'Quartet' illuminates no matter the age (PHILLY.COM)

STEVEN REA, INQUIRER MOVIE COLUMNIST AND CRITIC
POSTED: Thursday, January 24, 2013, 2:31 PM

'Old age ain't no place for sissies," Bette Davis once famously observed. In Quartet, set in a Georgian-style mansion on a lovely patch of English countryside, the "ain't" has been changed to a more proper "is not." But still, the point is clear: Even here at Beecham House, a stately home for retired musicians, getting old is a challenge.

The body breaks down, and sometimes the mind. And memories of past glory rush back to remind you that there's not much glory happening at present.

Adapted by Ron Harwood from his stage play, and directed - in a smart and accomplished debut - by Dustin Hoffman, Quartet is a charming and poignant investigation into the autumn years in which four friends, former opera company stars, come together to put on a show. Of course, there are obstacles to surmount along the way: Jean Horton (the ever droll and beguiling Maggie Smith), a reluctant new arrival at Beecham House, long ago broke the heart of Reginald Paget (Tom Courtenay), a dapper chap who is not happy to see Jean again.

Meanwhile, the bubbly Cissy (Pauline Collins) is showing signs of Alzheimer's - forgetfulness, disorientation - and the randy Wilf (Billy Connolly) has prostate issues. A hopeless flirt, Wilf's nonstop come-ons to Beecham's female staff, and to the attractive young doctor who runs the place (Sheridan Smith), would be offensive if his lechery weren't so benign. A man with a waggish smile and a Scottish brogue can be forgiven much.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/movies/20130125__Quartet__illuminates_no_matter_the_age.html#ixzz2J7dGkBir 
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Quartet review: Beautiful music Published on Thursday January 17, 2013 (THE STAR)

 From left, Billy Connolly, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins are determined to go down singing.

By Linda Barnard

Movies Writer

Starring Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Maggie Smith. Directed by Dustin Hoffman. 98 minutes. Opens Jan. 18 at major theatres. PG

Dustin Hoffman’s directing debut, Quartet is a bit shameless in its approach, but for those who enjoy a whimsical drama that includes scenery chewing from grand dames and hammy fellows, it’s a welcome if often predictable treat.

This gentle comedy about life in Beecham House, a British county home where retired musicians are put out to pasture while refusing to extinguish their creative sparks, is based on Oscar winner (The Pianist) Ronald Harwood’s 1999 play of the same name.

Thanks to Hoffman, it boasts well-crafted dialogue for a cast that’s about as good as it gets when it comes to actors of a certain age: Maggie Smith, fresh from collecting bouquets for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and dispensing brickbats in Downton Abbey, is joined by Tom Courtenay (The Dresser), Scottish funnyman Billy Connolly (Mrs. Brown) and Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine).

Former opera stars Wilf (Connolly), Cissy (Collins) and Reggie (Courtenay) are beavering away with the rest of the musical seniors on the home’s annual gala fundraising concert. When legendary diva Jean Horton (Smith) reluctantly arrives to stay, they think they may be able to reunite what was a London operatic dream team and wow the audience with their famous quartet from Rigoletto.

Fat chance, according to waspish Jean, horribly shamed to have ended up at Beecham House. But her acid tongue deflects from her real fear: she can’t sing like she used to and high notes elude her. She’d flounce off, but her cane makes that difficult.

Sweet and simple Cissy is eager to befriend her again, reminiscing about their years on the opera stage together, but Jean nastily rebuffs her. Reggie, who has a curious history with Jean, is clearly still smarting. Only Wilf, a bottom pincher and public urinator who blames his lapses in decorum on a stroke removing his social filters (don’t you believe it) can seem to sweet-talk Jean, but the effects rarely last.

READ MORE:  http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/1316647--quartet-review-beautiful-music

Quartet, review

By Robbie Collin, Chief Film Critic12:43PM GMT 01 Jan 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNYJZbci31c

Dir: Dustin Hoffman; Starring: Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon. 12A cert, 98 min.

