Quartet

I just finished watching Quartet. I have always really liked Merchant Ivory films, so I was really eager to see this one. It came out in 1981. It was directed by James Ivory and stars Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Isabelle Adjani, Anthony Higgins, and Sheila Gish. Adjani was especially good. I loved her in Queen Margot, but this film was definitely a change. I had never seen her in an English-speaking role before. She became the complete focus of nearly every scene that she was in (aside from the scenes she shared with Maggie Smith, which would be a difficult task to accomplish). She really made the film.

As with all of James Ivory's films, it was beautifully directed. The costumes and the makeup were magnificent. It was adapted from an autobiographical novel by Jean Rhys (it is interesting that I did not find this out until after the fact...click here for my review of Wide Sargasso Sea). The film shows a quadrangle between a young West Indian woman, her husband, a manipulative older man, and and his wife.

I would definitely recommend this film to any Merchant Ivory fans. It is definitely a must-see.