Rating: 
Summary: Only one thing wrong with this movie..
Review: They should have found someone else to play Jacqueline Du pre. Emily Watson does not have the serious, pensive and that emotional energy that jacqueline had. I refuse to see any movie that Emily Watson is in from now on.Must see "Remembering Jacqueline Du Pre (1994)" directed by Christopher Nupen. It's on VHS. I'ts a documentary on J. Du Pre and you can see the real Jackie vs. E. Watson's portrayal. Day and night.. It's a shame because all the other actors do a phenomenal job. But buy the soundtrack, great music!
Rating: 
Summary: Not a true portrait of the musician nor the person
Review: The particulars of this film have already been discussed exhaustively by other reviewers. What I'd like to add is that the book on which it is based, written by Hilary du Pre, despite the attacks it received from the British press, is a much more evenhanded account of the two sisters' complex relationship than the melodramatic events portrayed in the film, many of which appear to have been invented from whole cloth (though not the central, titillating assertion that Hilary and Jackie shared more than most sisters). In addition, Daniel Barenboim, pianist, conductor and du Pre's real-life husband, refused to cooperate with the making of this film in any way, including giving licensing permission to use du Pre's actual recordings. Thus, with one exception, the cello playing in the film (very competent, to be sure) is by a totally different artist. This, together with Emily Watson's notably unskillful pantomiming of du Pre playing the cello, seems to sum up the falseness behind the concept and execution of this entire project. All in all, Hilary and Jackie is a disappointment as drama and a disservice to the memory of a great musical artist.
Rating: 
Summary: Haunting true story and wonderful characterizations
Review: This 1998 film stars Emily Watson as Jacqueline and Rachael Griffiths as Hilary, the two musically talented real-life English Du Pre sisters. Jackie became world renowned for her cello playing but was deeply troubled and worn out by the constant touring. Hilary, who was trained to play the flute, married early and lived an idyllic life with her husband and children. The bond between the sisters was great, so deep in fact, that an emotionally disturbed Jackie even went so far as to ask her sister an unusual favor. Based on a memoir by Hillary Du Pre and her brother Piers, the screenplay was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, who managed to bring out both the deep love as well as sibling rivalry between the sisters. David Morrissey and James Frain play their two husbands. Both do fine jobs in their supporting roles. There are three sections to the film, which starts off during the sisters' childhood. Later, after Jackie becomes successful, we see the story from Hilary's point of view. Then, the same incidents are shown from Jackie's viewpoint. From these unique perspectives, our understanding is deepened as the tale grows darker and more complex.. Of course there are also the concert performances, which music lovers will no doubt enjoy, but the music never gets in the way of the haunting story or the wonderful characterizations by the cast. It is not always comfortable to probe human nature so deeply, but it is always fascinating. And "Hilary and Jackie" is a superbly fascinating film.
Rating: 
Summary: Great performance, but....
