Quartet

First of three Somerset Maugham portmanteaux (its success engendered Trio and Encore), introduced by the old boy himself. Predictably enough, the beady-eyed Maugham cynicism has been smoothed away in RC Sherriff's adaptation of the four carefully assorted stories, leaving 'civilised' entertainment that is rescued from typically glossy but indifferent Gainsborough packaging (sets and music are particularly bad) by the performances. Parker and Swinburne are outstanding in the last (and best) story, directed by Annakin, about a pukka colonel baffled by the discovery that his placid wife has a reputation as a passionate poetess.