Quartet
Dustin Hoffman has made some great movies over the years but now he is turning his hand to filmmaking with Quartet.
Yes the Hollywood heavyweight is moving behind the camera for his latest project which is based on the play by Ronald Harwood.
And in this featurette Hoffman and his fantastic cast talk about the movie and their characters:
Calling them a fantastic cast is a bit of an understatement as some of the most accomplished stars in the business have been brought together.
Maggie Smith leads the cast as she takes on the role of Jean - and this central performance is already been talked about as an early Oscar possibility.
And she is joined by Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Sheridan Smith.
Lifelong friends Wilf (Connolly) and Reggie (Courtenay), together with former colleague Cissy (Collins), are residents of Beecham House, 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.
But when Jean Horton (Smith), a former grande dame of the opera fallen on hard times, also Reggie’s ex-wife and the fourth and most celebrated member of their former quartet, moves into the home to everyone’s surprise, the plans for this year’s concert start to unravel.
As old grudges threaten to undermine past glories and theatrical temperaments play havoc with the rehearsal schedule, it becomes apparent that having four of the finest singers in English operatic history under one roof offers no guarantee that the show will go on.
Hoffman is bring years worth of acting experience to his directorial debut and while everyone seems to be talking about Smith at the moment could we see Quartet in the running for a few more gongs this awards season>
Quartet is released January 2013.