Archie Rice is a monster. He’s also a tragedy. When people sit down to watch The Entertainer movie 1960, they usually expect a lighthearted romp through the British music hall scene. Instead, they get punched in the gut by Laurence Olivier’s most harrowing performance. It’s a film about a man who is actively rotting from the inside out, much like the empire he lives in.
Honestly, it’s a tough watch. Tony Richardson, the director, didn’t want to make something pretty. He wanted to capture the "Angry Young Man" energy of the late 1950s and transplant it into a cinematic language that felt raw. Gritty. Almost uncomfortably close.
The Performance That Changed Laurence Olivier Forever
You’ve probably seen Olivier in Shakespeare. He’s the king of the high-brow, the man with the perfect RP accent and the stage presence of a god. But in The Entertainer movie 1960, he’s something else entirely. He plays Archie Rice, a third-rate vaudeville performer who knows he’s terrible.
That’s the kicker. Archie isn’t a misunderstood genius. He’s a hack.
He’s a man who tells dirty jokes to an audience that isn’t laughing and performs tap routines with a fake smile that looks more like a grimace. Olivier originally played this role on stage in John Osborne's play, and he begged Osborne for the part. He was tired of being the "Greatest Actor in the World." He wanted to be Archie. He wanted to be hollow.
There’s a specific scene where Archie talks about a blues singer he once heard. He describes her voice as "the most real thing I’ve ever heard." He knows he will never have that. He is "dead behind the eyes." Olivier’s ability to project that emptiness while wearing loud checkered suits and a boater hat is nothing short of miraculous. It's widely reported that this role revitalized his career and even his personal life—he met Joan Plowright during the production, who plays his daughter Jean in the film.
✨ Don't miss: Sarah Maxwell Girls Incarcerated: The Truth About Her Journey After Madison
The Suez Crisis and a Dying Britain
You can’t talk about this movie without talking about the world outside the theater doors. While Archie is dying on stage in a seaside resort, Britain is dying on the world stage.
The backdrop is the Suez Crisis.
It was a time of immense national embarrassment. The film uses Archie’s crumbling career as a blatant metaphor for the British Empire’s fading relevance. It’s not subtle. Jean’s brother is off fighting in a war that feels pointless, and the family is trapped in a cramped, miserable flat in Morecambe.
The setting is vital. Morecambe in the winter. It’s gray. It’s cold. The "illuminations" are just tacky lightbulbs that can’t hide the peeling paint. Richardson used real locations instead of soundstages, which was a huge deal for British cinema at the time. This was part of the "Kitchen Sink Realism" movement. It was about showing the grease on the stove and the despair in the pub.
Why The Entertainer Movie 1960 Was Actually Controversial
People weren't used to seeing their heroes like this. To see a legendary actor like Olivier playing a man who cheats on his wife, neglects his children, and lets his father—the great Billy Rice—be dragged back into the limelight just to pay Archie's debts? It was scandalous.
Billy Rice, played by Roger Livesey, represents the real music hall. The dignity. The craft. Archie is the bastardized version of that. When Archie forces Billy out of retirement, it’s a death sentence for the old man. Literally.
Some critics at the time found the film too depressing. They didn't like the jumpy editing or the way the camera lingered on Archie's sweaty face. But that’s exactly why it works. It’s supposed to be claustrophobic. You’re trapped in Archie’s failure just as much as his family is.
Breaking Down the Cast
- Laurence Olivier (Archie Rice): The man himself. He received an Oscar nomination for this, and honestly, he should have won. It’s a masterclass in "performance within a performance."
- Joan Plowright (Jean Rice): She provides the moral compass. She’s the modern woman trying to figure out if she should stay with her fiancé or stay loyal to her mess of a family.
- Brenda de Banzie (Phoebe Rice): Heartbreaking. She plays Archie’s long-suffering wife who drinks too much gin and just wants to go to the movies.
- Albert Finney (Mick Rice): A very young Finney appears here, just as he was becoming the face of the new wave of British acting.
- Alan Bates (Frank Rice): Another legend in the making.
The Cinematography of Despair
Oswald Morris was the cinematographer, and he made some bold choices. The lighting in the theater scenes is harsh. It doesn't flatter Archie. It exposes him.
Compare that to the scenes at the beach or on the pier. Everything is washed out. There’s no joy in the "funfair." It’s just a place where people go to forget how broke they are. The film moves between the artificiality of the stage and the brutal reality of the Rice household with a jarring rhythm that keeps you on edge.
Basically, the film rejects the "gloss" of Hollywood. It doesn’t want you to be comfortable.
Does it hold up?
Absolutely. But you have to be in the right headspace.
If you’re looking for a musical, go watch The Sound of Music. If you want a character study about the ego, the fear of being forgotten, and the slow decay of a culture, The Entertainer movie 1960 is basically the gold standard.
💡 You might also like: Movies in Park City Utah: Why the Local Cinema Scene Beats the Festivals
It’s a film about the "little man" who thinks he’s big. Archie’s tragedy isn’t that he fails; it’s that he knows he’s failing and chooses to keep hurting everyone around him rather than admitting he’s finished. He’d rather go to jail for tax evasion (which he eventually does) than find a "normal" job.
He needs the spotlight, even if the spotlight is burning him alive.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re going to dive into this, pay attention to the silence. There are moments where the music stops and Archie is just standing there, waiting for a laugh that never comes. That silence is the loudest thing in the movie.
Also, watch the hands. Olivier uses his hands constantly—fiddling with hats, cigarettes, glasses. It’s the nervous energy of a man who can’t sit still with his own thoughts.
Practical Takeaways for Film Buffs
- Context is King: Research the Suez Crisis before watching. It makes the subplot about Archie's son much more impactful.
- Compare the Mediums: If you can, read John Osborne’s play. The film adds more exterior locations, but the core dialogue is remarkably preserved.
- Study the Movement: This is a cornerstone of the British New Wave. Look for how it influenced later films like Billy Liar or even modern "cringe" comedy. Archie Rice is, in many ways, the grandfather of David Brent.
The film ends not with a bang, but with a whimper. Archie is left on a darkening stage. The lights go out. There’s no applause. It’s one of the most honest endings in cinema history because it doesn't give Archie a redemption he didn't earn.
If you want to understand the evolution of acting, you have to see this. You have to see Olivier strip away the prestige and show the world the hollowed-out shell of a performer. It’s ugly, it’s mean, and it’s brilliant.
To truly appreciate the craft, look for the 2021 BFI restoration or the Criterion releases. The high-definition transfers bring out the textures of the grit and the grain in the 35mm film, making the atmosphere even more stifling. Watch it on a rainy Sunday. Let the misery wash over you. It’s worth it.