The boredom of British film realism is indescribable. I was yawning, and turning around, and fidgeting--what an experience! [08 Dec 1960, p.11]
The Entertainer
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews
United Kingdom · 1960
1h 36m
Director Tony Richardson
Starring Laurence Olivier, Brenda De Banzie, Roger Livesey, Joan Plowright
Genre Drama, Music
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Vaudeville performer Archie struggles to stay afloat in showbusiness as the music hall circuit is gradually replaced by television. But he remains optimistic, clinging to his old way of life and scheming to stay relevant even while his family falls apart around him in this layered British drama.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
The New York Times by Bosley Crowther
It works out to a fascinating picture, for one reason because of its superior illustrative performance and, for another, because of its striking mise en scène.
Olivier is truly remarkable in his portayal of the hammy actor, anti-hero Archie.
Certainly none of Olivier's other contemporary film characters matches Archie's resonances. We're lucky to still have The Entertainer. [04 Aug 1989, p.41]
The New Yorker by Pauline Kael
The film errs in many ways, and at times the editing seems glaringly poor, but Olivier's performance gives it venomous excitement.
Los Angeles Times by Peter Rainer
Tony Richardson’s 1960 The Entertainer, based on the John Osborne play, is a cultural event of the first importance.
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