Quartet at the National Film and Sound Archive

Old rivalries and old friendships collide in a home for retired musicians.

M | 98min | 2012 | DCP | USA | D: Dustin Hoffman

Retired opera singers prepare for a fundraising concert in a home for former professional musicians while navigating unresolved tensions from their shared past.

Personal histories resurface and pride, forgiveness and companionship is tested when celebrated diva Jean arrives. Based on the play by Ronald Harwood, who also wrote the screenplay, Quartet stars Maggie Smith as Jean Horton and Tom Courtenay as Reg with many of the supporting cast played by actual professional musicians.

Dustin Hoffman directs the film with humour and restraint. Inspired by the 1984 documentary Tosca’s Kiss, it follows ageing artists as they confront legacy and relevance to find warmth in collaboration rather than nostalgia.

‘A gentle, civilised film that finds drama in dignity rather than decline.’ – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian