HILARY AND JACKIE : UK Press Release

Anand Tucker's emotional rollercoaster HILARY AND JACKIE will open in the UK on January 22, released by Film Four Distributors, following its World Premiere screening in official competition at the 1998 Venice Film Festival.

HILARY AND JACKIE celebrates the extraordinary life of the unrestrained musical genius Jacqueline du Pré, and the highly emotional and volatile relationship with her sister Hilary, who gave her everything.

HILARY AND JACKIE features remarkable central performances from Emily Watson (nominated for an Academy Award for "Breaking The Waves", and currently shooting Alan Parker's "Angela's Ashes") as Jackie, and Rachel Griffiths ("Muriel's Wedding", "Jude" and  "My Son the Fanatic") as Hilary. The exceptional cast also features James Frain, David Morrissey, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie and Bill Paterson.

Based partly on Hilary and Piers du Pré's book A Genius in the Family, it was always the film-makers' intention to show the two sisters' relationship from both points of view. "We wanted to create a sense of what it felt like to be Jackie, what it felt like to be Hilary," comments director Anand Tucker. "The most difficult thing was to come up with a shape for the screenplay that allowed us to engage with Hilary's sadness, but celebrate Jackie's brilliance as well. People have canonised Jacqueline du Pré, yet she was not simply a happy, beautiful person who made sublime music. Her music has everything in it ß pain, loss, terror, all the things we fear.  I think that is why she was such a great musician, why those recordings are so arresting. She was a complicated person like all of us and we wanted to try and do justice to that."

Two little girls, Hilary and Jackie du Pré are inseparable, sharing their own special world of music and laughter. At first, Hilary, the eldest sister, is the star musician, but when Jackie reaches the age of nine, her extraordinary skill as a cellist takes the world by storm. As the sisters grow up, they grow apart. When Jackie disappears on international tours, the only contact for the family is the dirty laundry she sends back. When Hilary announces her marriage to Kiffer, a young conductor, Jackie responds by announcing her engagement to the glamorous and highly talented pianist and conductor,  Daniel Barenboim.

The world celebrates Jackie's fairy tale love story. But gradually she senses that something is happening to her. Constantly tired, she fears she is losing her mind. One day, desperate for love and reassurance, Jackie arrives unexpectedly at the remote farmhouse where Hilary and Kiffer live with their children. Despite their attempts to help, Jackie feels rejected by them. Back playing on tour she cannot feel her fingers. She can hear the music but cannot play it....

Anand Tucker makes his feature film directorial debut with HILARY AND JACKIE. The screenplay for the film is by Frank Cottrell Boyce, who wrote "Saint Ex", as well as such films as "Butterfly Kiss" and "Welcome to Sarajevo" for director Michael Winterbottom. The producers are Andy Paterson and Nicolas Kent of Oxford Films, responsible for such films as the Oscar winning "Restoration" and "Privileged". The Executive Producers are Guy East,  Nigel Sinclair and Ruth Jackson of Intermedia Films.

Music is very much the driving force of the film. The decision whether or not to use Jackie's music was a key one for producer Andy Paterson. "Since the film covers all of Jackie's life, we knew we would have to re-record much of the music. We wanted to use Jackie's music in an appropriate way, and finally decided to use one of her actual recordings of the Elgar concerto at the very heart ofthe Film, when she is at her peak. To record the rest ofthe music, they chose the gifted young cellist Caroline Dale, winner of the first ever BBC Young Musician of the Year, where she had met Jackie, who had offered to teach her. The remarkable score for the film is written by the award-winning composer Barrington Pheloung.

Emily Watson, who had played the cello for a year when she was fourteen, was determined to get as close as possible to playing in the spirit of Jacqueline du Pré. She had nine hours of lessons each week together with many hours in the practice room, working so hard her fingers bled. During filming, Emily had to step up onto the podium in front ofa huge orchestra, many of whom had played with Jacqueline du Pré. Emily's performance drew generous applause from the orchestra. The musical preparations extended well beyond Emily Watson though ß Rachel Griffiths had to learn the flute, David Mouissey studied conducting, James Frain locked himself away with the piano and his conducting, while Bill Paterson wrestled with the cello and Celia Imrie practised the piano. HILARY AND JACKIE is an Oxford Film Company Production presented by Film Four and lntermedia Films with the participation of British Screen and the Arts Council of England.