The Film
Quartet is a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play of the same title by Ronald Harwood, which ran in London's West End from September 1999 until January 2000.
It was filmed at Hedsor House, Buckinghamshire, in autumn 2011. The film is actor Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut.
Quartet tells the touching and often hilarious story of Reg, Wilf and Cissy, retired former opera singers who often worked together, living in Beecham House, a retirement home for gifted musicians. The singers and musicians living in the house put on a gala concert on Giuseppe Verdi's birthday every year. Finances threaten closure of the home, but proceeds from the concert hold hope for a revival. The arrival of Reg's ex-wife, Jean, has old rivalries and theatrical temperaments flaring up again, and it becomes unclear if the show will or will not go on. Three of the four are keen to recreate the third act quartet 'Bella figlia dell'amore' from Rigoletto - and one is not.
Cinema Trailer
Production The story of Quartet is based at Beecham House, a retirement home for musicians. Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire was used as the location. Several scenes were filmed at St Nicholas' Church, Hedsor. Much of the supporting cast is made up of actual musical stars of the past, as illustrated by then-and-now photos during the closing credits. Release Quartet premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2012. The 2012 Mill Valley Film Festival honoured director Hoffman with a tribute and a screening of the film on 9 October 2012. The film received its Welsh premiere at Cardiff's Cineworld complex on Thursday 6 December 2012, in a charity event arranged by the Rotary Club of Blackwood, with proceeds donated to charities. The premiere was attended by the film's producer Finola Dwyer, who gave an interview about the making of the film. |
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Cast • Maggie Smith as Jean Horton • Tom Courtenay as Reginald "Reg" Paget • Billy Connolly as Wilfred "Wilf" Bond • Pauline Collins as Cecily "Cissy" Robson • Michael Gambon as Cedric Livingstone • Sheridan Smith as Dr. Lucy Cogan • Andrew Sachs as Bobby Swanson • Gwyneth Jones as Anne Langley • Trevor Peacock as George |