Traditionally a big day at the box office, Boxing Day offers the directorial debut of two time Academy Award winning actor, Dustin Hoffman.

QUARTET (M) seems a curious choice for the septuagenarian budding director to choose to bust his director’s cherry but on reflection, it makes sense because it is a theatre piece, based on a play by Ronald Harwood and adapted by him for the screen.

It’s the script that would have attracted him and attracted the luvvie cast that makes up the quartet – Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney, Pauline Collins and Billy Connolly.

Three of the four – all of whom used to work in the opera together – have settled into a retirement facility- and are living a quiet, happy life.

Into this Eden comes the fourth member, somewhat a serpent in the garden, particularly perceived as venomous and vexatious by one of the quartet who used to be married to her and has never forgotten or forgiven her betrayal.

QUARTET is basically a tale of getting the band back together. Smith and Courtney as the warring ex spouses are splendid, as is Connolly as the ageing Lothario, a wolf called Wilf, and Collins, at the top of her form as the daffy, demented Cissy.

Michael Gambon camps it up in a caftan as the director of their annual concert and the supporting cast is made up of veteran musicians, opera stars and vaudevillians. One of the great pleasures of the picture is to see the then and now photographs that honour their life’s work.

© Richard Cotter

24th December, 2012

Tags: Sydney Movie Reviews- QUARTET, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Sydney Arts Guide, Richard Cotter