In the midst of the Suez crisis, a chintzy failed stage actor (Laurence Olivier) refuses
to acknowledge his state of affairs, while performing in front of empty houses,
cheating on his drunken wife (Brenda de Banzie), and ripping off his sickly
father (Roger Livesey) to finance his latest production, all the while pulling
the wool over his doting daughter's (Joan Plowright) eyes. "The Entertainer"
was one of Olivier's greatest successes, on both stage and screen, and he truly
is a veritable force, playing an unscrupulous and intensely unlikable
character. Director Tony Richardson successfully catches the dingy London locations and the
nasty aura of the story, but the movie is turgid and much of its ongoings are
indistinguishable. It is also interesting seeing actors Alan Bates and Albert
Finney in early, supporting roles, both playing Olivier's sons.
