User reviews

Anthologies whether on stage, page or screen, are among the hardest of pieces to successfully bring off because it is so difficult to find collections of stories which complement each other with similar tone and style - and sufficiently varied to hold audience interest. With the death of the stage revue form, with interspersed songs and sketches but no thru-plot line, we have failed to develop a popular palate for the possibilities and even the outlets for short stories, the traditional training ground for great writers seem to have fewer outlets these days.

W. Somerset Maugham was one of Great Britain's last great, subtle story tellers, a master of the ironic and quiet wisdom. Late in a long career he had substantial success with three films tied to successful books of his classic short stories - of which QUARTET was the first. In it, Maugham provided an introduction to the collection and a brief exegesis or afterward. In the subsequent films, TRIO (1950) and ENCORE (1951), the film makers improved the experience by having Maugham provide a brief introduction to each of the three stories - reduced from QUARTET's four.

The four works dramatized in QUARTET are given perfect, polished productions with appropriate stars of the British stage and screen, only a few of which will be familiar to American eyes - most notably Dirk Bogarde as the hopeful pianist in the strangely undercut (by the screenwriter's removing Maugham's ethnic subtext) "Alien Corn," the movie's second act, and Honor Blackman as his girlfriend. The stories themselves are quiet, literate and well worthwhile, but hardly the sort of thing to set the pulse racing. More the sort of thing to set the MIND racing. They well reflect the sort of sensibility, such as which Maugham brought to his best plays like THE CONSTANT WIFE, THE CIRCLE or THE LETTER.

Maugham's three anthologies were successful enough that a decade later his works were again tapped for a successful three year run of an hour long television anthology ("The Somerset Maugham Hour") in which all four of these stories would be recycled along with several of those from the film sequels.

Hard to find at present in the U.S. aside from occasional screenings on cable services like Turner Classic Movies, the films have been reissued on British DVDs and are well worth seeking out for good, literate viewing. Some of these four (the concluding "Colonel's Lady" in which a Col. Blimp-type, startled to find his wife of many years has written a best selling book of poetry recalling a great love affair is consumed with jealousy for the unknown lover) are legitimate classics, some ("Alien Corn" in which 'reasonable' solutions to personal passion are found wanting or "The Kite" in which a young wife nearly destroys her marriage through a conventional concern with her own image and refusal to understand her husband's passion) have been copied so frequently they risk feeling almost trite and some ("The Facts of Life" in which a young man finds his father's advice not infallible) are so quietly humorous that it is easy to miss Maugham's more serious point, but all are quiet gems, polished to a nice soft glow.

The Entire Maugham trilogy (QUARTET, TRIO and ENCORE) is well worth your time if you don't need car chases and explosions to hold your interest.

QUARTET is a subtle, understated anthology of stories by Somerset Maugham--entertaining but decidedly uneven in presentation. Nevertheless, as a study of various British personalities among the upper classes it does manage to evoke interest without furnishing any big surprises--which is what one usually expects from short stories.

What it does do, brilliantly, is show us Maugham's keen observations on human nature. MAI ZETTERLING and IAN FLEMING star in a story about a young man who fails to follow his father's advice and almost suffers the consequences; DIRK BOGARDE and HONOR BLACKMAN are the leads in a story about a man whose sole passion in life is to become a professional top-flight pianist but is told by FRANCOISE ROSAY that he has no such chance; the third story is a rather dated and foolish morality tale about a kite that just didn't make much sense to me; and the final story--probably the best--is about a man whose wife secretly writes a novel about her great love (a la "Lady Chatterly's Lover") and is confronted by her husband who demands to know who "the man" in the story really is. CECIL PARKER and NORA SWINBURNE play the couple and they're wonderful.

Nicely performed, well scripted and directed, QUARTET has an introduction by Maugham himself which manages to be self-effacing and informative.

