THE ENTERTAINER: a great name acting like his career depended on it

THE ENTERTAINER is a masterclass in acting from one of the masters of acting. 
Laurence Olivier stars as Archie Rice, a moth-eaten music hall entertainer with an ambition that greatly outstrips his talent. He and his act are corny, old fashioned, pathetic and tired, but Archie just keeps plugging away convinced that his big break will arrive any day soon. 

His singleminded pursuit of the unattainable has made him a particularly unattractive and selfish character, willing to sacrifice those nearest and dearest to him if it'll edge him closer to his ultimate goal, and the story explores the impact on his long suffering family.
Archie Rice was a new departure for Olivier. Long established as Britain's leading thespian, he specialised both in playing noble, well-spoken and well-bred types on film and on stage, and in  bringing Shakespeare to the masses. 
Archie, by contrast, was a character at the cutting edge of the new big thing in British theatre.circa 1960, summed up in the phrase 'kitchen sink drama.' Life among the working class was in and drawing room dramas were out. Olivier wanted to be a part of this new scene and commissioned playwright John Osborne, the angry young man of British theatre, to write something for him. The result was THE ENTERTAINER.
Olivier throws himself wholeheartedly into this new style of storytelling, playing Archie as a kind of third rate Max Miller, but to anyone accustomed to seeing him as 'Henry V' or 'Richard III' or Heathcliff in 'Wuthering Heights' it's a bit of a surprise. It's not as embarrassing as watching the dad who still thinks he's got it busting a move at his daughter's school disco, but it's definitely unsettling. 
To me, Olivier as Archie is acting - in the best sense of the word. He is playing the part, not being the part. He plays it very well - he acts his socks off bringing Archie to life - but not for one minute did I forget that I was watching a great act-or essaying a shabby, disreputable working-class type. 
Olivier had toured with the play to great success before embarking on the film version and it's theatrical roots show, most notably in Brenda de Banzie's overheated performance as Archie's long-suffering wife. In contrast, rising stars Alan Bates, Albert Finney and Joan Plowright, demonstrate a better grasp of the idea that less is more in film acting, although their characters are less showy to start with.
Despite the critical success of THE ENTERTAINER Olivier did not persevere with this new style of film acting. As the 1960s unfolded he reverted to playing characters that were less of a stretch in terms of challenging expectations. 
Today THE ENTERTAINER stands as an ambitious experiment by a great performer who wanted to step outside his comfort zone. From this point of view, it's well worth investing two hours of your time to watch.