'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/

Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz Video Interview on heist movie Gambit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n49wzBZzg4c

Colin Firth: I'd do opera with Diaz (FILM NEWS)

(Cover) - EN Movies - Colin Firth has joked he wants to appear in a Wagner opera with Cameron Diaz.

The pair had a blast making crime caper Gambit, with Colin playing an art curator who seeks revenge on his boss with the help of Cameron’s eccentric rodeo champion character.

While they enjoyed testing out their comic chops for the film, Colin has suggested they look for something rather more serious. He would like the pair to show off their singing skills and star in one of German composer Richard Wagner’s musical dramas for their next collaboration.

“Yes, I would love to work with Cameron again,” Colin told UK TV show Daybreak. “Let’s not be funny next time… We could appear in a Wagner opera.”

Cameron appeared to be enthusiastic about his idea, replying, “OK, yes, we can just be dramatic.”


READ MORE: http://www.film-news.co.uk/show-news.asp?H=Firth:-Id-do-opera-with-Diaz&nItemID=15795

Awesome Vintage 'Gambit' Poster with Colin Firth & Cameron Diaz by Ethan Anderton November 13, 2012 Source: Sky Movies (FIRST SHOWING)

Now this is something refreshing for a poster, even if it is a throwback to decades ago. Over in the United Kingdom, the Coen Brothers scripted remake of the 1966 caper flick Gambit from director Michael Hoffman (The Last Station) arrives in just over a week, right before Thanksgiving. Audiences in the United States will be waiting until early next year to see the heist comedy starring Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz and Alan Rickman, but in the meantime, you can check out this awesome throwback poster that takes cues from the decade of the film being remade. It looks like an old school James Bond poster.  

READ MORE: http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/awesome-vintage-gambit-poster-with-colin-first-cameron-diaz/

Video - Colin Firth, Alan Rickman at the Apple Store

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7rS_OQ_h-U

ObsessedRickMania

GAMBIT World Premiere Interviews w/Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, Cameron Diaz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXXh24cuBKE&feature=related

If you can stay awake for the first couple of people it's worth it to see Tom Courtenay, Alan Rickman and the gorgeous...Colin Firth

Why Colin loved losing his trousers in front of stranger at the Savoy Hotel (MAIL)

For one elderly American lady, it was the kind of moment of which fantasies are made.

Stepping through the revolving doors as she left London's Savoy Hotel, she was aware that Colin Firth was wedged in the doors alongside her — without his trousers on.

'I can't imagine what she must have thought,' grins Colin, who was at the hotel to film his new caper movie Gambit, an updated version of the 1966 film that starred Michael Caine. Firth's  co-stars are Cameron Diaz and Alan Rickman.

Colin says: 'We hadn't told anyone we were making a movie so this poor lady probably thought I made a habit of wandering around one of Britain's most elegant hotels in my underpants.
'I thought an explanation might make matters worse so I just smiled as sweetly as I could, wished her a good evening and waited for my cue to shoot the next scene. I only hope my legs — and pants — didn't offend her too much.'


Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230280/Why-Colin-Firth-loved-losing-trousers-stranger-Savoy-Hotel.html

Gambit interview pictures - Colin Firth, Alan Rickman at The Apple Store (FROM ALAN RICKMAN TR FACEBOOK)

ALAN RICKMAN TR

Colin Firth, Alan Rickman at London premiere of Gambit (MAIL)

Joining Colin and Cameron at the premiere were their co-stars Tom Courtenay and Alan Rickman.

Gambit is a remake of the 1966 film of the same name starring Sir Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine.

The new version is directed by Michael Hoffman, with Joel and Ethan Coen penning the script.

The film stars Colin as British art curator Harry Deane, who decides to get revenge on his abusive boss Lord Shabandar (Rickman) by conning him into buying a fake Monet painting.


Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2229430/Cameron-Diaz-shows-surprisingly-busty-look-low-cut-dress-joins-Colin-Firth-London-premiere-Gambit.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Interested in meeting COLIN FIRTH OR ALAN RICKMAN? (MUGGLENET)

Okay, so let's face it, you probably aren't interested in meeting Alan Rickman for a chance to talk with him about his new role in Gambit, a revenge movie revolving around con artists, but in fact to speak with him about his iconic role as the professor we all loved to hate (or, hated to love) Severus Snape. Regardless of your reasons, the exciting part is that you have a chance to meet him - if you live in or near London.

According to 3GuysOnALondonTourBus, the stars of the film (which also includes Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, & Cameron Diaz) are going to make an appearance at the Apple Store on Regent Street in London, this coming Wednesday November 7th from 8PM - 9PM. The hour long discussion will be regarding the film and will include not only Alan, but Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Tom Courtenay, and director Michael Hoffman.

READ MORE: http://www.mugglenet.com/app/news/show/6142

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

Clive Owen: James Marsh’s 'Shadow Dancer' Wins Dinard Prize 11:46 AM PDT 10/6/2012 by Stuart Kemp (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

LONDON – James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer won the Golden Hitchcock Award as this year's Dinard British Film Festival came to a close.


A star-studded jury including Celia Imrie, Stephen Dillane and jury president Patrick Bruel under the watchful eye of this year's 'hommage' recipient, Brit acting legend Tom Courtenay, plumped for Marsh's film starring Clive Owen and Andrea Riseborough.

The Golden Hitchcock nod comprises of financial help to the French distributor and the filmmaker and also The Cine+ Award, which offers a promotional campaign on France's Ciné+ channels at the time of release.

Shadow Dancer also won the Prix Public chosen by the festival’s audiences.

READ MORE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-marsh-shadow-dancer-dinard-win-clive-owen-andrea-riseborough-376894

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