Quartet (2012)

Discover a warm, fun and bittersweet look at growing old disgracefully, orchestrated by a British ensemble of acting maestros, as the number one UK box office smash hit comedy Quartet comes to Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download on 6th May 2013, courtesy of Momentum Pictures Home Entertainment.

Oscar®-winning actor and, fittingly, sprightly Septuagenarian; Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey, Rain Man, Kramer vs Kramer), makes a veritable masterpiece of his directorial debut, finding perfect pitch with a virtuoso screenplay by Oscar® winner Sir Ronald Harwood, (The Pianist) adapted from his own 1999 play of the same name.

A formidable billing of stage and screen royalty reach classical harmony in this delightful summ er sizzler. At the centre of the love affair are s ix-time Oscar® nominee and two-time winner Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Gosford Park), who stars as former grand dame and s panner in the works Jean Horton and double Oscar® nominee and BAFTA winner Tom Courtenay (The Dresser, Doctor Zhivago, Billy Liar) as Jean's old flame Reginald Paget. The gifted residents of Beecham House also include BAFTA nominee Billy Connolly, (Brave, The Hobbit Trilogy, Mrs. Brown) as flirty comic Wilf Bond and Oscar® nominee and BAFTA winner Pauline Collins (Albert Nobbs, Bleak House, Shirley Valentine), who completes our Quartet as Cissy Robson. The sensational four piece are left to perform their exquisite Rigoletto, with the support of four-time BAFTA winner Michael Gambon (The Harry Potter Saga, Gosford Park), as Cedric Livingston; and Olivier Award-winning Sheridan Smith (Hedda Gabler, Legally Blonde: The Musical, Mrs Biggs) as Dr Lucy Cogan.

Life-long friends Wilf and Reggie, together with former colleague Cissy, are residents of Beecham House, a home for retired opera singers. Every year on Giuseppe Verdi's birthday, the residents unite to give a concert to raise funds for their home. But when Jean Horton, a former grande dame of the opera fallen on hard times, also Reggie's ex-wife and the fourth and most celebrated member of their former quartet, moves into the home to everyone's surprise, the plans for this year's concert start to unravel.

As old grudges threaten to undermine past glories and the atrical temperaments play havoc with the rehearsal schedule, it becomes apparent that having four of the finest singers in English operatic history under one roof offers no guarantee that the show will go on. Quartet is a joyous and entertaining film about redefining old age and growing old with hope, demonstrating how art illuminates life and the human spirit remains undimmed even as the brightest stars start to fade.

The infinite list of film talent associated with this project does not stop in front of the camera, with a chorus of behind-the-scenes talent contributing to the magnificent and uplifting feel of this cinematic triumph. Creative talent includes; Director of Photography, John de Borman BSC (Made In Dagenham, An Education); Production Designer, Andrew McAlpine (Made In Dagenham, The Piano); Editor, Barney Pilling (One Day, Never Let Me Go); Casting Director, Lucy Bevan (One Day, The Duchess); Costume Designer, Odile Dicks-Mireaux (One Day, The Constant Gardener); and Make-u p artist Daniel Phillips (The Queen, Tsunami: The Aftermath).

Kick back and enjoy a beautiful, adagio performance set to strike a chord in the heart of the nation as Quartet comes to Blu-Ray, DVD and digital download on 6th May 2013.

Please note - Disc special features are subject to change, may differ from format to format and/or may differ from region to region.