Absorbing, involving, lightening and amusing but then this is adapted from a John Osborne play and even the cinematic opening up and the seeming insensitivity of director Tony Richardson cannot take that away. Instead of a tight and dark tale of a washed up entertainer against the background of a post war, washed up Britain embroiled in a hopeless Suez fiasco, the emphasis is more on family break-up and the last days of Music Hall. Lawrence Olivier is fantastic and Alan Bates excellent in his first film. Albert Finney is effective in an early role but Joan Plowright and Roger Liversey seem out of place in such a film. Opening up the film version, of course, means we get plenty of locations shots of Morecombe and Blackpool but is rather a shame that the full impact of the angry middle aged man and the farewell to old England gets a little lost along the way.

While the central character has sadly faded as an uninspiring and outdated vaudeville performer, England itself has lost its luster in 1956. From start to finish, there is a distinct sadness not only about Archie Rice and his tragically dysfunctional family but about the once great nation and society that surrounds them. The script by John Osborne is brilliant and captures a prevailing sense of decline on many levels. Tony Richardson's direction in stark black and white enhances the overall atmosphere of psychological and financial depression. While Archie is plagued by the threat of the tax authorities, creditors, and some very disgruntled and broke members of his cast, the state of undischarged bankruptcy doesn't end with him. It extends into the dismal, grey atmosphere that surrounds him.

The time is only a short decade after the Allied victory of World War II. While the defeated nations of Germany and Japan are booming economically, what does the United Kingdom receive for having endured all of its troubles? It must suffer the loss of the Suez Canal, as just one example, and an overwhelming mood of stagnation and hopelessness that is captured in all of the films of the "Angry Young Man" movement of British cinema. If the pathetic Rice family serves as an example, British society has reached a low point of gloom and hopelessness. Anyone who wants to fulfill his or her dreams must look to Canada or Africa, anywhere except England. Oh Britannia!

The acting here is nothing less than superb on the part of the entire cast but especially from seasoned veterans Sir Laurence Olivier, Brenda de Banzie ("The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1956)), and Roger Livesey ("The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp") with his incomparable, distinct voice. The setting of Morecambe, the chilly and cheerless Irish Sea resort on the west coast of England, reminds me of Atlantic City during its long period of decay, but the atmosphere here is even colder and more depressing. While the crowds may be on holiday, they seem to be very dissatisfied and therefore unhappy. Although this is by no means a "feel-good" film, the wonderful cast, the very thoughtful and thought-provoking script, and the creation of a very realistic and distinctly melancholy atmosphere combine to make this movie a very worthwhile and memorable experience.

Archie Rice, the fifty-something vaudeville man at the center of the action, has seen better days. He is relegated to play almost empty houses in a seaside resort of England where he lives with his second wife, Phoebe, his father Billy, and retired vaudevillian, and grown children. Archie has an eye for good looking women, the younger, the better. Archie Rice is a pathetic figure who lives in a world of his own, always scheming about who to involve for one of his new shows, that no one seems to care about.

Jean Rice, the young daughter living in London, comes home for a visit and she is horrified when she finds out what his father has turned out to be. Jean sees what Archie is doing to Phoebe when he sees his father kissing a much younger woman in a local restaurant. Archie has been trying to convince her parents about the talents Tina doesn't have, in order to take money from them to produce his new venture, which is only an idea in his wild imagination.

Tragedy strikes when young Mick Rice, who we had seen earlier as he goes to fight in the Suez conflict, is first reported being taken prisoner and eventually killed. While Phoebe goes to pieces, Archie keeps doing what he only knows what to do. His final speech to an empty theater, but directed to his daughter Jean, reveals the soul of this troubled man.

Tony Richardson made a great impression with his second directorial job. He was attuned to the work of John Osborne, one of England's best playwrights of the fifties and sixties that revolutionized the theater. Mr. Richardson is helped by the crisp black and white cinematography by Oswald Morris, who looks as sharp today as when the film was released.

The main reason for watching "The Entertainment" is Laurence Olivier. He completely dominates the action and makes us see how pathetic his Archie Rice is. Mr. Olivier knew this man, having been connected to the theater all his life. No one could have done a better job than him in baring his soul for all of us to see. Laurence Olivier shows a tender side in his scenes with Tina, the young woman who has captured his fancy, and who is so young, she could be his own daughter.

The rest of the cast is perfection. Roger Livesey, is seen as Archie's father, Billy Rice, a man that has seen a lot during his lifetime and now lives with a son that he knows is up to no good. Brenda DeBanzie is fine as Phoebe, a woman of a certain age that is losing Archie. Joan Plowright was Jean, the young daughter. Also in minor roles some actors that will go to stardom in their own right, Alan Bates, Albert Finney, and Daniel Massey, who died much too young.

"The Entertainer" is a fine film that shows the talents of Laurence Olivier and Tony Richardson.