Reviews (56)

Not everyone's (British) cup of tea
When Hilary and Jackie opened, it caused a bit of controversy. Most movies about real life people usually do, unless everyone who knew then is dead. Some rather famous people said the story was not that accurate. I am not knowledgeable enough about the De Pres sisters to know the truth. I only know that what was written was turned into a fine movie.

Hilary and Jacqueline De Pres were too English sisters who were extraordinarily close when they were young. As adults, their lives took very different paths, which is what gives the movie much of its drama and pathos. Raised in a musical household, both showed great promise as children. Hilary learned to play the flute, while Jackie decided on an unlikely instrument, the cello. Both won numerous awards. As often happens, when they matured, only Jackie proved to have that true spark of genius it takes to become a world-class musician. After Jackie began to tour Europe, Hilary, not unhappily, opted for life in the country with her husband, who also loved music.

The film cleverly covers some key events by showing us both sisters' points of view. To Jackie, Hilary has used her gift to become selfish and distant. The love still exists, but barriers get built. What Jackie cannot see is that Hilary sees herself as enslaved to the cello. Anyone who has ever been obsessed with something can relate to this. In her hotel room, Jackie can get no rest useless she puts her cherished instrument in another room. One time she puts it on a balcony in the snow. Another time she leaves it in a taxi. Even with these efforts, it often plays a big role in her nightmares. The isolation Jackie feels on the road causes her to have times when she feels no one loves her. Ultimately, I think she believes that the cello, which she tried so hard to master in order to please her family, ends up causing her to be in some way cast off from her loved ones.

Hilary is jealous of Jackie's talent and fame, while Jackie is envious of her sister's normal, loving life. This is a fairly common theme in sibling rivalries, but it is especially painful when the bond between the sisters is so strong.

Jackie does marry the famous concert pianist Daniel Barenboim, but her insecurities get the best of her. In one pivotal scene in a European hotel suite, she asks Daniel if he would still love her if she lost her talent. He does not know how to respond, and she disappears. She runs to Hilary. Soon she asks for a very unusual favor, which I will not reveal here.

Much of the music in the movie are from works that made Hilary famous, and it is quite effective. As Hilary, Emily Watson was nominated for an Oscar. It is a stunning performance, one of the best of the decade. The entire cast is nearly perfect. Again, I am in awe of English actors as a whole. They don't often get to do it for the money, you know.

The ending is intense. It will remain with the viewer for some time. Hilary and Jackie is a must see for those believe that movies can occasionaly be an art form.

Absorbing, compelling, brilliant
This totally absorbing movie concerning the life of famous cellist Jacqueline duPré and those around her is based on the book written after her death by her siblings. It charts her life right from her very first performance to her untimely death, beginning with her childhood and then moving through to her adult years where Jackie (Watson) and close sister Hilary (Griffiths) head off their separate ways. The movie manages to sidestep Hollywood drama by giving an unbiased view of the troubled lives of the two sisters. For instance, one particularly affecting act by Jackie is backtracked so the audience gets to see what led her to it.

A great deal of its mesmerising quality comes from its two stars. Watson acts her socks off as the world-famous cellist and wisely chooses not to go for the audience's sympathy once her downfall begins. Griffiths is an utter revelation, in a role completely different to that which she played in 'Muriel's Wedding'. She is understated and manages to create a character full with emotional vulnerability but also brimming with fantastic strength. To add to this, the supporting cast don't put a foot wrong.

The cello performances are never less than astounding and really bring to the limelight just how talented Jacqueline duPré was. However, it is its depiction of two sisters side-by-side is beautiful and its message that fame isn't everything is subtly stated. The contrasts between the two women, ironically both searching for the same thing yet finding it in different places, are beautifully done. The same can be said for the film's question of whether life is about settling for the best alternative or whether that elusive dream should always be chased. Without doubt this is not only one of the best British movies in years but also something that redeems the true-life drama.

Standing Ovation
Simply brilliant. The acting is dead-on and the telling of the story is creative and fair. I simply love the way we see the sister relationship from both perspectives. It's a beautiful film and the music has stayed with me for years.

