Quartet

(M) Paramount DVD, BD and Digital Download

There are a couple of notable things about this wildly nostalgic film that celebrates the gift of music. One is that it is directed by Dustin Hoffman. The second is that it stars the cream of Brit-talent including Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney and representing the Scots, Billy Connolly.

Adapted from a stage play, it is a genuinely heartfelt look at what it means for talented artists when age has well and truly set in and institutionalisation beckons.

The beauty of the film is that it revels in the witty conversations about aging gracefully with dignity and (some) faculties intact. The journey to the conclusion is enjoyable

thanks to a veteran cast that knows how to turn predictabilities into dramatic gold, with a soundtrack to match.

Adrian Drayton