Hilary and Jackie
3/4
Starring: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey, James Frain, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie
Rated R for Language and Sexuality
We always want what we can't have. At the same time, reality isn't as rosy as the moments we see. Sure, you see your friends on Facebook touring the world, having wine in France and driving the car you could only dream of. But no one in their right mind puts pictures of them spending hours at a job they can't stand with a boss they hate. Or the fight over who is doing the dishes tonight.
Remembering that might have spared Hilary (Griffiths) and Jacqueline du Pre (Watson) a lot of grief. Or maybe not. Each was intensely envious of the other's life, despite their close relationship. Hilary was the more talented musician but gave it up to raise a family. Jacqueline trained harder to compete and became a rock star of the classical music world. But she craved stability and love.
Director Anand Tucker takes an interesting approach to tell the story of these two sisters and complex relationship. He tells the story in three acts. First, the film follows the musical careers of the women when they were children. Hilary was always winning awards and at the center of attention, but she wouldn't perform without Jackie. Their mother tells them something that changes their lives forever: "If you want to be together, you have to be as good as each other." Jackie practiced obsessively and matched her sister. But fate had other plans for them. Hilary got bad teachers and her career imploded, while Jackie got good ones and became a celebrated cellist before she knew what happened.
Then something interesting happens. The screen fades to black and the name "Hilary" appear. The film focuses on Hilary's life and her marriage to the energetic conductor Kiffer Finzi (Morrissey). Eventually they move to the countryside and lead a simple life. Then Jackie comes calling, but is an emotional wreck. Once her story is concluded, the screen fades to black again, only this time the name "Jackie" appears. The film rewinds to the same time and place that Hilary's story began, only it tells Jackie's side of things. Understanding what she went through and her interpretation of events explains a lot about her behavior. But this section is rushed and Tucker doesn't capitalize on how a change in perspective (or access to new information) changes how events are seen.
The relationship between Hilary and Jackie is inadequately developed. Sure, there is mutual envy (more so for the increasingly unstable Jackie). Tucker attempts to go deeper to reveal something more complex, but it feels muddled. How they feel about each other is occasionally unclear. Too little time is spent with Jackie alone, who is by far a more complex character. Ultimately this movie fares better as a compare/contrast piece than something more psychologically complicated.
Tucker and his screenwriters may have fumbled the ball, but his actresses don't. Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths are brilliant in their title roles. Watson has always been a great actress in movies ranging from "Breaking the Waves" to "Red Dragon," but she really outdoes herself here. Jackie is unquestionably a genius musician, but her gift has cost her the one thing she really desires: normalcy. She frequently wishes she could live the simple life as Hilary does, but at the same time she craves the spotlight. Not to mention the obsessive desire the regain the inseparable relationship she had with Hilary as a young girl. The push and pull of her Jackie is what makes her so compelling. And the scenes where she is suffering from multiple sclerosis are shocking. Aussie actress Rachel Griffiths doesn't have the showiest part, but the movie wouldn't work without her. Work like this often goes unrecognized because it is strictly supporting, but had she not been able to hold her own the film would not have worked. Hilary has the love and stability that Jackie craves, but she also wishes that she had the career that Jackie did (Tucker should have highlighted this better). But her life isn't as perfect as Jackie thinks it is: "If you think being an ordinary person is any easier than being an extraordinary one, you're wrong." Jackie's descent into madness takes a toll on her and her marriage to Kiffer.
Tucker has taken a lot of chances with this movie, and has aimed high. I applaud him for that. It's not a perfect movie, but it is a good one, and those with an interest should check it out. Although I do have to object to the poor quality of the DVD transfer. In short, it's awful. The film, which has some spectacular shots in it, looks like it was taken directly from a VHS tape. The image isn't cleaned and the lighting isn't adjusted. It's as bad as "The Relic." Releasing a movie like this is unacceptable. But that shouldn't dissuade you from seeing this movie.