Quartet (1948)

A set of four half-hour movies built on stories by Somerset Maugham, who also introduces the movie. They all have a witty naturalism that's totally likable, and the slice of life insights are sometimes even moving. You can only get so far into complexity in a short time, but these do well at packing their narrative efficiently. Really enjoyable. And, especially for those of us who aren't British, they are a total insight into British life (mostly upper class British life, for sure, and mostly post-war era).

It's hard to go into them all in detail but I'll point out the key thing to each that makes them watchable. I'm not talking plot, but some other quality. As follows.

The Facts of Life: The most fun might be the first, logically placed. A man is given advice by his father before going to Monte Carlo (that rich person's den of temptation). And things go exactly backwards, without the son really having a thing to do with it. You mostly smile and enjoy the ride.

The Alien Corn: More straightforward (except the title), and reveals a common Maugham theme of getting the practical British old folks to appreciate an artist's sensibility. In this case it's music. And it runs into a shocking final chord. Idealism up against the wall.

The Kite: Really a tale of a marriage that comes unhinged on one basic misunderstanding. Both main characters (man and wife) are stubborn about certain principles, and it comes to a rather simple kind of violence between them. And a resolution. Touching.

The Colonel's Lady: Certainly more touching, a funny and brilliant and sad bit of writing and stunning acting. This is probably the most involved of the group, and it's just tightly made, a short story in feel, and yet with enough layers to make it really lasting.

All of these are about real life and real people, and small things that end up mattering quite a lot. It's a different experience than a single feature movie, yes, but a refreshing one, with built in refreshment breaks. If you like this approach (sort movies in group), check out the Maugham inspired sequel of sorts called "Encore."

The four episodes based on Maugham short stories are increasingly substantial, although the overall experience is somewhat unsatisfying. The first, "The Facts of Life," stars Zetterling and "The Lady Vanishes" duo of Radford and Wayne, but it doesn't make much of an impression. The second, "The Alien Corn," stars Bogarde and Blackman as cousins in love and has a surprising ending. "The Kite" is an amusing story about a family's love for kites. The last, "The Colonel's Lady," is about the scandalous publication of erotic poems by a woman of upper society; it is the longest and most developed of the quartet. Maugham himself introduces the stories and comes across as rather pompous.

Master storyteller W. Somerset Maugham introduces four of his own short stories in this beautifully presented film. Each story has its own intriguing charm, and the superior cast, headed by Dirk Bogarde, Mai Zetterling and Cecil Parker, elevates these stories to a level of moving drama. All aspects of the production, with each segment handled by a different director, is outstanding. John Greenood's aristocratic score wraps up the film with its own unique style. A very fine English film with moving and memorable episodes.

Quartet is a genteel anthology of short films that are book-ended by the author Somerset Maugham whose stories the films are based on.

The first film is rather light and fun. 'The Facts Of Life' is about a father recounting the tale of his son going off to Monte Carlo to take part in a tennis tournament. His father tells him to be careful and not to gamble and avoid women. He ends up winning at the gambling table, has luck with the ladies and avoids getting robbed by a con woman.

The second story is rather dark. 'The Alien Corn' has Dirk Bogarde who wants to be a concert pianist rather than a country gent managing the family estate. A renowned piano teacher hears him play but tells him that although he is competent, he lacks passion. When he asks her to play for him, maybe he realises what her words really meant. The tale ends tragically.

The third is a rather offbeat story of married bliss. 'The Kite' stars George Cole who is a kite enthusiast but this does not sit well with his new wife who regards it as kids stuff. It actually drives a wedge between him and his parents. His mother in turn tries to drive Cole away from his wife.

The last episode is the best. 'The Colonel's Lady' is about a pompous military man who finds out that the little book of poetry his wife has written becomes a literary sensation of hidden passion and lust. Even his mistress raves about it. The colonel discovers the man he once used to be.

It does all look a bit middle class and bland nowadays, with some pompous old fashioned parents who seem oblivious that they are in the middle of the 20th century.

