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      Quartet

      R 1981 1 hr. 41 min. Drama List
      44% 16 Reviews Tomatometer 33% 100+ Ratings Audience Score Marya (Isabelle Adjani), a former chorus girl of humble origins, is gleefully living it up in the decadence of 1920s Paris until Stephan (Anthony Higgins), her art dealer husband, is convicted of theft. Broke and alone, she is taken in by H.J. (Alan Bates) and Lois Heidler (Maggie Smith), a posh and eccentric married couple who take pity on the poor girl, though they barely know her. But before long this trio will become hopelessly entangled in a treacherous love triangle. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Mar 22 Buy Now

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      Audience Reviews

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      Cristina B Isabelle Adjani makes one cringe with her unconvincing acting in the beginning. Later, she warms to her character, as her character becomes a bit more nuanced, and then she does the outrageously overacted emotions perfectly. It is worth watching the whole film just to see her looking splendid in the elegant 1920s clothes and also baring it all at one point. Maggie Smith's acting is impeccable and Tom Courtenay perfect in his part. The title is a bit deceptive and somewhat disappointing. I felt the film a little too moralising, and the end a bit rushed. However, a comfortably morally ambiguous plot made it entertaining and worth a watch. One thing I found strange was that the characters switch from French into English for no reason at all. All the same, I think this deserves higher ratings as it's hard to believe this voluptuous, edgy number made it past the censors in 1981. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/22/23 Full Review Audience Member It simply passed time. The cast was not the right fit in my opinion considering how interesting the storyline was. Wish the ending was different! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member 6.2/10, my review: http://wp.me/p1eXom-2wD Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Slow-moving and not very interesting, either. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Ivory's interest is focused so completely on the period clothes and decor that the drama never surfaces. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member This rather empty and hallow story is full of characters, whose purpose in the story remains unclear til the end. Adjani plays her part very well and being stunning beautiful of course, but this did not help the movie from becoming disappointing. I would say that while the movie wasn't boring, but Isabelle Adjani's great performance gave a promise of something interesting to come, which the rest of the film then didn't deliver. The film finishes oddly: while attempting to state philosophical factoids of life, it really doesn't say anything at all. The characters, even the most sympathetic main characters, are immoral and the story doesn't give you much to think about.. interesting and well played, but in the end a futile movie. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Robert Abele Los Angeles Times "Quartet" retains its power to unsettle in its accumulation of cuts and bruises, the rare Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala effort that mines a glamorized past not for nuanced dignity but for a kind of elegant, honest sordidness. May 16, 2019 Full Review William Thomas Empire Magazine Fairly stock period piece in which the cast do very little set against a stunning backdrop. Rated: 2/5 May 16, 2019 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Ivory's interest is focused so completely on the period clothes and decor that the drama never surfaces. May 16, 2019 Full Review Rich Grzesiak Philadelphia Gay News The final scene confirms, I think, the weakness of the cinema artist who must rely on vision where the writer would add depth. May 26, 2020 Full Review Beatrice Loayza Hyperallergic This unique Merchant-Ivory production is a forlorn reminder of the Kafkaesque entrapments that society fashions for women. Feb 25, 2020 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Adjani somehow won the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her deer-in-headlights performance, although it's Smith who best conveys the desperation of her character. Rated: 2/4 Oct 19, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Marya (Isabelle Adjani), a former chorus girl of humble origins, is gleefully living it up in the decadence of 1920s Paris until Stephan (Anthony Higgins), her art dealer husband, is convicted of theft. Broke and alone, she is taken in by H.J. (Alan Bates) and Lois Heidler (Maggie Smith), a posh and eccentric married couple who take pity on the poor girl, though they barely know her. But before long this trio will become hopelessly entangled in a treacherous love triangle.
      Director
      James Ivory
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Sep 24, 2019
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $12.0K
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