A Late Quartet

This is a terrific film. It is well-written and directed by one of the screenwriters (Zilberman). The acting is superb, especially by Seymour and Walken. It is a story of relationships, starting with individual needs and desires and strengths and weaknesses, but all held together when they are one in a string quartet. It demonstrates the individuality of four people who are then welded together to produce a great unit producing lovely music. The whole cannot function without the individuals, a microcosm of society in general. The story begins with the deterioration of Walken who is the glue that holds them all together, and then the unit falls further apart only to come together at the end in a great final scene. This film will not receive thenumber of viewers it should, which will be a great loss for those who do not see it, and a great film for those who do.

As the film opens and the four members of the renown, Manhattan based Fugue string-quartet grace their humble audience and stage, they slowly bow

A rare film, an ensemble cast (nearly every performance stood out in sharp relief) brings the life of a quartet fading into age, ill health, and the convoluted relationships that are the fabric, ruin, and making of people and the intense musical conversations that evolve over decades of making music together. There were standout performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener. This is a small film, yet with a richness that belies it's lack of an adequate advertising budget, and which stands out singularly against the tide of popcorn sequels and violent mush. This film ought to see several oscar nominations, but will likely be overlooked.. See it while you can, it is a dying breed of film, that focuses on quality of portrayal, character development, and an keen honesty that leaves you entertained, and like good poetry... with a razor sharp grasp of the intimate relationships that are the musical world of quartets.

What a wonderful surprise. The performances in this film are so good it beggars belief that no member of the cast garnered any recognition, anywhere. Indeed the film has somehow gone right under the radar. It may be Christopher Walken's best performance in an age; it's so refreshing to see him break at last from lunatic typecasting and bring to life a sensitive musician blanketed in grief and confronting darkness. Hoffman is amazing, along with the whole cast. There are so many richly written scenes in this film, played out by such superb actors, that you can't help be swept up in the turmoil of their relationships. A real achievement.

"A Late Quartet" 10 Scale Rating: 7.0 (Good) ... The Good: Great cast that does not disappoint. Very powerful performances that make you forget that these are actors and causes you to start thinking that these are real people. Surprised that there was not more Oscar buzz for the cast, to be honest. I didn't have any interest in most f the subject matter, yet the film was able to keep my interest due to the depth of the characters. The Bad: As expected, can be a little slow at times. Also can come across as a little pretentious.