Van Dyck's 33rd ciclo's opening film: "A late quartet"

Yesterday I was lucky to watch a great film - at least to my mind -, the first of the “Ciclo de Cine e Idiomas” in Van Dyck: A late Quartet. Despite a modest commercial success, both my son and a few colleagues had recommended it to me, so I willingly went to see it with my wife.

Directed by Israeli-American filmmaker Yaron Zilberman, the story the movie tells is pretty straightforward: the seasoned cellist of a world-class string quartet is diagnosed with the Parkinson’s disease, which triggers off a chain of startling events and a flow of emotions within the group of fine musicians after 25 years of a successful, harmonious career. 

I have always believed that professional interpreters at the highest level have egos as big as the auditoriums they sometimes perform in, as well as a demanding life, rife with the pressures and demands of being in the public eye all day, going on long tiring tours, often giving up a lot on family life and stuff. And this is all very effectively portrayed in A late Quartet through the truly extraordinary performances of a brilliant cast, led by - arguably one of my fave actors nowadays - the awesome Philip Seymour Hoffman and indeed a great veteran of the screeen, Christopher Walken, who really steals the show with his memorable role as the illness-struck cellist Peter Mitchell. Apparently the film is loosely based on the autobiography of Gregor Piatigorsky, who, like Peter recounting an anecdote to his devoted pupils (possibly my favourite scene of the movie in the movie), once met Spanish legendary cellist Pau Casals.

The great Christopher Walken plays the role of a lifetime. Worthy of an Oscar?

To me, A late Quartet is a fine example of what intelligent film-making is all about: the drama is skilfully constructed and, first and foremost, accurately performed; the icing on the cake is the brilliant music, namely Beethoven’s superb, powerful string quartet opus 131 (which I’m listening to as I write these lines), the fitting background against which the moving stories of jealousy, ambition and family tensions unfold.

The troubled marriage within the quartet

It was only coincidence that barely an hour after the end of the film I was comfortably sitting at the Teatro Liceo relishing the delightful music of Schubert’s Octet in F major, performed by the “Octeto de la OSCyL”. As I was watching the very talented musicians play the piece, I couldn’t help thinking, obviously affected by what I had just seen on the screen, what their personal relationships might be like, you know,  their feelings towards each other, as well as the enormous strain they must be under whenever they perform in front of an audience. Being the father of an aspiring musician myself, I find this world totally fascinating - yet somewhat disturbing, I must admit!

From the point of view of English, I was glad to see some of my students (not as many as I'd wished, though) around in the stalls, thinking they surely understood a good deal of the words and expressions the fine actors uttered, since they all spoke mildly standard American accents.

If, like me, you enjoy a film featuring strong performances within a simple story devoid of gratuitous ingredients (you know, no special effects, no car chases or mindless violence), just a beautiful drama focusing on human passion, punctuated by a brilliant classical music soundtrack, A Late Quartet is a great joy. Watch the trailer and judge for yourselves.