Hilary and Jackie

I've read the 54 reviews here, and agree with most, both positive and negative, but I have a different perspective. Of all instruments, cello speaks to me most deeply. I do not play, I sing (deep bass, centered below the bottom of the bass staff, presently studying music in college after retirement), but still the cello resonates within my soul. I grieve that I never got the chance to see Jacqueline in her prime. But more so, that MS brought her down and killed her.

My wife has MS, is about 2/3 the way through the course of the disease. Its pace for her is much slower than the 20 years it took to kill Jackie. Slower, but just as bitterly relentless. The devastation of the disease is portrayed effectively in the film even though it is compressed in the telling. Some critics challenged the portrayal of incontinence, of tremors, of puzzling mental behavior. Those portrayals were quite accurate and the challenges unwarranted.

The one portrayal I would challenge is the final scene of Jackie being fed reclining. As I understand it, at least from current writings on the subject, the manner in which that was done would guarantee (aspiration) pneumonia and death because of the damage MS does to the swallowing reflex which uses the vocal cords to keep contaminants out of the lungs. I hope that portrayal was inaccurate. Other than this one glitch, I've found the movie haunting, invading my thoughts at quiet times and while drifting in and out of sleep. Sorry critics, I give it a 10, for the ballet of bond and competition between the sisters, for the portrayal of the musical genius of both of them, for the tragedy wrought by MS, for the powerful telling of the tale.....

Hilary and Jackie is a biographical film about two contemporary English sisters, Hilary and Jacqueline du Pré. Both are musical prodigies as children, but as they mature into women, it is Jackie, the cellist, who moves on to international fame, while Hilary opts for husband and family on an English farm.

The film covers the complex, and troubling relationship between the two sisters, and Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths give brilliant performances in the title roles. What was the Academy thinking when they were both passed over? And the music! It's always in the forefront, and helps move the story as much as the actors and screenplay.

Not to be missed, this is one of the more enjoyable (although not uplifting) movies of 1998. Well worth the cost of the rental.

This heavy subject matter is so well done, it left me wanting more! The acting is superb. I have always loved Rachel Griffiths and she doesn't let the viewer down in this one either. She pulls this one off fantastically and IS Hilary du Pré! Emily Watson's performance is unbelievable and should have been recognized with a multitude of awards. It is amazing how well she acts in this. One truly believes that SHE has Multiple Sclorosis. I was amazed at how well she played the scenes. I just can't say enough about this film. I highly recommend that if you want quality writing and acting and are prepared for some realistic yet somewhat disturbing subject matter about life, RENT this film!

As a child Hilary was the talented musician on the flute and the younger Jacqueline was encouraged to keep up if she wanted to accompany her sister on trips to musical events. So Jackie practiced hard on her cello to do so, gradually becoming better than her sister. As adults Hilary is now very much in the shadow of her brilliant sister Jackie, who is booked solid for shows. However where Hilary finds happiness and support from her partner and husband Kiffer, Jackie grows increasingly isolated from others. The pair's relationship drifts apart but comes together again to produce one traumatic moment in their relationship.

I'm sure it has been done many times but I still found this film's structure to be pretty clever. The central traumatic act in the narrative occurs halfway through the film; up until then we follow things from Hilary's point of view and then in the second half we jump backwards and work up to it again (and beyond) from Jacqueline's (more or less). The effect is that the first half of the film is engaging as it develops along lines we don't know while the second film is engaging as it underpins the reasons for Jacqueline's character and where she goes from there. I put of watching the film because I had no knowledge of the characters and no real interest in their music, however now that I have watched it I am glad I did as it is well made and interesting. It is very character driven and evenly paced, which will annoy some viewers but for me it worked really well and produced a story that didn't require you to know the people involved because you felt you did by the end.

Watson leads the cast really well, bringing out the innocent of her character as easily as she does the spite within Jackie. Griffiths yet again shows her talent in taking on yet another accent and strange character and pulling it off. They work well together although their best scenes are early on. Support is good from Frain, Morrissey, Dance, Imrie and others but the film is lead well by the main two actresses who work well with the material given them.

Overall this is a well paced film that will annoy some but is heavy in quality. The character development in the script is strong and the cast respond well to it. Tucker controls it all well with a good eye for a scene and some imaginative visual touches and brings out a film that is well-structured and engaging even if it won't be to everyone's tastes.

"Hilary and Jackie" tells of two sisters who share a love of classical music and each other but take contrasting paths through adult life. A much lauded film worthy of its critical acclaim, "H&J" does have a peculiar twice-told tale approach to its presentation which tends to make it interesting but so complex as to dilute its effectiveness. Nonetheless, this British film with a typically "stiff upper lip" approach to its sentimentality, is well shot, scripted, and acted. A good watch which will be a little "over the top" for many.