Quartet is a lovely old lolloping Labrador of a film. It bounds over to you, eyes bright and tail wagging, and you smilingly allow it curl up on your feet, despite the faint smell of damp fur and digestive biscuits.

This lighthearted drama, savvily adapted by Ronald Harwood from his own 1999 play, marks the directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman, 75, which is as strong an argument as any offered by the film itself for the good work we can still accomplish in our dotage. Hoffman may have won two acting Oscars for his roles in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Rain Man (1988), but Quartet has nothing of those films’ high-strung intensity: instead this is the work of Hoffman the twinkly oldster, of Meet The Fockers (2004) and Last Chance Harvey (2008).

Quartet is smarter and better acted than both of those projects, thank goodness. It’s a film about the pressure of performance, centred on four actors who appear to be feeling next-to-none. Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins play inhabitants of Beecham House, a plush retirement castle for classical musicians. (The magnificent Hedsor House in Buckinghamshire, where the film was shot, deserves some kind of best supporting mansion award.)

READ MORE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/9774158/Quartet-review.html

'Quartet' Star Tom Courtenay Refused To Watch Dame Maggie Smith As The Dowager In 'Downton Abbey' (huffington post)

Veteran British actor Tom Courtenay deliberately avoided watching Dame Maggie Smith in 'Downton Abbey' before playing her love interest onscreen because he didn't want to be "put off".

Courtenay puckers up to kiss Smith in their movie 'Quartet', about a group of retired opera singers, and admits he didn't want to see her as feisty character the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the hit TV show before their big moment.

READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/12/24/quartet-star-tom-courtenay-dowger-downton-abbey-maggie-smith_n_2357746.html

Maggie Smith Gets Top Billing on Poster for 'Quartet' Arriving in limited theaters at the end of December (ROPE OF SILICON)

BY: BRAD BREVET
PUBLISHED: MONDAY, DECEMBER 3RD 2012 AT 5:48 PM

Any "Downton Abbey" fans out there? If so, before you check out the poster for Quartet you may want to rush over to Amazon and buy the first two season of the popular show on sale for 60% off. Otherwise, I'm sure you're recognize the face and name front and center on the just-released poster for Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut.

Based on the play by Ronald Harwood and adapted for the screen by the same man, Quartet centers on Cecily (Pauline Collins), Reggie (Tom Courtenay) and Wilfred (Billy Connolly) living in a home for retired opera singers. Every year, on October 10, there is a concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday and they take part. Jean (Maggie Smith), 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.

READ MORE: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/maggie-smith-gets-top-billing-on-poster-for-quartet/

Maggie Smith: Quartet Trailer (Digital Spy Exclusive)

The UK trailer for Dustin Hoffman's Quartet has been released.

Hoffman's first film as director stars Dame Maggie Smith as one of four retired musicians who were formerly members of the same operatic quartet.


The foursome are reunited when Smith's Jean comes to live at the same retirement home as the others, but her reluctance to perform and her failed marriage to Reg (Tom Courtenay) injects tension into proceedings.

READ MORE: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a433727/quartet-trailer-maggie-smith-stars-in-dustin-hoffman-directing-debut.html

Maggie Smith: Hollywood treats us like 5-year-olds Dame Maggie Smith, speaking at the London Film Festival, said mature audiences wanted "films for grown-ups and about grown-ups". (THE TELEGRAPH)

By Anita Singh,
Showbusiness Editor11:00PM BST 15 Oct 2012

Hollywood should stop treating cinema-goers “as if they were five years old” and start catering for mature audiences, Dame Maggie Smith has said.

The 77-year-old actress, star of Downton Abbey, appealed for more films aimed at “grown-ups”.

Her latest, Quartet, is directed by Dustin Hoffman and set in a home for retired opera singers. Pauline Collins, Tom Courtenay and Billy Connolly co-star.

Dame Maggie’s last film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, also featured a mature cast and was a box office hit.

“I think it’s because a lot of grown-ups would like films for grown-ups and about grown-ups,” she said.


