Hilary and Jackie

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!

It is a pleasure to see a film that has believable characters and an engrossing story which both entertains and enlightens. "Hilary and Jackie" tells the story of two sisters, Hilary and Jacqueline Du Pre, from their early years as devoted sisters and fledgling musicians, through their divergent life choices as professional soloist and housewife.

Jacqueline's career as cellist takes off just as Hilary decides to marry and raise a family on a rural farm. The music is integral to the development of the story. Director, Anand Tucker, uses it to comment on the action, much as the piano performances were used in "Shine". The digital stereo sound highlights the richness of the music combined with emotionally gripping sound effects.

Emily Watson shines as Jacqueline in a varied and multi-faceted performance that may well earn her another Academy Award nomination. As the quieter more sensible Hilary, Rachel Griffiths is also effective in a less showy but subtle portrayal.

The key dramatic sequence comes at the film's center where Jacqueline leaves her husband, pianist and conductor, Daniel Barenboim, to stay with Hilary and her family. The surprising favor and request she asks of her sister will not be revealed here. Suffice it to say, this is not a film for children.

The powerful final scenes will remain long in memory. The fine music should encourage those not familiar with the careers of Du Pre and Barenboim to sample their recordings. Put this fine film on your must-see list.

A superb film, on many levels. Any film that has won or was nominated for 21 awards must be worthwhile!

BUT - BE SURE TO READ the IMDB external reviews, viz. 'The Australian' and 'James Berardinelli's ReelViews'. These articles point out the factual errors (as well as praise).

I hope that this does not lessen the movie's greatness for you. It IS an excellent movie, sensitively done and a vehicle for health, family, sexual issues, etc.

Just don't take it as the absolute truth about Jacqueline du Pré. By the way, neither was the film 'Shine', about pianist David Helfgott.

Jacqueline du Pre is remembered as the beautiful, genius cellist who tragically died of multiple sclerosis at a young age. But this film, though a biopic, avoids the easy conventions of the tear-jerker. Instead, it portrays a talented but capricious young woman who found her rise to fame as difficult to handle, in some ways, as her subsequent decline. Three things lift it out of the ordinary: fine acting from the entire cast; a concerted attempt, in the construction of both plot and soundtrack, to genuinely convey the importance of music in her life; and an intelligent screenplay that uses the viewpoint of her sister Hilary, along with that of Jackie herself, to show her behaviour in two different lights. The veracity of the events has been disputed; but this is a complex, and ultimately moving, 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.