Quartet
The highly anticipated directorial debut from Oscar® winning actor Dustin Hoffman, Quartet is a joyous, entertaining and uplifting story about redefining old age and growing old with hope, showing how the human spirit remains undimmed even as the brightest stars start to fade.
Starring a panoply of the world’s greatest acting and musical talent including six-time Oscar® nominee and two-time winner Maggie Smith (the Harry Potter series, Downton Abbey, Gosford Park), double Oscar® nominee and BAFTA winner Tom Courtenay (The Dresser, Doctor Zhivago, Gambit), BAFTA nominee Billy Connolly (Mrs. Brown), Oscar® nominee and BAFTA winner Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), Olivier Award-winning Sheridan Smith (Legally Blonde, The Musical, Hedda Gabler) and four-time BAFTA winner Michael Gambon (the Harry Potter series, The King’s Speech).
Quartet is written by the multiple Oscar® and BAFTA winning screenwriter Sir Ronald Harwood (The Pianist, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly), based on his own play of the same name.
Lifelong friends Wilf (Billy Connolly) and Reggie (Tom Courtenay), together with former colleague Cissy (Pauline Collins), are residents of Beecham House, a home for retired opera singers.
Every year on Verdi’s birthday, the residents unite to give a concert to raise funds for their home. But when Jean Horton (Maggie 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.
First-time director Dustin Hoffman is one of the world’s most celebrated actors. He has received seven Oscar® nominations, winning two Best Actor Awards (for Rain Man and Kramer vs. Kramer), and ten BAFTA nominations as Best Actor, winning four awards, including Best Actor for both Tootsie and Midnight Cowboy and Most Promising Newcomer in 1969 for The Graduate.
BBC Films and DCM Productions present a Headline Pictures and Finola Dwyer Productions production in association with Decca and HanWay Films.
Quartet is financed by BBC Films, DCM Productions and Decca. The Executive Producers are Jamie Laurenson (BBC Films), Dario Suter, Christoph Daniel and Marc Schmidheiny (all from DCM), Dickon Stainer (Decca), Xavier Marchand (Momentum) and Dustin Hoffman.
Tagged in Maggie Smith Dustin Hoffman