Hilary and Jackie (1998)

7.3R121 minDirector: Anand Tucker

1998 British biographical film

Hilary and Jackie is a 1998 British biographical film directed by Anand Tucker, starring Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths as the British classical musician sisters Jacqueline du Pré (cello) and Hilary du Pré (flute). The film covers Jacqueline's meteoric rise to fame, her alleged affair with Hilary's husband Christopher "Kiffer" Finzi, and her struggle with multiple sclerosis starting in her late 20s ultimately leading to her death at the age of 42.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce wrote the screenplay at the same time that siblings Hilary and Piers du Pré were working on their memoir, published in 1997 as A Genius in the Family (later republished under the title Hilary and Jackie). As such, the film's closing credits states that it is based on the memoir, though Cottrell-Boyce confirmed, in a programme distributed at early showings of the film, that: "Hilary was working on the book at the same time as I was working on the film ... it was at a very early stage when we were doing the script". The film was not intended as a documentary and thus, unlike the book, does not claim to be the true story and includes some fictionalised incidents.

When it was released, the film attracted controversy when several personal friends of Jacqueline publicly condemned it for allegedly distorting details in her life, while Hilary publicly defended it as her and Piers's version of the family's story.

Hilary and Jackie generally received critical acclaim, and both Griffiths and Watson were nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Hilary and Jackie about?
Hilary and Jackie (1998) — British sisters Hilary du Pré and Jacqueline du Pré are both talented musicians, Hilary a flautist, Jackie a cellist. With regard to their musical prowess, they have always had a friendly competitive nature with each other, fueled in large part by the want of their pianist mother
Is Hilary and Jackie based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Hilary and Jackie scary?
Content rating: R. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.