Review: there is one scene that I think is unappropriate that ruins the whole movie (well, at least from my perspective). That scene is the one when Jackie asks for an unusual favor from her sister Hilary (as Matthew describes below). I think Hilary is stupid and sick to grant Jackie the favor, her husband even more stupid, and Jackie ungrateful. I enjoy the movie up to this point; afterwards I don't see the point of seeing this movie. However, the performances are truly great. If you love classical music and great performances, see this movie. If not, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Not everyone's (British) cup of tea
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: SAD STORY OF LEGENDARY CELLIST STRETCHES CREDIBILITY
Review: I came to this movie as an admirer of Jacqueline du Pre's recorded music. Presumably, based on the biography (novel?) by poor Jackie's sibs, Hilary and Piers our heroin is painted as a miserable soul from the beginning to the end of her young life. The actors Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths did an excellent job of acting the material which they were handed. In particular, Watson's terminally ill Jackie was heart wrenchingly realistic. But was there any truth in this story? Given both a Jackie and also a Hilary version of events in this movie doesn't help the viewer get any closer to either character. Their domineering mother comes across as a passively cruel matron who first focuses all her attention on Hilary's career as a flutist. This engenders a demonic jealousy in Jackie. The latter obsesses ... rather than loves ... the cello to effectively compete with Hilary for her mother's attention. Eventually, Jackie's musical talents emerge and she does get Mummy's attention and a transfer of her ambitions from Hilary to Jackie. Hilary falls in love with and marries a nice guy, a conductor with whom she produces a family in a remote English countryside. Meanwhile, Jackie gives cello concerts all over the world in a disoriented haze of exhausting travel. The crowds adore Jackie while she focuses all of her hostility on her cello. Somewhere along the way, Jackie conjugates with Argentinian-Jewish pianist Daniel Barenboim, portrayed as an effeminate dandy. To her mother's chagrin, Jackie marries him. As portrayed, Barenboim is incapable of doing anything to relieve Jackie's misery. Eventually, Jackie is exhausted from her concerts and just plain living ... and she winds up at Hilary's farm. Searching for "love," Jackie insists on borrowing Hilary's husband for a night or two. The husband is aghast, at first. But not wishing to trample on Hilary and Jackie's wa, he obliges his sister-in-law. When Hilary dares to use her husband for his originally intended purpose, Jackie in the next room registers her protest by plunging into a cello concerto .... forzando! She leaves Hilary in a huff. It is hard to believe that a cellist with Jackie's cosmic musical talents could have charmed the world while such a boiler works was going on inside her head. Thus there must have been more to the story than shown here; or as originally put down on paper by her two possibly vengeful sibs. I guess we'll never know. The other thing which I will never know is how people can bring themselves to gush over this story. It was well acted, and even relatively well directed in the film but hard to swallow, just the same. As much hostility and anger as Jackie is portrayed to have had towards her cello, her music, and her sister, and as much sadness and resentment as she carried around with her, the poor thing should have been put out of her misery after the second act.
Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, compelling, brilliant
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie!
Review: I wanted to see this movie for a long time just because of the title. I had no idea who Jacqueline Du Pre was until I saw this film and now I am totally enthralled in her life. This film was brilliantly filmed telling each of their lives separately. The strongest love of all can be the love of two sisters and this movie showed us just that. If you want to see an excellent drama, see this.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Job
Review: The film had every opportunity to go wrong in at least a 100 ways. But the director refused to go for the cheap effect (what tears there are, are genuine), thus turning this film into something maudlin. The trailer tells you misleadingly that this is a movie about a woman, her sister, and the man they both loved. I guess I missed that last part of the story (and thank God, the director did not dwell on the sensational element in the story). For me the film was about the relationship between two sisters, music, and death. The only criticism I do have is Ms Dupre's passion for music is not adequately covered; and in its place we get her dis-passion for her profession. Had the director confronted the passion aspect, he could have then woven the trilogy of concepts - human relationships, music, and death - into something awfully profound (but then again, perhaps this is something only Shakespeare could have pulled off). Still in this movie the beginning and end meet quite well.
Rating:
Summary: "You wouldn't be You if you couldn't play."
Review: This film makes my eyes swell up with tears--especially that scene where Jackie is losing her mind about her disease and begs Danny's full support, which he doesn't give. This movie is many things: it is a representation of being and artisticness, what it means to give up your emotional and psychological habit of being to become a brilliant performer who is celebrated the world over, and also what is means to be adored as the woman who plays cello--not the woman; it tackles the significance of longstanding family quarrels, not why they happen, but possibly why we let them continue; and, not finally, it is a film about loneliness and the ways to cure loneliness inside yourself, and how to cure the loneliness that is in others and somehow eating at you. I have never seen a more honest portrayal of the classical music industry--one of intense solitude and constant fluctuations between harsh criticism and roaring ovations. I know this is not the true story--I wouldn't want it to be, actually. This film is very similar to 'Amadeus' in one respect: it utilises how truth is stranger than fiction, yet also uses fiction to further exemplify the consuming thoughts that are present in the mind--and of the minds that surround it. What an extraordinary film! Brava Griffiths; Brava Watson--who should have won the oscar, oh, you were magnificent!
| 
