Quintet (1977)

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Robert Altman (story) &
Lionel Chetwynd (story) ...

Release Date:

11 April 1977 (France)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Mystery

Tagline:

One man against the world.

Plot:

During a future ice age, dying humanity occupies its remaining time by playing a board game called "Quintet." For one small group, this obsession is not enough; they play the game with living pieces ... and only the winner survives. |

Plot Keywords:

Assumed Identity | Board Game | Game Of Death | Game | Ice Age

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Essex
Vittorio Gassman	...	Saint Christopher
Fernando Rey	...	Grigor
Bibi Andersson	...	Ambrosia
Brigitte Fossey	...	Vivia, Essex's Wife
Nina Van Pallandt	...	Deuca
David Langton	...	Goldstar
Thomas Hill	...	Francha (as Tom Hill)
Monique Mercure	...	Redstone's Mate
Craig Richard Nelson	...	Redstone
Maruska Stankova	...	Jaspera
Anne Gerety	...	Aeon
Michel Maillot	...	Obelus
Max Fleck	...	Wood Supplier
Françoise Berd	...	Charity house woman

Runtime:

118 min | Argentina:116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Man & his World, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

The majority of the movie was filmed in the empty Man and His World Pavillion on St. Helen's Island.(The Island is connected to Montreal by Bridges and the subway.) It was originally built for Expo 67 and remained standing for several more years.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Developing the World of 'Quintet' (2006) (V)

There are many points the other reviewers missed.

I saw Quintet on a Sunday afternoon in Northbrook, IL in the winter of 1979. There was so much snow plowed badly in the parking lot that I had a hard time finding a space. When I got to the theatre there was a strange little notice hand printed on a 3x5 file card that there would be no refunds to Quintet once you had entered the theatre. I asked the ticket seller why and he said that so many people had left during the previous night's performance that they almost had a riot.

I knew I was in for something special. As the movie began I noticed that there were credits for the original screenplay and then for the final screenplay. Dissension in the ranks. There was inadequate explanation of where Paul Newman and Bibi Anderson came from and why they were going to the city. Indeed, the idea of hosing down Expo '67 in the winter and allowing the icicles to freeze gave it an other-worldly appearance. (I think that could have been Altman's attraction to the project.) Living in the Midwest during the winter of '79 made me very sensitive to freezing weather. I moved to California the next fall.

There are two last items to consider: the dogs and the fish. The city was home to dozens if not hundreds of dogs. They scavenged for meat (often human bodies.) The malaise affecting the human population disabled them from disposing of the human dead. And finally the fish. There are several shots showing fish being harvested and processed at the beginning of the film, showing that there was an adequate food source for the people who lived in the city.

And finally a mention of the Game: there was a feeling of depression to the movie and the inhabitants of the city. When cut off from a natural human life that includes the having and raising of children, one can get depressed. An aberrant lifestyle that made a game out of killing others might result.