The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical Music: Today is the last day in Madison to see the film “A Late Quartet.” It gets mixed reviews but brings classical music to the Big Screen and The Ear liked it a lot. What do you think?

By Jacob Stockinger

This is the second week that “A Late Quartet” (below is the film’s poster) is playing at the Point Cinemas on Madison’s west side. But its run will be curtailed and end today, unfortunately, to make room for all the new holiday film releases.

A friend reported that one showing had only two people in the audience. So it is not surprising that this art film about chamber music (the masterful late quartet, Op. 131, of Beethoven) and about a string quartet turning 25 won’t stay in Madison after today, as far as I know.

The Ear has heard both good things and bad things about the film. Then he went to see and hear it for himself.

For the most part, the cast is terrific and the acting by quartet members (below, from left) first violinist Mark Ivanir, second violinist Philip Seymour Hoffman, cellist Christopher Walken and violist Catherine Keener is very good and convincing.

But the acting weakens, my musician friends tell me, during the scenes where they actually play music. Perhaps that is not surprising since even though, the stars were given lessons on their instruments professional musicians can be especially and deservedly picky about how the act of playing or making music is portrayed. It is kind of like watching TV shows about the law with a lawyer, or about medicine with a doctor, or about police work with an officer. “That’s not the way it really is” they invariably say. And they are correct, for the most part. That’s what makes it entertainment.

On the other hand, the script for the 1 hour and 45 minute-movie (the trailer or preview is at bottom) generally receives good reviews. Myself, I am all in favor of almost anything that brings serious attention and a relatively mass audience to classical music these days, even though certain scenes and plot points seem to me too melodramatic and predictable or banal, more worthy of opera than of chamber music. But that verdict is not unanimous, and reviewers don’t always agree on which scenes are the weakest. Still, I enjoyed it and recommend it.

Anyway, if you can manage to see it today, visit the website for Point Cinemas for showtimes and ticket prices (today’s are 1:25 p.m.; 4:05; 9:25 p.m.).  And for more info, visit:

http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie/a-late-quartet/

In the meanwhile, here are several reviews to consider:

Here is one from The Washington Post (below is Philip Seymour Hoffman):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/notes-on-film-classical-music-on-the-big-screen/2012/12/13/2bd9d2c2-4456-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html

And here is a review from the New York Times:

http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/movies/a-late-quartet-directed-by-yaron-zilberman.html

Here is how the Chicago Tribune weighed in (below is Christopher Walken):

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-01/entertainment/sc-mov-1031-late-quartet-20121101_1_jules-beethoven-cellist

And the rock magazine Rolling Stone reviewer took this view:

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/a-late-quartet-20121101

A New Orleans reviewer saw the film somewhat differently:

http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/12/a_late_quartet_movie_review.html

Here is how the Huffington Post reviewer saw the film:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-kim/rethink-review-a-late-qua_b_2063862.html

And Roger Ebert, the dean of American film critics, had this to say:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121031/REVIEWS/121039992