I've often said that the essence of noir is that circumstances appear obdurately black for the principal character. Somerset Maugham was a master of the technique and could even use it to bring off ironic effects. Quartet, which brings together four of Maugham's short stories, rather unexpectedly proves to be an excellent example of his narrative skills. In "The Facts of Life", a young tennis player ignores all his father's counsels and warning advice. As a result, he has a perfectly wonderful time on his holiday in Monte Carlo. Delicious! Delightful! Drawing- room comedy at its most engaging! On the other hand, "The Alien Corn" is not one of Maugham's best stories. In fact, it's unusually long-winded. Maugham manages to fill up 22 pages before the plot is even so much as broached. All this rubbish has been eliminated from the movie, along with the two main characters – a Ferdy Rabenstein and Maugham himself. In his admirably condensed version, screenwriter R.C. Sheriff spotlights the Dirk Bogarde character who is determined to become a concert pianist, but bitterly and painfully is made aware by straight-talking Francoise Rosay that he lacks the flair, the showmanship such a role demands. A loser to the end, instead of trying some other of avenue of escape, the character kills himself. In "The Kite", a nervous young man goes against his overbearing mother and marries the girl of his dreams. Needless to say, mother's boy is soon back home, but the girl is determined to win him back – don't ask me why. Good riddance, in my opinion! But in Maugham's world, women are often their own worst enemies. Vide The Letter, Miss Sadie Thompson, Of Human Bondage. Finally, in "The Colonel's Lady", we are treated to a remarkably ill-matched couple who manage to live together quite harmoniously until the thick-headed husband discovers – purely by chance, of course – that his wife is actually a very clever and talented woman – and nowhere as docile as he believed her to be or anywhere near one per cent as arrogantly stupid as he himself is!
Review of Quartet