READ MORE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/london-film-festival/9610429/Maggie-Smith-Hollywood-treats-us-like-5-year-olds.html

Billy Connolly plays it for laughs in Quartet - Hoffman’s debut as film director (LONDON EVENING STANDARD)

Louise Jury, Chief Arts Correspondent

15 October 2012

Dustin Hoffman so loved Billy Connolly’s stand-up that the Hollywood star cast him in his debut film as a director — and even let him ad-lib.

Connolly, who will walk the red carpet at the British premiere at the BFI London Film Festival tonight, joins a stellar British cast of Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins and Sheridan Smith in Quartet, a comedy about opera singers in a retirement home.

He revealed that Hoffman allowed him to bring his wit to the script which Ronald Harwood adapted from his own play. “My character, Wilf, was a dirty old man in the nicest imaginable way. But I found him one-sided,” the comedian said. “So I ad-libbed a lot. It took the grubby air off me.”

The Big Yin, 69, got to know Hoffman, 75, in America where the Oscar-winning star is a regular at the Scotsman’s stand-up gigs. He said he was momentarily overwhelmed to be asked to join the cast but accepted after remembering how much he enjoyed playing Queen Victoria’s Scottish servant in Mrs Brown.

“I just kept thinking about Judi Dench and what a pleasant experience that was and not to be a coward.”

READ MORE: http://www.standard.co.uk/arts/film/billy-connolly-plays-it-for-laughs-in-quartet--hoffmans-debut-as-film-director-8211726.html

Maggie Smith: Dustin Hoffman picks up film fest award (USA TODAY)

8:27AM EST September 30. 2012 - Where in the world is Dustin Hoffman?

In Spain at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

The actor picked up the Special 60th Annual Donostia Award Saturday evening in recognition of his career achievement.

Hoffman also closed the festival with his directorial debut, Quartet. In the film, Hoffman directs Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon as members of a home for retired opera singers who each year celebrate Verdi's birthday with a concert. The film hits theaters in January.

read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/2012/09/29/dustin-hoffman-san-sebastian-film-fest-award/1603151/

Maggie Smith, of thee we sing by Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

It happens about two-thirds of the way into Quartet, a wryly funny and often touching late-life aria about aged opera singers at a British retirement home that premiered last week at the just-ended Toronto International Film Festival.

Smith's nerve-racked diva is being pressured by her fellow residents to perform at their annual birthday salute to Verdi, and she has had enough of their goading. She prefaces her remark with the words, "I'm going to say something very rude," and then proceeds to let loose with a two-word utterance that begins with an F and ends with "you."

Fans of her imperiously proper Dowager Countess of Grantham on the TV sensation Downton Abbey, a role that might garner her another Emmy when the awards are announced Sunday, will have to wait to revel in that gasp-worthy moment until Quartet reaches theaters Dec. 28.

Has the 77-year-old dame ever employed that phrase before in a storied film career that includes two Oscar wins -- as the lead in 1969's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and a supporting turn in 1978's California Suite?

"Onscreen, never." She pauses. "But frequently in real life."

That the notoriously press-averse legend is seated here at an upscale eatery while waiting on a Cobb salad and sipping sauvignon blanc is a bit of a miracle.

Blame her reluctance on a "ghastly" male reporter who made her cry during her very first interview when she was starting out in the late '50s. Her friend and collaborator, Kenneth Williams, advised, "Don't do it anymore." And save for the occasional taped Charlie Rose appearance, Smith has mostly been able to avoid such grilling without any ill effect.

"The thing is, often press people ask questions that are so personal that even your nearest and dearest wouldn't ask them," she explains.

What sorts of questions? "Well," she replies. "THAT'S quite personal." She continues: "You know what I mean, things about past marriages." Given that her first of two nuptials caused a minor scandal when she had an affair with the married actor Robert Stephens and gave birth to the first of their two sons 10 days before they wed in 1967, her reluctance is somewhat understandable.

