Movie of the Week: Quartet

[jacey]

Another one of the recent rash of Venerable British Actors movies in which venerable British actors strut their stuff in various charming ways. Not quite as charming as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but once more presenting Maggie Smith in search of a hip-op.

Directed by Dustin Hoffman, this is set in a gentle English retirement home for musicians with Tom Courtenay, Maggie Smith, Pauline Collins and Billy Connolly as the four in question - once famous opera stars now stressing over a gala performance to raise fuinds to keep their retirement home afloat for another year. Will they or won't they be able tpo set aside past differences and sing the quartet they were once famous for. Maggie Smith is the newly arrived aged soprano who was once (briefly) married to Tom Courtenay. Billy Connolly's inhibitions have been swept away by a minor stroke and he spends his time making passes at anything in a skirt and peeing in the bushes. Pauline Collins is gently going dotty to everyone else's concern. The interplay between the four is delightful and there are some lovely moments. Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay get the romantic tension just right.

This is full of music and musicians complete with their one-upmanship and jealousy about who gets the most curtain calls. Apart from the four names and Michael Gambon most of the other parts are played by actual retired professional musicians, instrumentalists and singers - all credited at the end with then-and-now photos.

Do they actually sing the quartet? What do you think?

Comments

[teriegarrison.livejournal.com]

I saw Quartet yesterday and was thoroughly charmed. I did keep wondering throughout the movie if the minor characters were being played by actual stage/orchestra people, so I was delighted to learn during the credits that they were.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

That sounds like one to watch out for on TV when it eventually gets to the small screen. I saw The Exotic Marigold Hotel on the plane coming back from Korea and enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't have considered it worth the long drive to see in the cinema.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Marigold Hotel was one of my favourite movies of 2012. I'm always a sucker for anything with Judi Dench in it.