Highest recommendation.

It's a movie, folks
I think that many reviewers are hung up on who the real Jacqueline duPre was and therefore do not appreciate the films numerous redeeming qualities and instead concentrate on Emily Watson's cello-playing. The film is deeply moving, superbly acted, and, more than anything, succeeds as a work of art. I'm sorry I am being so vague about it, but I haven't seen the film in a few years and anyway there are enough plot synopses here to get you through. My recommendation is that you watch this film. (If it means anything, I am a 3rd year male college student, and my musical background is limited to playing the clarinet for only about nine years, so I am no authority on the cello. But this movie really isn't about playing the cello. I wish some people would understand that.)

Gravely disappointing
I just didn't buy the premise of this movie, painting Hilary as long-suffering and Jackie as capricious. There was very little indication of what made her the great musician that she was. The whole family was a little sick, but I think Hilary was the really certifiable one. I have always loved Emily Watson, but this performance was not among her best. The mimed cello playing was unconvincing. The fox-like Rachel Griffiths had some moving scenes, but this seemed like a self-serving attempt of an ordinary soul to "set the record straight" about her brilliant sister. The movie also suffered from inept concert sequences and the usual misguided cinematic attempts to portray the life of classical musicians. The whole thing left a profoundly sour taste in my mouth. Why not look at a video of Du Pre performing to cleanse the palate? ... Read more

Amazon.com

It earned Oscar nods, yet this cinematic look at a genius--that ofEnglish cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who enraptured audiences with herbold,emblazoned, and wholly unconventional playing style, and who died atage 42--was criticized for its "lapses" in truth by people who purportedlyknew du Pré. Some of the controversy revolved around the other main characterin Anand Tucker's gorgeous,involving movie--du Pré's sister, Hilary,whose book, A Genius in theFamily (cowritten with brotherPiers), dished some dirt on Jackie's sleeping with Hilary's husband. But don'tlet that deter you from this ebullient movie experience. The film is abisected story (each sister's tale is told in the same amount of screentime) teeming with heartfelt drama that belies the cheap shotsit received from its detractors. It's stirring, reckless, loving, involving, and rife withunconventional passion; passion for music, life, art, and the delicaterelationship between these two synchronous, extraordinary sistersas played by brilliant actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths (both of whomearned Oscarnods). Though Watson got the juicy, showy role as Jackie, it's Griffiths who provides the heart, soul, and spine of the film. And director Tucker has thatgift of being able to explain through the visual medium what is happeninginside of his character's heads. He's helped by a fine screenplay by FrankBoyce Cottrell. No matter what the truth of Hilary and Jackie might really be, this is anexceptional, rare film that is defined and graced by fine acting and writing. --Paula Nechak ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Not everyone's (British) cup of tea
When Hilary and Jackie opened, it caused a bit of controversy. Most movies about real life people usually do, unless everyone who knew then is dead. Some rather famous people said the story was not that accurate. I am not knowledgeable enough about the De Pres sisters to know the truth. I only know that what was written was turned into a fine movie.

Hilary and Jacqueline De Pres were too English sisters who were extraordinarily close when they were young. As adults, their lives took very different paths, which is what gives the movie much of its drama and pathos. Raised in a musical household, both showed great promise as children. Hilary learned to play the flute, while Jackie decided on an unlikely instrument, the cello. Both won numerous awards. As often happens, when they matured, only Jackie proved to have that true spark of genius it takes to become a world-class musician. After Jackie began to tour Europe, Hilary, not unhappily, opted for life in the country with her husband, who also loved music.

The film cleverly covers some key events by showing us both sisters' points of view. To Jackie, Hilary has used her gift to become selfish and distant. The love still exists, but barriers get built. What Jackie cannot see is that Hilary sees herself as enslaved to the cello. Anyone who has ever been obsessed with something can relate to this. In her hotel room, Jackie can get no rest useless she puts her cherished instrument in another room. One time she puts it on a balcony in the snow. Another time she leaves it in a taxi. Even with these efforts, it often plays a big role in her nightmares. The isolation Jackie feels on the road causes her to have times when she feels no one loves her. Ultimately, I think she believes that the cello, which she tried so hard to master in order to please her family, ends up causing her to be in some way cast off from her loved ones.

