Maggie Smith (Jean Horton), Pauline Collins (Cissy Robson), Tom Courtenay (Reg Paget), and Billy Connolly (Wilf Bond) play the roles of the opera singers. The characters bravely, and more or less cheerfully, face the challenges and vicissitudes of aging. Cissy suffers from what seems moderate dementia, and the scenes which show Reg and Wilf protecting her and caring for her with love, tenderness, and gentle humor, are quite moving.
The musicians remain active in their former professions by teaching classes to young musicians, but the home is in danger of being closed due to lack of funds. The residents hope that a planned gala performance fund-raiser, starring themselves, will provide sufficient funding for the continued operation of Beechem House.
Cissy, Reg, and Wilf live rather quietly until the arrival of Jean. Whenever Maggie Smith comes on the scene, we know she will stir the pot, and so she does when she joins the others in the home. All four characters knew one another during their performing careers, and Jean and Reg were briefly married, very briefly, only one day, before the marriage ended. Jean tries to mend their relationship, but Reg will have none of it.
Since I don't want my review to be a spoiler, I'll give no more details but only say that I highly recommend the film. The actors are delightful in their roles, and, although there's much in the story line that is improbable, if not quite impossible, I loved "Quartet" anyway. For me, the test of a drama or any fictional art form is whether I get caught up in the story and suspend disbelief, and I did, in spades, as I watched "Quartet", so much so that I want to see the film again.