Starring: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, David Morrissey, James Frain, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie
Rated R for Language and Sexuality
We always want what we can't have. At the same time, reality isn't as rosy as the moments we see. Sure, you see your friends on Facebook touring the world, having wine in France and driving the car you could only dream of. But no one in their right mind puts pictures of them spending hours at a job they can't stand with a boss they hate. Or the fight over who is doing the dishes tonight.
Remembering that might have spared Hilary (Griffiths) and Jacqueline du Pre (Watson) a lot of grief. Or maybe not. Each was intensely envious of the other's life, despite their close relationship. Hilary was the more talented musician but gave it up to raise a family. Jacqueline trained harder to compete and became a rock star of the classical music world. But she craved stability and love.
Director Anand Tucker takes an interesting approach to tell the story of these two sisters and complex relationship. He tells the story in three acts. First, the film follows the musical careers of the women when they were children. Hilary was always winning awards and at the center of attention, but she wouldn't perform without Jackie. Their mother tells them something that changes their lives forever: "If you want to be together, you have to be as good as each other." Jackie practiced obsessively and matched her sister. But fate had other plans for them. Hilary got bad teachers and her career imploded, while Jackie got good ones and became a celebrated cellist before she knew what happened.
Then something interesting happens. The screen fades to black and the name "Hilary" appear. The film focuses on Hilary's life and her marriage to the energetic conductor Kiffer Finzi (Morrissey). Eventually they move to the countryside and lead a simple life. Then Jackie comes calling, but is an emotional wreck. Once her story is concluded, the screen fades to black again, only this time the name "Jackie" appears. The film rewinds to the same time and place that Hilary's story began, only it tells Jackie's side of things. Understanding what she went through and her interpretation of events explains a lot about her behavior. But this section is rushed and Tucker doesn't capitalize on how a change in perspective (or access to new information) changes how events are seen.
The relationship between Hilary and Jackie is inadequately developed. Sure, there is mutual envy (more so for the increasingly unstable Jackie). Tucker attempts to go deeper to reveal something more complex, but it feels muddled. How they feel about each other is occasionally unclear. Too little time is spent with Jackie alone, who is by far a more complex character. Ultimately this movie fares better as a compare/contrast piece than something more psychologically complicated.
Tucker and his screenwriters may have fumbled the ball, but his actresses don't. Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths are brilliant in their title roles. Watson has always been a great actress in movies ranging from "Breaking the Waves" to "Red Dragon," but she really outdoes herself here. Jackie is unquestionably a genius musician, but her gift has cost her the one thing she really desires: normalcy. She frequently wishes she could live the simple life as Hilary does, but at the same time she craves the spotlight. Not to mention the obsessive desire the regain the inseparable relationship she had with Hilary as a young girl. The push and pull of her Jackie is what makes her so compelling. And the scenes where she is suffering from multiple sclerosis are shocking. Aussie actress Rachel Griffiths doesn't have the showiest part, but the movie wouldn't work without her. Work like this often goes unrecognized because it is strictly supporting, but had she not been able to hold her own the film would not have worked. Hilary has the love and stability that Jackie craves, but she also wishes that she had the career that Jackie did (Tucker should have highlighted this better). But her life isn't as perfect as Jackie thinks it is: "If you think being an ordinary person is any easier than being an extraordinary one, you're wrong." Jackie's descent into madness takes a toll on her and her marriage to Kiffer.
Tucker has taken a lot of chances with this movie, and has aimed high. I applaud him for that. It's not a perfect movie, but it is a good one, and those with an interest should check it out. Although I do have to object to the poor quality of the DVD transfer. In short, it's awful. The film, which has some spectacular shots in it, looks like it was taken directly from a VHS tape. The image isn't cleaned and the lighting isn't adjusted. It's as bad as "The Relic." Releasing a movie like this is unacceptable. But that shouldn't dissuade you from seeing this movie.
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