olivier is terrific in this engrossingly sad depiction of a fading music hall performer.
Olivier is marvelous. A winner.
Audience Reviews for The Entertainer
Super Reviewer
This is a kitchen sink family drama with terrific seedy English seaside and sleazy theater atmosphere. Tony Richardson's early career showed great promise, and this film is a beautiful example of his talents. It contains Sir Larry's most heartfelt and naturalistic peformance on film and it's too bad that he didn't have more of these type of interior, heartfelt performances on film, the grandiose Shakespearan dramas aside.
The cast includes a who's who of future British film stars,as Archie's three grown kids - Alan Bates, Albert FInney and Joan Plowright, all in their first film appearances. Robert Livsey and Brenda de Banzie as Archie's elegant music hall dad and his second wife, an alcoholic, are also wonderful.
For a Canadian, it's amusing that the panacea for the family's problems is to make a new life in Toronto, something that Archie resists till the end of the film after a whole load of tragedy has beaten him down.
Without the contemporary relevance of 1960, this is just a very good family drama with a top notch British cast, but no world shaking groundbreaker. The DVD transfer is crisp and looks fantastic.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- The Entertainer (1960) (DE)
- The Entertainer (UK)
