Quartet (1948)

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...