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The Entertainer

Play trailer Poster for The Entertainer Released Oct 3, 1960 1h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
London schoolteacher Jean Rice (Joan Plowright) returns to her seaside resort hometown at a time of personal crisis. Her father, Archie (Laurence Olivier), is a star on the music hall circuit, but, in the television age, that old-fashioned entertainment is dying out. His second wife, Phoebe (Brenda De Banzie), is openly contemptuous of her husband's many affairs, and his son, Mick (Albert Finney), is a soldier fighting in the Suez. Despite Archie's unflagging optimism, tragic events unfold.
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The Entertainer

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Penelope Houston Sight & Sound This kind of purposeful acting is something encouragingly new on the British screen; and the cinema cannot be allowed to imagine it can continue to do without it. Jan 11, 2020 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Olivier gives his all as the gap tooth vaudevillian living in the shadow of his music hall legend father Billy Rice (Roger Livesey), spitting out pithy wisecracks and mugging pathetically for bored audiences in seaside dives. Jan 7, 2023 Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine Customers who expect all British films to be either sunny or funny will get a nasty jolt, but Olivier's Archie Rice is a brilliant exploit. Oct 31, 2019 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine Rarely have I seen so disorganized a film; nothing seems to lead to anything; there's a lot of fancy cutting and camera angles, but each attempt at cinematic effect merely confuses things still more. Jul 16, 2019 Full Review MFB Critics Monthly Film Bulletin The changes just aren't ruthless enough; the play's inherent difficulties haven't really been solved. Jan 31, 2018 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Laurence Olivier gives one of his most riveting, Oscar-nominated performances in this bleak drama about a selfish, aging, pathological vaudevillian. Rated: B+ Jun 7, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Michael Antony A Mikey's Movie Review: The Entertainer (1960) Laurence Olivier as an alcoholic, womanizing, third rate Music Hall performer, turns in a career best performance in this otherwise slow moving kitchen sink drama. Played by a more than capable cast (including fellow thespian legends Roger Livesey, Joan Plowright and Albert Finney), every word of John Osbourne and Nigel Kneale's script bites. The static, simple Direction betrays its theatrical roots and ultimately the film doesn't engage as cinematically as it could/should. However as an early 60's, quintessentially English, realism curio, it's one of the very best. And Larry is mesmerizing. Mikey's Movie Rating: 4/5* Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/24 Full Review C n We made the mistake of going to a boardwalk at the Shore after watching this. Kept thinking that Archie would be just around the corner with his "winning smile". Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/27/23 Full Review steve d There is NOTHING that works in this mess. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic cast to watch . Really enjoyed it all . Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/06/20 Full Review Audience Member The decline of the British Empire in the world is exemplified through this film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member A beautiful performance by Olivier. The decline of British influence in teh world is modeled as a metaphor by the decline of a musichall performer. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Entertainer

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Movie Info

Synopsis London schoolteacher Jean Rice (Joan Plowright) returns to her seaside resort hometown at a time of personal crisis. Her father, Archie (Laurence Olivier), is a star on the music hall circuit, but, in the television age, that old-fashioned entertainment is dying out. His second wife, Phoebe (Brenda De Banzie), is openly contemptuous of her husband's many affairs, and his son, Mick (Albert Finney), is a soldier fighting in the Suez. Despite Archie's unflagging optimism, tragic events unfold.
Director
Tony Richardson
Producer
Harry Saltzman
Screenwriter
Nigel Kneale, John Osborne, John Osborne
Distributor
Criterion Collection, Continental Distributing Inc.
Production Co
Woodfall Film Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 3, 1960, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 29, 2016
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)
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