A LATE QUARTET screening 4th October 2013

Some of America's finest actors give their all in this movie we call 'Performance'.



A film by Yaron Zilberman  
featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener and Mark Ivanir





A Late Quartet is visually and musically rich. But above all there are the performances, individually and as an ensemble, and they're pitch perfect. Philip French UK Observer

Film Synopsis
Christopher Walken plays an elderly cellist who’s aware he’s suffering from Parkinson’s disease. When he tells the other members, they react in different ways.
The first violinist (brilliantly  played by the least-known actor, Mark Ivanir) is a dry perfectionist, whose emotions are channelled into classical music. With cold practicality, he simply sets about finding a replacement.
The second violinist (an on-form Philip Seymour Hoffman) is more passionate — and more insecure and egotistical. He demands to alternate as first violinist.
His wife (the ever-reliable Catherine Keener) realises this would be a mistake, and wonders if they should disband the quartet — especially when she finds out her husband has had a one-night stand with a gorgeous young flamenco dancer he met while out jogging.
To undermine the group further, the couple’s highly musical daughter (played by the beautiful, soon-to-be-a-star Imogen Poots) develops a crush on the first violinist. Needless to say, her parents are unimpressed when he succumbs to her attractions.

The Music
"An obvious glory of the film is its music. Beethoven’s No.14, Op.131 is one of his most profound late quartets, and its colours illuminate the drama that develops, right up to the climactic concert.
The film does two things miraculously well. First, it takes us behind the scenes and convincingly shows us how a musical ensemble works — or fails to work. Anyone who has performed music with other people — even in a rock group — will recognise themselves in these characters. Secondly, A Late Quartet cleverly dramatises its central message, which is that some combinations of  people are much greater than they could ever be on their own or in another group." A Late Quartet: Marvellous maestros By Chris Tookey  UK Daily Mail


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