Quartet

Quartet

By

  • Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
  • Release Date: 2012-12-26
  • Runtime: 98 minutes
  • : 6.494
  • Production Company: BBC Film
  • Production Country: United Kingdom
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6.494/10
6.494
From 355 Ratings

Description

Cissy, Reggie, and Wilf are in a home for retired musicians. Every year, there is a concert to celebrate Composer Giuseppe Verdi's birthday and they take part. Jean, who used to be married to Reggie, arrives at the home and disrupts their equilibrium. She still acts like a diva, but she refuses to sing. Still, the show must go on, and it does.

Trailer

Reviews

  • CinemaSerf

    7
    By CinemaSerf
    This is the second "Quartet" film to feature Dame Maggie Smith and I definitely prefer this one! The story is set in a retirement home for musicians and singers, and one that is gearing up for it's annual fund-raising gala as well as for a much anticipated new arrival. It's that latter event that sets the cat amongst the pigeons for the amiable threesome of "Wilf" (Sir Billy Connolly), "Reggie" (Sir Tom Courtenay) and "Cissy" (Pauline Collins - who ought surely to be a dame by now?). The legend that is "Jean Horton" - a veteran of La Scala, duly arrives and it turns out that she (Dame Maggie) used to be married to "Reggie" and now he's a bit upset. Meantime, the gala - under the direction of the flamboyantly hammy "Cedric" (Sir Michael Gambon) is facing a disaster after it's star turn had to pull out. The three friends conclude that the best plan to save their home might be to reconstitute their legendary quarter from "Rigoletto" - but can they all forgive and forget long enough to take to the stage? It's Collins who steals this for me. Her character is a bit of a dippy and good natured amnesiac who serves well as the lynch pin between the flirtatious and cheeky "Wilf" and the more highly-strung divorcees. The writing is funny enough, but it's really the characterisations that work best here. You could easily imagine that places like this exist for people who made a decent enough living when stardom shone, but had little to fall back on as old age crept up on them leaving them isolated and skint. The only true songstress here, Dame Gwyneth Johns, joins in the joke merrily parodying the luvvie-types with gusto and also providing us with a glorious version of her (original) "Vissi d'arte" from "Tosca" too. It's all a bit predictable, sure, but Dustin Hoffman keeps it out of the realms of sentimental cheesiness and everyone here looks like they are having fun making film designed to enjoy rather than over-think.

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