Film: Lies Are Unbeautiful

It has now been 25 years since du Pré was forced to put down her bow. All that while, she has dwelt in music-loving hearts (particularly English ones) as a kind of angel: blonde, joyous, ethereally gifted—a light, cruelly snuffed out. Recently, however, her peace and image have been disturbed by a movie, based on a book by her sister, Hilary. The film depicts the great cellist as a depraved and ditzy beast. The musical community is outraged—and rightly so. Hilary and Jackie is surely the lowest act of sisterly revenge and hatred ever committed to film. It is a reprehensible work.

The movie opens with two little girls, both musical, but one more promising— Hilary. Gradually, Jackie overtakes her, fired by the desire to be superior, and to be primary in their mother’s affections. Hilary has no choice but to give way, subordinating her own ambitions to the bratty meteor that is Jackie. The viewer is to understand one thing clearly: Hilary would have been big stuff, if not for the selfishness of her sister, the favoritism of her mother, and her own good grace and preference for a quieter life.

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John Simon

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It has now been 25 years since du Pré was forced to put down her bow. All that while, she has dwelt in music-loving hearts (particularly English ones) as a kind of angel: blonde, joyous, ethereally gifted—a light, cruelly snuffed out. Recently, however, her peace and image have been disturbed by a movie, based on a book by her sister, Hilary. The film depicts the great cellist as a depraved and ditzy beast. The musical community is outraged—and rightly so. Hilary and Jackie is surely the lowest act of sisterly revenge and hatred ever committed to film. It is a reprehensible work.

The movie opens with two little girls, both musical, but one more promising— Hilary. Gradually, Jackie overtakes her, fired by the desire to be superior, and to be primary in their mother’s affections. Hilary has no choice but to give way, subordinating her own ambitions to the bratty meteor that is Jackie. The viewer is to understand one thing clearly: Hilary would have been big stuff, if not for the selfishness of her sister, the favoritism of her mother, and her own good grace and preference for a quieter life.