This is high quality entertainment which has its roots in the brilliance of a gifted writer. W. Somerset Maugham, as part of the narrative frame at the beginning informs the viewer that real life experiences constitute the raw material out of which his stories are engendered. These stories, which make up the "Quartet", go on to illustrate his mastery in weaving fact and fiction to present a rich tapestry that exposes the complexity of human emotion in all its colour.

All the stories are linked by a common denominator; a focus on domestic settings and families covering a cross section of society: the somewhat upper-middle class, the landed gentry and the working class. This is a dominating thread that runs through the body of the work which shapes its unity and affords it a universal appeal.

At the end of it all, we are left to reflect upon a myriad of conflicts: expectation, desire, reality, and destiny, among others.

The first three of these stories explores, the anxieties that underwrite the relationships between parents and their adult children. The final offering, "The Colonel's Lady" shifts the spotlight to explore in detail the chemistry between husband and wife and the latent ironies that exist therein. Each tale builds up to a gripping climax before being neatly rounded off through the creative excellence of the respective directors.

You are in for a wonderful treat, particularly, if you love film classics of old. You will glow with a warm sense of satisfaction. The cast consists of some of the cream of British theatre and film (too many to mention here). There are also many nostalgic glimpses into life as it used to be. Enjoy.

The film consists of four W. Somerset Maugham short stories translated into film stories. Maugham, himself, introduces the film at the beginning and summarizes it at the end. Each of the four short stories is an individual a product with different actors and directors. This is a mixed bag in that some are interesting and others leave something to be desired. This film is followed by two other sequels: Trio (1950) and Encore (1951). The three films together make up a nice homemade boxed set. But, the reviews (below) only refer to Quartet.

===== THE FACTS OF LIFE (directed by Ralph Smart) is one of the most entertaining stories of the four, with both an interesting story process and a surprise ending. Here, we have a father giving his son three precepts before sending him 'out into the world' on his own. 'The world,' here, is short-term trip to a tennis match in the South of France . The son breaks all three precepts and still succeeds in spite of breaking his father's rules. The aggravating part for the father is that it makes a fool of him at his club. This is like the Polonius– Laertes relationship turned on its head. The consequences aren't great enough to be that important, and one can't help but feel that Maugham is doing a spoof on the superficiality of the upper-class Club set. (8/10)

===== THE ALIEN CORN (directed by Harold French) This story, starring Dirk Bogarde and Honor Blackman, left me cold. Not only is it uninteresting, but the ending is telescoped almost from the outset. Also, it is hard to believe that Honor Blackman's character might not have guessed that anyone who would rather study piano for two years than show ANY interest in her at all either has a hormone deficiency or she just plain doesn't turn him on. One wants to cry out, 'Honor, can't you take a HINT!!' This guy is NOT the marrying kind. Too bad the people in those days couldn't just ask, 'Are you gay? OR 'Do you love me at all?' before emotionally investing in a two-year experiment, leading nowhere. (3/10)

===== THE KITE (directed by Arthur Crabtree) was fun because of the English humor; the story about a boy growing up with the unusual hobby of kite flying; and the fact that his parents not only encouraged him to look no further than his hobby but TOTALLY join him in his one and only passion. To most parents, it is OK to have a hobby but not to the exclusion of a social life. I loved the competition interaction between the possessive kite-flyer's mother (Hermione Baddeley) and her son's fiancée, and later wife, Betty (Susan Shaw). Though this story ends in a somewhat conventional way, the process is where the fun comes into play. (7/10)

===== THE COLONEL'S LADY (directed by Ken Annakin) is probably the best of the bunch. Here, we have an extremely important man, doing his extremely important work, and giving little attention to his wife. When she publishes a book of poetry, under her maiden name and gets paid for it, he is mildly annoyed. When he learns from everyone everywhere that her poetry is not only great by that it is salacious, he becomes VERY annoyed. But, worst of all, he finds out from his mistress that the author's poetry about her affair with a younger man is so realistic that it could only be true. After 'the light bulb finally lights up' in this very important man's head, he is SO annoyed that he actually reads the book himself!! This story is great, both for the way it unfolds and the way it ends. (10/10)

