See Hear Podcast episode 106 - Hilary and Jackie

See Hear

The history of cinema is loaded with films about siblings and the problems that go with loving and competing with your flesh and blood: The Godfather, A Simple Plan, Hannah and Her Sisters, Eat Drink Man Woman.....and Hilary & Jackie.

Welcome to episode 106 of See Hear Podcast.

Classical music history records that among the greatest of cellists was Jacqueline du Pre'. Her interpretations of the cello concertos of Elgar and Dvorak amongst others are considered amongst the pinnacle of the recorded canon. She had a sister, Hilary, who started life equally talented as a flautist. Circumstances worked against her continuing, so she married and carried on life domestically without concern. Sadly, Jacqueline died of MS in 1987. Hilary and their brother Piers wrote a memoir called A Genius In The Family which stirred up controversy with classical musicians who'd worked with Jackie, as well as fans. The film that followed, “Hilary and Jackie” caused similar issues. Hilary defended her stance in writing about her relationship with her sister citing that no one who worked with her knew her the way she did.

Rachel Griffiths and Emily Watson are superb in the title roles, but we discuss whether the film falls into the problems that many biopics suffer from. We also wonder how problematic is it to accept on face value some of the assertions Hilary du Pre' made about her sister (with denials from her daughter and Jackie's husband Daniel Barenboim). Do they matter when telling a story that everyone accepts is going to have facts altered for “dramatic purposes”? Do peoples' motivations to create art at its peak standard create divisions between them rather than bring them together?

The film is showing on Prime in the US (and hopefully other regions), and at the time of this writing is on SBS-On Demand in Australia. It's also worth watching a posthumously made documentary on Jacqueline that focuses more on her artistic side called Remembering Jacqueline du Pre' on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g4w91_ilgw&t=2s

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