Hilary and Jackie (1998)
Country: GB
Technical: DeLuxe 125m
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, James Frain, David Morrissey, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie, Bill Paterson
Synopsis:
The Du Pré sisters grow up musical prodigies, sharing the limelight until the younger's cello playing takes her into a higher sphere in which mania and multiple sclerosis ultimately take hold.
Review:
The publicity tagline didn't help ('...they shared a passion, a madness...a man!') and this film of a sensational book by the surviving siblings caused something of a stir for its supposed vilification of an artist who communicated music as few have done. Yes, it does portray Du Pré as unbalanced and egocentric rather than phenomenally gifted and the colour-coded, sleeve-arty production design does nothing to diminish one's impression of subjectivity. But the performances by the two leads are fine and Watson is convincing enough, both as cellist and invalid, to elicit sympathy. Musically though, it is resolutely populist.
Country: GB
Technical: DeLuxe 125m
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, James Frain, David Morrissey, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie, Bill Paterson
Synopsis:
The Du Pré sisters grow up musical prodigies, sharing the limelight until the younger's cello playing takes her into a higher sphere in which mania and multiple sclerosis ultimately take hold.
Review:
The publicity tagline didn't help ('...they shared a passion, a madness...a man!') and this film of a sensational book by the surviving siblings caused something of a stir for its supposed vilification of an artist who communicated music as few have done. Yes, it does portray Du Pré as unbalanced and egocentric rather than phenomenally gifted and the colour-coded, sleeve-arty production design does nothing to diminish one's impression of subjectivity. But the performances by the two leads are fine and Watson is convincing enough, both as cellist and invalid, to elicit sympathy. Musically though, it is resolutely populist.
Country: GB
Technical: DeLuxe 125m
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Emily Watson, Rachel Griffiths, James Frain, David Morrissey, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie, Bill Paterson
Synopsis:
The Du Pré sisters grow up musical prodigies, sharing the limelight until the younger's cello playing takes her into a higher sphere in which mania and multiple sclerosis ultimately take hold.
Review:
The publicity tagline didn't help ('...they shared a passion, a madness...a man!') and this film of a sensational book by the surviving siblings caused something of a stir for its supposed vilification of an artist who communicated music as few have done. Yes, it does portray Du Pré as unbalanced and egocentric rather than phenomenally gifted and the colour-coded, sleeve-arty production design does nothing to diminish one's impression of subjectivity. But the performances by the two leads are fine and Watson is convincing enough, both as cellist and invalid, to elicit sympathy. Musically though, it is resolutely populist.