Introduced by the man himself, this is a compendium of four short stories from W. Somerset Maugham. Each deals with a scenario that looks at human nature, love, trust and integrity amongst a myriad of other emotions with the four directors taking a different slant to each of the tales. The cast is superb - all four feature perfectly fitting characters with the likes of Cecil Parker, Nora Swinburne, Mai Zetterling, Ian Fleming, George Cole, Honor Blackman and Dirk Bogarde all working their magic with the gently comedic writing. My favourite is probably the last one ("The Colonel's Lady") with Parker and Swinburne - it has something particularly classy and poignant about it as a married couple for over 30 years hit a few unexpected bumps on their otherwise tranquil road - she has published a book suggesting that she may have been unfaithful some years ago - before the couple address the effects time has had on their relationship. It is engagingly constructed and the stories, though different, are complementary to each other leaving us with a feeling akin to enjoying a good three course meal...

The star rating above represents an average for the four separate stories, independently filmed and contained within this feature-length film. The first story, "The Facts of Life," gets a 5. The second, "The Alien Corn," also gets a 5. The third, "The Kite," gets only a 3. But the fourth, "The Colonel's Wife" gets a 6. The biggest problem is the material. Maugham's short stories simply haven't aged well, even given the fact that the short story, as a literary genre, is a distinctly tough category in which to produce truly compelling product. And too often, Maugham's story telling is full of gratuitous choice -- if the characters choose one way, the story obviously will end a particular way, if they choose the other course of action, the ending will match that choice. There isn't a lot of surprise here, and not very much in the way of caring about the characters either. It's not the stuff great literature is founded upon, and the movie displays those faults tellingly. Still, good acting, crisp story lines, balanced, even nuanced pacing make this outing quite tolerable, and even engaging in some places.

If you wonder why the story "The Alien Corn" has that title, the answer tells you what has been left out, and why it is therefore so bland and restrained as to be superficial and uninteresting. Maugham gave it that title because it was about Jews. The boy's father is not some terribly, terribly dash-it-all, upper-upper English aristocrat. He is a self-made man who has devoted his life to fitting into English society. But, Maugham says, in a line no one who has read this story will ever forget, he betrayed himself with one characteristic which marked him out as entirely un-English: "He loved his son." It is this tension between the man's deep, sensual love of his son and the man's desire to fit in with the English upper class, who do not become artists, or didn't then (sort of thing foreigners and nancy boys do), that gives the story its power and pain, not simply the young man's desire to be an artist conflicting with his lack of talent. And it is a disgrace that, even after World War II, the filmmakers clearly thought that the problem of Jewish assimilation could not be part of a "civilised," classy, English entertainment.

This is the first of three films consisting of several short stories by Sommerset Maughem. He introduces them as well as bids the audience goodbye at the film's conclusion. The films star a wide range of familiar British actors. Leonard Maltin gave this film four stars and it has a wonderful reputation, so I was really surprised how ambivalent I felt about the film. This is a real shame, as the followup films TRIO and ENCORE were shown right after QUARTET on TCM and I was planning on seeing all three--that is until I felt so totally underwhelmed by QUARTET. Maybe you'll like the film more than I did. Sure, the acting was excellent, but the four separate stories were highly uneven. Only one of them ("The Colonel's Wife") was exceptional and the other three all seemed incomplete or anti-climactic. I kept thinking to myself that if they picked four of Maughem's best stories for this anthology, then he must be a really dull writer--though this surely can't be the case as I have enjoyed several Maughem films (such as THE RAZOR'S EDGE and THE PAINTED VEIL). All I know is that I just found the stories so mundane and they provided little irony or interest--excepting The Colonel's Wife--which was an amazingly sweet and insightful way to end the film.