Hilary is jealous of Jackie's talent and fame, while Jackie is envious of her sister's normal, loving life. This is a fairly common theme in sibling rivalries, but it is especially painful when the bond between the sisters is so strong.

Jackie does marry the famous concert pianist Daniel Barenboim, but her insecurities get the best of her. In one pivotal scene in a European hotel suite, she asks Daniel if he would still love her if she lost her talent. He does not know how to respond, and she disappears. She runs to Hilary. Soon she asks for a very unusual favor, which I will not reveal here.

Much of the music in the movie are from works that made Hilary famous, and it is quite effective. As Hilary, Emily Watson was nominated for an Oscar. It is a stunning performance, one of the best of the decade. The entire cast is nearly perfect. Again, I am in awe of English actors as a whole. They don't often get to do it for the money, you know.

The ending is intense. It will remain with the viewer for some time. Hilary and Jackie is a must see for those believe that movies can occasionaly be an art form.

Absorbing, compelling, brilliant
This totally absorbing movie concerning the life of famous cellist Jacqueline duPré and those around her is based on the book written after her death by her siblings. It charts her life right from her very first performance to her untimely death, beginning with her childhood and then moving through to her adult years where Jackie (Watson) and close sister Hilary (Griffiths) head off their separate ways. The movie manages to sidestep Hollywood drama by giving an unbiased view of the troubled lives of the two sisters. For instance, one particularly affecting act by Jackie is backtracked so the audience gets to see what led her to it.

A great deal of its mesmerising quality comes from its two stars. Watson acts her socks off as the world-famous cellist and wisely chooses not to go for the audience's sympathy once her downfall begins. Griffiths is an utter revelation, in a role completely different to that which she played in 'Muriel's Wedding'. She is understated and manages to create a character full with emotional vulnerability but also brimming with fantastic strength. To add to this, the supporting cast don't put a foot wrong.

The cello performances are never less than astounding and really bring to the limelight just how talented Jacqueline duPré was. However, it is its depiction of two sisters side-by-side is beautiful and its message that fame isn't everything is subtly stated. The contrasts between the two women, ironically both searching for the same thing yet finding it in different places, are beautifully done. The same can be said for the film's question of whether life is about settling for the best alternative or whether that elusive dream should always be chased. Without doubt this is not only one of the best British movies in years but also something that redeems the true-life drama.

Standing Ovation
Simply brilliant. The acting is dead-on and the telling of the story is creative and fair. I simply love the way we see the sister relationship from both perspectives. It's a beautiful film and the music has stayed with me for years.

Highest recommendation.

It's a movie, folks
I think that many reviewers are hung up on who the real Jacqueline duPre was and therefore do not appreciate the films numerous redeeming qualities and instead concentrate on Emily Watson's cello-playing. The film is deeply moving, superbly acted, and, more than anything, succeeds as a work of art. I'm sorry I am being so vague about it, but I haven't seen the film in a few years and anyway there are enough plot synopses here to get you through. My recommendation is that you watch this film. (If it means anything, I am a 3rd year male college student, and my musical background is limited to playing the clarinet for only about nine years, so I am no authority on the cello. But this movie really isn't about playing the cello. I wish some people would understand that.)

Gravely disappointing
I just didn't buy the premise of this movie, painting Hilary as long-suffering and Jackie as capricious. There was very little indication of what made her the great musician that she was. The whole family was a little sick, but I think Hilary was the really certifiable one. I have always loved Emily Watson, but this performance was not among her best. The mimed cello playing was unconvincing. The fox-like Rachel Griffiths had some moving scenes, but this seemed like a self-serving attempt of an ordinary soul to "set the record straight" about her brilliant sister. The movie also suffered from inept concert sequences and the usual misguided cinematic attempts to portray the life of classical musicians. The whole thing left a profoundly sour taste in my mouth. Why not look at a video of Du Pre performing to cleanse the palate? ... Read more