Hoffman's coming of age
Maggie Smith in “The Quartet”
Iconic actor's directorial debut is charming tale of retired musicians and their bout with mortality
By Yun Suh-young
For people of any age, getting old is accompanied by an endless process of denial. And denial leads to delusion.
In his directorial debut at the age of 75, Dustin Hoffman stares directly at the emotional toll of aging and fear of mortality and still manages to be witty and uplifting. ``The Quartet,’’ a movie adaptation of the eponymous play written by Ronald Harwood, is an engaging tale built around a retirement home for musicians and a reluctant star moving in.
As one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, Hoffman has managed to be a leading man, character actor and comedy juggernaut all at once. “The Quartet” truly feels like a movie equivalent of his acting, managing to be emotionally significant but funny and charming at the same time.
Every year on the birthday of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, the retired opera singers at the Beecham House, named after conductor Thomas Beecham, hold a concert to raise funds for the financially-struggling institution.
Drama ensues when former prima donna Jean Horton, played brilliantly by Maggie Smith, arrives as a new resident and is shocked to find her three former singing partners ― Reginald (Tom Courtenay), Wilfred (Billy Connolly) and Cecily (Pauline Collins) ― living quietly under the same roof.
While Jean has long left the glories of the limelight, time has left her massive ego intact. She had been the most talented of the four and saw her career take off as a star soloist, which eventually led to the disbanding of the quartet. She isn’t about to reunite with The Quartet now to sing for chump change on Verdi’s birthday.
Making things more complicated is that Reginald happens to be her former husband who separated from her in bitterness.
In skillfully portraying how Jean eventually overcomes her fear of aging and patches up the differences with her former husband, Hoffman clearly approaches the realities of aging with rose-tinted glasses. Still, that doesn’t make the film any less intellectual or entertaining.
Schoolchildren who happen to stumble on to the film will probably think of Beecham House as the retirement home for the professors at Hogwarts. They of course could identify with Smith as Professor McGonagall, Harry Potter’s mentor. And there is Michael Gambon, Professor Dumbledore masquerading as an ego-centric opera director. The chemistry between them and the rest of the excellent cast is indeed magical.
Classical music lovers will embrace this movie for its music alone, helped by a supporting cast of former professional opera singers, some now over the age of 80.
Hearing music from Verdi’s operas, including “La donna e mobile” from “Rigoletto,” “Libiamo ne' lieti calici” from “La Traviata,” “Bella Figlia dell'Amore” from “Rigoletto” and “Grand March” from “Aida,” is clearly a treat.
The cinematography is generally soft and well constructed. The scene where Reggie watches Jean from the balcony of his room is beautifully mixed with cello music played by a resident living between the two former lovers.
For moviegoers, there is no better way to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth.