Quartet (1981)

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

Jean Rhys (novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

25 October 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Marya finds herself penniless after her art dealer husband, Stephan, is convicted of theft. Marya accepts the hospitality of a strange couple, H.J. and Lois Heidler, who lets her live in their house.

Plot Keywords:

Nightclub | Mistress | Female Nudity | Concubine | Ménage À Trois

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Alan Bates	...	H.J. Heidler
Maggie Smith	...	Lois Heidler
Isabelle Adjani	...	Marya 'Mado' Zelli
Anthony Higgins	...	Stephan Zelli
Pierre Clémenti	...	Théo the Pornographer
Suzanne Flon	...	Mme. Hautchamp
Daniel Mesguich	...	Pierre Schlamovitz
Sheila Gish	...	Anna
Armelia McQueen	...	Night Club Singer
Wiley Wood	...	Cairn
Virginie Thévenet	...	Madmoiselle Chardin
Daniel Chatto	...	Guy
Bernice Stegers	...	Miss Nicholson
Paulita Sedgwick	...	Esther
Sébastien Floche	...	Edouard Hautchamp
Isabelle Canto da Maya	...	Cri-Cri (as Isabelle Canto Da Maya)
François Viaur	...	Lefranc
Dino Zanghi	...	Prison Guard
Michel Such	...	Prison Guard
Jean-Pierre Dravel	...	Prison Guard
Annie Noël	...	Maid
Maurice Ribot	...	Pianist
Pierre Julien	...	Impresario
Humbert Balsan	...	Impresario's Friend
Serge Marquand	...	Night Club Owner
Muriel Montossé	...	Marjorie
Caroline Loeb	...	Nun
Jeffrey Kime	...	James
Shirley Allan	...	Adriana
Anne-Marie Brissonière	...	Les Oiseaux
Marie-France De Bourges	...	Les Oiseaux
Brigitte Hermetz	...	Les Oiseaux
Josine Comellas	...	Café Patronne
Romain Brémond	...	Youth
Arlette Spetebroot	...	Drowned Girl (as Arlette Spetelbroot)
Monique Mauclair	...	Hotel Concierge
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bonnafet Tarbouriech	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
James Ivory

Writing credits
Jean Rhys		(novel)
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala		(screenplay)
Michel Maingois		(French dialogue)
James Ivory		(screenplay) uncredited

Produced by
Humbert Balsan	....	associate producer
Connie Kaiserman	....	associate producer
Jean-Pierre Mahot	....	producer (as Jean-Pierre Mahot de la Querantonnais)
Ismail Merchant	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Robbins

Cinematography by
Pierre Lhomme

Film Editing by
Humphrey Dixon

Production Design by
Jean-Jacques Caziot

Costume Design by
Judy Moorcroft

Makeup Department
Jean-Pierre Berroyer	....	hair stylist
Danielle Jacquillard	....	assistant hair stylist
Ken Lintott	....	makeup artist (as Kenneth Lintott)
Tommie Manderson	....	makeup artist (as Tommy Manderson)
Marie-Madeleine Paris	....	assistant makeup artist
Christiane Sauvage	....	assistant makeup artist (as Christine Sauvage)

Production Management
Jean de Trégomain	....	assistant unit manager
Alain Depardieu	....	unit manager
Jean-Marc Deschamps	....	assistant unit manager
Fabien Dufour	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hugues de Laugardière	....	assistant director

Art Department
Robert Christidès	....	set dresser
Jean-Michel Hugon	....	assistant art director
Alain Laude	....	prop man

Sound Department
Bernard Bats	....	sound
Alan Coddington	....	sound assistant
Michel Kharat	....	boom operator
Richard King	....	sound re-recordist
David Renton	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Pierre Abraham	....	gaffer
Jacques Barbazange	....	grip
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator
Alain Dreze	....	grip
Eric Dumage	....	focus puller
Michel Gonckel	....	electrician
Jean-Yves Le Poulain	....	assistant camera (as Jean-Yves De Poulain)
Gilles Lienard	....	electrician
Alain Masseron	....	crane operator: Louma crane
Juan Quirno	....	still photographer
André Thiéry	....	key grip