Somerset Maugham is one of my favorite writers; I have read all his works, and particularly like his colonial pieces in far-off lands. But these four stories are purely domestic England, but that does not diminish their impact. The first story "The Facts of Life" is a cute irony that portrays a clueless young man from a rich family. The outcome, though highly unlikely, is entertaining.

The second story, starring Dirk Bogarde, is also a bit unbelievable, and also a bit tragic. How tragic is it to not be good at the thing you love? After two stories about wealthy sons, Maugham writies "The Kite". in which he tries to aim for the Middle Class and the usual mother-in-law-wife tug of war. The story is a bit banal, but because of the author, we view it with greater meaning.

The best, however, is last. "The Colonel's Lady" is not about his mistress; it is about his wife. This short story is the type of writing that only Maugham and very few others are capable of creating. It is touching, incisive, and heartfelt. To be able to accomplish so much in such a short time is truly amazing. These stories, and particularly the last one, are not to be missed.

Somerset Maugham had trained as a doctor and his dissection of human nature is surgically precise.

This represents the first of the trilogy of films adapted from his insightful short stories.

'The Facts of Life' is interesting for the tantalising performance of Mai Zetterling whilst the least effective and pointless story is 'The Kite' featuring George Cole, an actor about whom I have never been entirely convinced who was lucky enough to find his niche on the small screen. In the tragic 'Alien Corn' directed by Harold French, aspiring pianist George is informed by virtuoso Lea Makart that he simply does not have that 'extra something' that makes a great artiste. Faced with this devastating judgement even the love of luscious Honor Blackman as Paula cannot offer him sufficient consolation. Excellent performances from Dirk Bogarde and the always magnificent Francoise Rosay.

Judging from previous reviews the jubilant surprise in the collection is 'The Colonel's Lady' directed by Ken Annakin. A perfectly judged and beautifully observed performance here by the immaculate Cecil Parker and a touching portrayal by Nora Swinburne as his wife whose 'scandalous' book of poetry causes all sorts of trouble. There is a very amusing scene where a literary critic played by Ernest Thesiger, likens her verse to that of Landor and Sappho which prompts Parker to storm off muttering 'Idiot!' The final reconciliation of husband and wife is beautifully understated. Excellent adaptations by R. C. Sheriff and a first class score by John Greenwood. It is undoubtedly this, the last of the set, which is the pearl in the crown.

One can understand why W Somerset Maugham's writing is celebrated (though can understand if people feel his writing hasn't aged well), have appreciated always his sharp prose, insight and charm. It is interesting to see his work adapted on film, which it isn't enough in my view. Good examples are the three films comprising 'The Aesop's Fables Maugham Concerto Trilogy', three anthology/portmanteau films of three or more segments important in popularising this particular format (especially 'Quartet').

1948's 'Quartet' is the first of this particular trilogy, the other two being 1950's 'Trio' and 1951's 'Encore'. It is not an even film all the way through (anthology films seldom are, in a number of the numerous ones seen there is at least one segment that doesn't work as well as the others), but it is very good with not an awful lot to criticise as an overall whole. Of the three films, 'Quartet' is perhaps the best, though all three are worthwhile and more in their own right. Found a lot to like about all four segments, named "The Facts of Life", "The Alien Corn", "The Kite" and "The Colonel's Lady".

As said, there is not an awful lot wrong at all. For my tastes, "The Kite" ended slightly anti-climactically and "The Alien Corn", while still well done in its own way, beautifully acted, insightful and quite touching, has a different, darker tone than the rest of the lighter, more subtle stories and it slightly jarred in comparison.