READ MORE: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/story/2012/09/16/maggie-smith-of-thee-we-sing/57790798/1

Will Maggie Smith win third Oscar for Dustin Hoffman's 'Quartet'? (GOLD DERBY)

Oscar winnerRonald Harwood ("The Pianist") adapted his play about a group of retired opera singers who reunite for one final performance. The Weinstein Co. is rolling out this performance piece, which could appeal to the academy's aging demographic, as a Christmas treat.

Hoffman handled helming duties with aplomb, helped along by the stellar cast. Two-time Oscar winner Maggie Smith ("The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," 1969; "California Suite," 1978) plays the diva at the center of the action. Oscar nominees Pauline Collins ("Shirley Valentine") and Tom Courtenay ("The Dresser") and Billy Connolly round out the foursome.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SETH203X-A&feature=player_embedded

Funny to see how young everyone looks, Maggie Smith, Brooke Shields

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbvk7__-kR0&feature=player_embedded#!

Smith, who has racked up six Oscar bids dating back to 1966, has not contended since her 2001 scene-stealing turn in "Gosford Park." That role was written by Julian Fellowes who went on to create for her the part of the doubtable Duchess in "Downton Abbey."

READ MORE:  http://www.goldderby.com/films/news/3351/dustin-hoffman-maggie-smith-quartet-downton-abbey-tiff-oscars-academy-awards-film-news-13579086.html 

Oscar Watch - THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL by Donovan Warren » Written by: Donovan Warren (SCREEN INVASION)

THE OSCAR WATCH BEGINS...

The Venice Film Festival, which we discussed last week, might give way to some Oscar contenders, but the Toronto International Film Festival is where the awards season really begins. After all, the last five Picture winners played at the fest. If that trend continues, one hoping to find this year’s eventual Picture winner must look no further than this year’s Toronto roster (Note: potential contenders playing at both Venice and Toronto were covered last week and will not be featured in this week’s Toronto preview).

The fest runs from September 6 through September 16 this year and includes at least seven features that might make waves with the Academy.

Anna Karenina - Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Johnson, Matthew Macfadyen

Cloud Atlas - Hugh Grant, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent

Quartet - Dustin Hoffman directs, Maggie Smith, Pauline Collins, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon

Great Expectations - Helena Bonham Carter

READ MORE: http://screeninvasion.com/2012/08/oscar-watching-previewing-the-2012-toronto-international-film-festival/#.UCMNW01lT54 

Maggie Smith: Trailer For Dustin Hoffman's Directorial Debut Quartet 1 Comment published: 2012-07-02 09:04:30 Author: Kristy Puchko (CINEMA BLEND)

Having wildly out-grossed expectations after banking more than $122 million worldwide, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has shown the box office drawing power of the such seasoned stars as Maggie Smith and Judi Dench.

It stunned box office analysts by becoming the highest grossing specialty film of 2012, neatly proving there is a market for movies that don't star physically flawless twenty and thirty-somethings.

So there's really no better time for Dustin Hoffman to unveil his trailer for his first directorial effort Quartet, which stars the remarkable Smith along with Oscar nominees Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine) and Tom Courtenay (The Dresser), as well as the ever-charming Billy Connolly, who can now be heard as the rambunctious King Fergus in Pixar's Brave.



 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttMzA5SJqdU&feature=player_embedded

Maggie Smith: Weinstein Co. Picks up U.S. Rights to Dustin Hoffman's 'Quartet' 3:57 AM PDT 5/4/2012 by Stuart Kemp (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

The film, starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Pauline Collins, marks Hoffman's directorial debut.

LONDON -- Harvey Weinstein said about the acquisition of U.S. rights to Quartet, starring Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Pauline Collins, that he “decided to give an up-and-coming first-timer a chance.”

With his tongue firmly in his cheek, Weinstein’s comment referred to Dustin Hoffman, who makes his directorial debut with the comedy set in a home for retired opera singers. It also stars Tom Courtenay.
“We’re excited to be working with Dustin on his directorial debut," Weinstein added.


