Main Cast: Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Isabelle Adjani, Anthony Higgins, Daniel Chatto
Release Year: 1981
Country: FR/UK
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
No relation to the 1949 Somerset Maugham "omnibus" film of the same name, 1981's Quartet is based on the roman a clef by Jean Rhys. Though the names are changed, it is clearly the story of Rhys' romance with Ford Maddox Ford in 1920s Paris. The titular quartet consists of novelist Isabelle Adjani, her Polish husband Anthony Higgins, wealthy philanderer Alan Bates and Bates' artist wife Maggie Smith. Though she's been indulgent of Higgins's past indiscretions, Smith isn't keen on her husband carrying on an affair with Adjani under their own roof. Meanwhile, Higgins sits in prison, jailed for his various petty thefts. Once Higgins is released, he learns about the Bates-Adjani-Smith contretemps. When the dust settles, it is Adjani who suffers the most. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Many find the films of James Ivory and Ismail Merchant to be a little too reserved and placid, a charge that can quite easily be leveled at Quartet. Dry to the point of being parched, Quartet clearly intends to point up the deeper emotions that lie buried beneath the surface; yet director Ivory seems somewhat confused about what those emotions are and about what relation they have to the story. Motivations are murky; in an effectively subtle film, this can work to create a discomforting atmosphere, but in Quartet they seem murky to those behind the camera as well. This is especially true of Isabelle Adjani, a fine actress who seems left at sea here. Alan Bates turns in a much better performance, but one feels that the actor is imposing meaning into his scenes that isn't really there. Only Maggie Smith truly seems to have a clear handle on what her character is really feeling and why. Despite these flaws, the film does manage to create a palpable sense of vague melancholy that is impressive, and it is visually quite striking, from the gorgeously detailed sets and costumes to the lovely, gently evocative photography. If Quartet fails to always strike the chords it wants to, it is still haunting. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jean-Jacques Caziot - Art Director, Judy Moorcraft - Costume Designer, James Ivory - Director, Humphrey Dixon - Editor, Richard Robbins - Composer (Music Score), Pierre Lhomme - Cinematographer, Alex Leyton - Cinematographer, Jean-Pierre Mahot - Producer, Ismail Merchant - Producer, Jean Pierre Maho de la Querantonnais - Producer, James Ivory - Screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala - Screenwriter, Jean Rhys - Book Author