There is an awful lot to like in 'Quartet'. Will agree with those saying that "The Colonel's Lady" is the best of the four, found it very insightful, beautifully subtle and very moving, the ending being an especially poignant touch. Loved the twists at the end of each segments, the most surprising being the one for "The Alien Corn", and the thoughtful hosting of W Somerset Maugham himself. 'Journey's End's' RC Sheriff adapts the stories with intelligence, refreshing lightness and respect for Maugham's writing, with a nice mix of emotion, thought-provoking subtlety ("The Facts of Life" being the most subtle and gentle perhaps), real insight into the subject matter, charm and offbeat amusement ("The Kite" particularly).

'Quartet' is beautifully filmed and directed, especially in "The Colonel's Lady", as well as evocatively scored throughout. The cast range from good to brilliant, with the best performance coming from Cecil Parker. It was interesting to see a pre-stardom Dirk Bogarde and he is also very good, as is Honor Blackman

Concluding, very well done. Worth seeing for especially "The Colonel's Lady", which gets my personal vote of the best segments of all three films in the trilogy. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Somerset Maugham, who wrote tons of plays and stories, introduces his set of four shorts, while telling us a little bit about himself. In Facts of Life, Nicky (Jack Watling) learns a lesson, although we're not sure just what lesson he has learned. In Alien Corn, a young Dirk Bogarde is George Bland, a pianist who is determined to know how good he is, so he brings in an expert to evaluate. (LOVE her HAT!) In The Kite, Herbert Sunbury (George Cole) is in jail for abandoning his wife. We flash back to see what led up to it; his wife Betty (played by Susan Shaw, who was really born Patsy Sloots!) hadn't been very nice to him... In Colonel's Lady, the Colonel's wife has written a book, and EVERYONE is talking about it, much to his dismay.

Note that Hermione Baddeley (plays Beatrice Sunbury) will go on to be Mrs. Naugatuck on TV show Maude, while her sister Angela Baddeley will do mostly British TV series, most notably Upstairs, Downstairs. Probably the biggest star in this group was Dirk Bogarde, who had mixed success in both the British and Hollywood film industry. Playing his part in "Victim" may have altered his later career success. Quite an interesting bio on IMDb, worth the read. Viewers will also recognize Cecil Parker (plays Colonel Peregrine, in Colonel's Lady) from Indiscreet, with Cary Grant. Quartet is an entertaining set of Maugham stories, some have happy endings, some do not.

The film consists of 4 short stories that are little bourgeois ditties with social climbing fixtures (bridge, clubs, Monte Carlo etc...) all dull by modern standards. The movie version has none of the Maugham's sharp prose and observations that would have made the books more enjoyable. As another reviewer observed the material doesn't age well.

Here is the run down... a female thief at Monte Carlo.... A frustrated piano wanna be artist....A boyish kite flyer (the dullest).....and a middle aged wife who suddenly publishes tremendously successful love poems. Yawn....

Maugham catered to the middle class....I found I forgot the 4 stories as soon as I watched them...not a good sign.

If you have nothing better to do they are OK to pass some time don't expect to get anything lasting out of them. Better yet read the books.

Since I read all these four stories, long ago, I found it interesting when seeing the film version on "You Tube", to watch it --a bit hesitant I must say-- but I was nicely surprised to see four excellent short movies condensing quite well those wonderful stories (when I read them I couldn't have had enough of Somerset Maugham's writing mastery and read, I think, most of his literary wealth, what a writer, what imagination!!).

I don't know if these stories could be made today as full length movies, probably not, since the argument's line is very subtle and to lengthen them it will involve adding superfluous material that will completely destroy those gossamer stories.

These four episodes are an excellent example of good, solid, English movie making, without any waste of time, first rate photography (Black and white) and sound, impeccable lighting and very professional actors, in all four segments, as good as the four directors involved in this project.

I would strongly recommend its viewing since the many messages conveyed in all the segments are a distilled essence of Mr. Maugham's varied experiences through his very long life and almost oriental wisdom that could become a welcome addition to our humbler lives.