Hilary and Jackie

"The true story of two sisters who shared a passion, a madness, and a man."

1998 2h 1m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 119

DramaMusic

Synopsis

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The tragic story of world-renowned cellist Jacqueline du Pré, as told from the point of view of her sister, flautist Hilary du Pré-Finzi.

“The true story of two sisters who shared a passion, a madness, and a man.”

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Cast

Emily Watson
Jackie du Pré
Rachel Griffiths
Hilary du Pré
James Frain
Daniel Barenboim
David Morrissey
Kiffer Finzi
Charles Dance
Derek du Pré
Celia Imrie
Iris du Pré
Rupert Penry-Jones
Piers du Pré
Bill Paterson
Cello Teacher

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Anand Tucker
Writers: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Anand Tucker, shot by David Johnson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Barrington Pheloung. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Martin Walsh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths and James Frain carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The true story of two sisters who shared a passion, a madness, and a man.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0150915 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Anand Tucker directs. David Johnson behind the camera. Barrington Pheloung scores. Martin Walsh cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Anand Tucker, shot by David Johnson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Barrington Pheloung. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Martin Walsh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Emily Watson and Rachel Griffiths and James Frain carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The true story of two sisters who shared a passion, a madness, and a man.".
7IMDB entry: tt0150915 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 12 themes, including "career", "london, england", "concert", "sibling relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: David Johnson
Original score: Barrington Pheloung
Editing: Martin Walsh
Production design: Alice Normington
Costume design: Sandy Powell
Makeup / hair: Lois Burwell
VFX supervisor: Karl Mooney
Sound: Nigel Heath
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Hilary and Jackie (1998)

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Anand Tucker

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-11-20
★ 7/10
The tragic story of acclaimed cellist Jacqueline du Pré (Emily Watson) is one I was already familiar with, but I had no idea that her sister Hilary (Rachel Griffiths) was also an accomplished flautist nor that there was allegedly a bit of fluidity amidst their marital relationships. Initially, both are encouraged when they are very young by parents (Celia Imrie and Charles Dance) to practice hard and to play to their best, and before long they are both regulars on the concert circuit. Despite being younger, it’s the more outgoing Jackie who emerges the more popular whilst Hilary marries the effusive Kiffer (David Morrisey), starts a family and moves to a remote country home. It’s on a visit to that home that the boundaries between the sisters are significantly redrawn, and even though Daniel Barenboim (James Frain) appears on the scene and marries Jackie, the sibling relationship becomes strained until a debilitating illness gradually curtails her cello-playing career and ultimately causes her to become wheelchair-bound and the rest is history. It’s based on a version of the family history from Hilary, though disputed by others, so it’s maybe best taken with a pinch of salt - but there are two strong and characterfully portrayed leading performances here as well as some lovely musical accompaniment from the real du Pré via the likes of Sir Edward Elgar and JS Bach to give us a clue as to the real talents of this virtuoso cellist. It also gives us a glimpse of the competitive nature of the world in which Jacqueline lived, but there are still moments of joy - even frivolity - and it does make you realise better what beautiful tones can come from a Stradivarius cello called “Davidov”. It’s a drama, at times maybe a little too close to a melodrama, but it’s well held together by Watson and Griffiths and worth a watch (and a listen).

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