HILARY AND JACKIE
*** (out of 4) - a good movie
Release Date: January 22, 1999 Starring: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey, James Frain, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie Directed by: Anand Tucker Distributed by: October Films MPAA Rating: R (language, sexuality) URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1999/hilary.htm
Not since 1996's SHINE, which starred Geoffrey Rush as pianist David Helfgott, has a movie so defiantly laid bare the lives of world-class musicians. In fact, if one were to watch these films together, it would almost certainly stand as a convincing argument that a life of music naturally leads to all varieties of social ills. Yet HILARY AND JACKIE, the sophomore effort from director Anand Tucker, has something more to say -- it softly but strongly explores the complex relationships of sibling rivalry and love in a very compelling tale.
Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths are the leads in this tale, playing the sisters Du Pré. Both musicians from childhood, Hilary (Griffiths) is renowned flutist while Jacqueline (Watson) is easily as skilled on the cello. The two comepete for and win many honors as children and as young women, both together and seperate. Their careers as musicians surpass and then bow to one another's, and although their lives take very different paths -- Hilary settles down to marriage and a family while Rachel skips across the globe on a world concert tour -- they are bound together by their deep family love.
The performances of Watson and Griffiths are excellent in style and substance. They contrast each other wonderfully, and while Watson's portrayal of Jackie Du Pré is at times eccentric and perhaps unsympathetic, both characters are charged with emotion. The Frank Cottrell Boyce script, which is based on the book by Hilary and Piers Du Pré, brings a great deal of depth to these characters as well.
The script is also to be commended for its well-polished dual nature. Cottrell Boyce adopts a style which one might expect to see in a mystery thriller (which was in fact the case with David Koepp and Robert Towne's script for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE) and skillfully molds it to the story of two rising musicians on different courses to fame. The latter parts of his script are controversial to say the least, and the rather depressing ending takes the wind out of an envigorating story. Some will leave this movie feeling disenfranchised. Nevertheless, HILARY AND JACKIE is a movie that reaches an upper echelon of contemporary cinema through solid fundamentals and is a decent watch all around.
all contents © 1999 Craig Roush
-- Craig Roush kinnopio@execpc.com -- Kinnopio's Movie Reviews http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
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