Film Preview: Les Musiciens

‘The Musicians’ (Les Musiciens) is a film directed by Gregory Magne and is part of the French Film Festival UK.  Its only Edinburgh performance is at Filmhouse on Thursday 20th November at 5.30 in Screen 1, and it will be preceded by a musical performance from the Edinburgh University Orchestra Quartet.

After her father’s death, Astrid Thompson finally manages to bring together the four best soloists in the world to perform a unique concert reuniting four instruments made by Stradivarius – her late father’s dream.

However, all does not run smoothly, with the four soloists constantly quarrelling during the
week of rehearsals in a castle near Reims. It’s both hilarious and fascinating in the detail it provides on the difficulty of playing chamber music. All the actors are musicians themselves, playing not only their characters but also the music performed in the film. This is a production as much for the ear as for the eye.

The ‘Stage and Cinema’ review says there are "wonderful twists in the story … and the masterful music is a balm for the soul. " The cast includes Valérie Donzelli, Frédéric Pierrot,  and Mathieu Spinosi

It is screened with English subtitles and has the classification: N/C 15+