READ MORE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/harvey-weinstein-dustin-hoffman-quartet-movie-debut-320350

Review: Albert Nobbs (AZ Reporter)

Glenn Close delivers a splendid performance in this cinematic adaptation of a short story by Irish novelist George Moore. Set in 19th century Dublin, the heartbreaking Victorian drama chronicles the courage of woman who - for 30 years - took the identity of a man in order to gain respectable work at Morrison's, an opulent, yet intimate hotel.

Albert Nobbs
(Roadside Attractions)

Shy Albert Nobbs (Close) is a butler, quiet and attentive to the needs of the elegant, privileged guests (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Brendan Gleeson). A proper servant, Nobbs is always unobtrusive and impeccably attired, living in a solitary upstairs room, where he secretly stashes his earnings under the floorboards. His dream is to save enough money to buy a tobacco shop.

But one night, the proprietress, Mrs. Baker (Pauline Collins), informs Nobbs that he will have to share his tiny room - and bed - with a laconic, chain-smoking housepainter, Hubert Page, who will be working at the hotel. Before the night is over, Nobbs is stunned to discover that Page (Janet McTeer) is not only a woman-disguised-as-a-man but that he/she is also living with a woman (Bronaugh Gallagher) to whom he/she is, ostensibly, married.

Meanwhile, Nobbs is courting Helen Dawes (Mia Wasikowska) a flirty young member of the hotel staff who is involved with dashing Joe (Aaron Johnson) and hoping he'll take her with him to America.

Back in 1982, Close won an Obie for portraying Nobbs in Simone Benmussa's off-Broadway stage production and she co-wrote the movie script with Gabriella Prekop and John Banville. This has been Close's passionate project for 29 years, which is why she entrusted helming to femme-centric Colombian Rodrigo Garcia (son of novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez), who previously directed her in "Nine Lives" (2005) and "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her" (2000).

Problem is: it's far too difficult to believe that either Glenn Close or Janet McTeer could pass as men for more than a cursory glance.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Albert Nobbs" is a subtle, sensitive 6, creating a fascinating, if far-fetched facade.
By Susan Granger, © 2011

 

 

http://www.azreporter.com/tt/1782.html

MAGGIE SMITH, BILLY CONNOLLY - IN 'QUARTET' DIRECTED BY DUSTIN HOFFMAN

Dustin Hoffman’s Directorial Debut to Star Maggie Smith and Billy Connolly

7:09 AM PDT 9/12/2011 by Stuart Kemp

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Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Sheridan Smith, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay and Pauline Collins also have roles in "Quartet," which begins shooting in the U.K. this week.

LONDON – Oscar winner Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins are all singing from Dustin Hoffman’s song sheet for his U.K. set directorial debutQuartet.

Hoffman’s cast, looking like a who’s who of British talent, also includes Sheridan Smith and Michael Gambon and is set to shoot for nine weeks, beginning this week.

BBC Films and DCM Productions are backing a Headline Pictures and Finola Dwyer Productions movie in association with Decca and sales and finance label HanWay Films.

Based on Ronald Harwood’s stage play of the same name, Quartet is billed as a film about redefining old age and growing old with hope.

It tells the tale of a group of old folks who live in a home for retired opera singers. Every year on Giuseppe Verdi’s birthday, the residents unite to give a concert to raise funds for their home. A new resident comes in and upsets the balance as old rivalry’s appear.

Hoffman’s film is produced by Finola Dwyer and Stewart Mackinnon.

Quartet is bankrolled by BBC Films, DCM Productions and Decca.

Executive producers are Jamie Laurenson (BBC Films), Dario Suter, Christoph Daniel and Marc Schmidheiny (all from DCM), Dickon Stainer (Decca), Xavier Marchand (Momentum) and Hoffman.

HanWay is handling international sales.

Deals inked already include Momentum for the U.K., Transmission for Australia / NZ, Delphi for Germany, Lusomundo for Portugal, A Film for Benelux, Vertice for Spain, Odeon in Greece, Elite Film AG in Switzerland, MG Film in former Yugoslavia, Front Row in the Middle East, Ster-Kinekor in South Africa and Atom Cinema in Taiwan.