Laurence Olivier insisted on making this film just to go to the opposite extreme of what he was used to. Instead of a consummate film star glamour of glory, heroism and great acting, he plays a second rate cheap entertainer strutting pathetically on the stage to flatter and cajole to an equally base and common audience, refusing to leave the stage or to admit that his days of glory are over since long ago; but under the surface there is a deeper drama, an almost Greek tragedy of a family, where his second wife (played by Brenda de Banzie in a performance almost equal to Olivier's) only prattles, drinks, quarrels and complains, while her step-daughter (Joan Plowright in her first role) has to stand it with her brother Alan Bates, while another son (Albert Finney) is sent out to the war. There are many stories in this story, the drama is intense all the way, and it is difficult to keep track of all the windings of the human destinies involved, the most crucial being perhaps Olivier's father (Roger Livesey), who also has some pathetic songs to sing. The greatest delight of the film is however to see all those later major stars, like Albert Finney, Alan Bates, Shirley Ann Field, Joan Plowright and even Charles Grey, so young and fresh in the flower of their youth. The Osborne script is a smasher in brilliance all the way through, and this is a film worth watching several times, but preferably with some years in between because of its very melancholy character.
Review of The Entertainer