Casting Department
Serge Marquand	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Keith Morton	....	wardrobe assistant
Renée Renard	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Mark Potter Jr.	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Al Aarons	....	musician: trumpet
Rudy Collins	....	musician: drums
Vic Flick	....	conductor
Vic Flick	....	music arranger
Luther Henderson	....	music arranger: song
Allen Jackson	....	musician: bass
Mischa Levitsky	....	composer: theme music
J. Leonard Oxley	....	conductor
J. Leonard Oxley	....	musician: piano
Benny Powell	....	musician: trombone
John Richards	....	music recordist
Jerome Richardson	....	musician: tenor sax and clarinet
Marshall Royal	....	musician: alto sax and clarinet

Other crew
Elizabeth Aldrich	....	choreographer
Peter Ansin	....	assistant to producers
Angelique Armand-Delille	....	picture assistant
Jane Buck	....	script girl
Marta Carliski	....	press
Daniel Champagnon	....	production accountant
Jean De Gramont	....	portraits
Maurice Defait	....	groupman
Brigitte Faure	....	production accountant
Jacques Fontanier	....	assistant to director (as Jacques Fontannier)
François Marcepoil	....	portraits
Serge Meynard	....	assistant to director
Hubert Niogret	....	production controller
Fiona O'Connor	....	dialogue coach
Jennifer Patrick	....	dialogue coach
Jacques Quinternet	....	location scout
Sylvie Richez	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Merchant Ivory Productions (presents)
• Lyric International (presents)
• National Film Trustee Company (in copyright registry)

Distributors

• Gaumont (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• New World Pictures (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1981) (UK) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Cecchi Gori Home Video (2004) (Italy) (DVD)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Hunter Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MK2 Éditions (2007) (France) (DVD)
• Odyssey Video (2003) (UK) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cosprop  costumes (as Cosprop, London)
• World Wide Sound  sound re-recording (as Worldwide Sound, London)
• Music Centre, The  music recording (as The Music Centre, Wembley)
• Studio Davout  music recording (as Studio Davout, Paris)
• Polydor  soundtrack: Music from the Film on (as POLYDOR Records and Tapes)
• Panavision France  camera and lenses (as Panavision)
• Ciné Lumières de Paris  electrical equipment
• Copra Films  sound equipment
• GTC Joinville  laboratory
• Boeuf sur le Toit, Le  special thanks (as Le Boeuf sur le Toit, Paris)
• Cartier  special thanks
• Gramavision Records  soundtrack: US (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:101 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | French

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Australia:M | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | Ireland:18

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Trivia:

The book written by Jean Rhys was originally titled "Postures" when it was published in London in 1928 by Chatto and Windus. When the U.S. publishers Simon and Schuster published it in the United States, the name was changed to "Quartet".

Quotes:

Guy:Why is love like Rasputin? Because you can poison it. And you can stab it! And you can knock it down in the mud. But it will always get up. Don't you think that's good? Don't you think that's funny? Love will not die. It simply will not die. Just like Rasputin.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Wandering Company (1984) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The 509

A serious disappointment

It's hard to say exactly why "Quartet" fails. There are certainly some good things to be said; Maggie Smith gives her character just the right mix of not-too-subtle cynicism and self-loathing, and the photography by Pierre Lhomme does a fine job of complementing the surroundings. But there is something missing. The Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala trio have always invested their stories with a strong compassion for their characters, lending a quiet urgency to the tone. Yet there is little of that feeling here.

The desperation of Isabelle Adjani's Marya simply does not ring clear, perhaps because her emotions are kept at a distance from the viewer when they should be brought to the forefront of the story. Marya views Heidler (Alan Bates) as a dominating force, but her fears and his intimidation never develop into anything effective. Bates is an actor who can always be depended on to provide a good performance, but his character is not given enough weight to dominate the screen when he should. In films such as `Howards End' and `The Remains of the Day,' the emotional conflicts between the characters drive the story and keep the (attentive) viewer involved; here, the conflicts do not spurn enough interest because the motivations of those involved are not very clear. The overall effect of "Quartet" is very cold and somber, with few, if any, memorable results.