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Quartet

Play trailer Poster for Quartet R,  1981,  1h 41m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 47% 17 Reviews Tomatometer 34% 100+ Ratings Popcornmeter
47% Tomatometer 17 Reviews 34% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
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.

Critics Reviews

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Robert Abele Los Angeles Times May 16, 2019
"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. Go to Full Review
William Thomas Empire Magazine May 16, 2019
2/5
Fairly stock period piece in which the cast do very little set against a stunning backdrop. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader May 16, 2019
Ivory's interest is focused so completely on the period clothes and decor that the drama never surfaces. Go to Full Review
Nadine Whitney InSession Film Jan 29, 2026
An exquisitely made film with a powerful performance by Adjani as the woman who believes herself at least partially loved by two men. Go to Full Review
Rich Grzesiak Philadelphia Gay News May 26, 2020
The final scene confirms, I think, the weakness of the cinema artist who must rely on vision where the writer would add depth. Go to Full Review
Beatrice Loayza Hyperallergic Feb 25, 2020
This unique Merchant-Ivory production is a forlorn reminder of the Kafkaesque entrapments that society fashions for women. Go to Full Review
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Quartet

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Cast & Crew

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James Ivory

Director

Isabelle Adjani

Marya `'Mado'` Zelli

Alan Bates

H.J. Heidler

Maggie Smith

Lois Heidler

Anthony Higgins

Stephan Zelli

Armelia McQueen

Night Club Singer

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Quartet

Quartet (1981) Quartet (1981) Quartet (1981) View more photos

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
Producer
Ismail Merchant, Jean Pierre Querantonnais
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 24, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$12.0K
Runtime
1h 41m
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