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Hilary and Jackie
***
Cinema
Releases - February 12, 1999
Rated on a 4-star
scale. UK. Directed by Anand Tucker. Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce; based
upon the book "A Genius in the Family" by Hilary du Pré and Piers
du Pré. Starring Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey,
James Frain, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie, Rupert
Penry-Jones.
Anand Tucker's "Hilary and Jackie"
is not the story of two beloved United States First Ladies, but that of the
du Pré sisters -- Jacqueline, the famous cellist, who did a lot, then
died of MS at age 42, and Hilary, who felt a lot, then wrote the controversial
memoir upon which this film was based.
Both sisters were musicians as children, and according
to the film, Hilary was originally the more talented, earning chances to
play on BBC radio and before audiences. She seemed destined to soar ahead
of her sister, which made the two inseparable girls nervous, and so Jackie
practised furiously, usurping from Hilary the attention of those in the music
world.
Whether or not this is actually how she came to
be one, Jacqueline du Pré was an obviously gifted and passionate cellist,
who played while making erratic body movements, as enthusiastic dancing to
the great music she brought to life. The world regards her as a genius, and
did so from her early career, whereas during Jackie's meteoric rise, Hilary's
work as a flutist struggled and collapsed.
Hilary did, however, find happiness in a simple
rural married existence, with her first romantic love, Kipper Finzi (David
Morrissey). Jackie's more complicated life caused problems with her spouse
and colleague, the celebrated pianist Daniel Barenboim (James
Frain).
Despite somewhat cold performances from their
child counterparts, Emily Watson as the adult Jackie and Rachel Griffiths
as Hilary bring their characters to life in fine, Oscar-nominated, style.
The relationship of the du Pré sisters -- with its peculiar compound
of rivalry, mixed unsure emotions and unconditional love -- was complicated
and hard to draw conclusions from, but in simply making them real, the beautiful
actresses playing them onscreen movingly convey the emotions that must have
been present in life. When Jackie gets sick, and has her final conversation
with Hilary, for example, it's almost unbearable to watch, as it is whenever
the sisters' feelings are hurt.
"Hilary and Jackie" opens in the 1950s, spends
most of its time in the 60s and 70s, then concludes well into the 80s. These
time periods are reconstructed spectacularly well, and I suspect genuine
rooms, clothes, objects and materials from them were used. David Johnson's
saturated cinematography has an interestingly unconventional look about it,
and one that's aptly unspecific to the photographic style of any particular
decade.
Whenever a scene may take place, though, the clever
style does not distract from the characters. The supporting performers,
especially Charles Dance, Celia Imrie and Rupert Penry-Jones as the rest
of the du Pré clan, hold our attention, and are as convincing as the
leads. It's also worth noting how skilfully all the family scenes avoid the
clichés of similar moments in most other works of art.
Just as interesting is a storytelling technique
of Tucker and his writer, Frank Cottrell Boyce, which shows recollections
of Hilary and Jackie from each sister's point of view. Their different
perceptions of several important shared memories help us to understand their
true motivations behind misunderstood actions (actions that are tragically
common in this film), which in turn helps to show how misguided the
aforementioned controversy is. There are claims that both the book and the
film disclose painful truths to tarnish Jackie's memory. "Hilary and Jackie"
actually lets its audiences devote time and thought to women worthy of it.
It cares for its subjects deeply, and wants to share that care with the
world.
COPYRIGHT© 1999 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
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