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09 November 2016
Quartet is a Gem of a Film
This is an overlooked joy to the eyes and ears. It involves the life of ageing musical entertainers in a large country house run as a care home, but on a grand scale befitting classical musicians and opera singers.
Three of these retired singers, Tom Courtney, Pauline Collins, and Billy Connelly were famous for singing one of the most renowned quartets from Rigolletto. Trouble comes in the form of the last of the quartet, diva Maggie Smith, who arrives hating the idea of communal living and makes her feelings known as only she can. It gets worse when it turns out that she was briefly married to Tom Coutney years ago and it all ended badly.
As you can imagine with Connelly in the cast there is great comedy as well as histrionics as the rest of the residents try to persuade the four of them to sing the famous quartet once more in the home's annual entertainment show. Maggie Smith says 'Over my dead body,' so there are plenty of fireworks as well as laughter, all accompanied by delightful music of every kind.
Surprisingly this very British film was directed by Dustin Hoffman.