- Title: UK: FILM "HILARY AND JACKIE" POPULARIZES MUSIC BY COMPOSER BARRINGTON PHELOUNG
- Date: 22nd April 1999
- Summary: PHELOUNG IN STUDIO
- Embargoed: 7th May 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SOUTH END, ESSEX, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM AND VARIOUS FILM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA4SF2NPBFOSY07E0HPHEFDLMKK
- Story Text: The British movie 'Hilary and Jackie', which depicts the tragic life of famous cellist Jacqueline du Pre, did not manage to pick up an Oscar or Bafta at the recent ceremonies.
But cinema-goers round the world have been taking home the haunting melodies of the film by the composer Barrington Pheloung, and re-discovering a love of the celebrated musician herself.
The jocular Australian Barrington Pheloung is hailed in Britain as a great composer after writing 52 ballet scores and the music to highly acclaimed films such as 'Truly Madly Deeply' and hit British TV shows like 'Inspector Morse'.
Little known in his home land, Pheloung who has lived in the United Kingdom for over 20 years, prefers to live away from the bright lights of London City.Instead he spends his time in a seaside hideaway in South End in East England.It's not quite Bondai Beach but it means the unassuming musician still has a taste of the sea.
Pheloung's last project was to write the score to the controversial movie 'Hilary and Jackie'.The film portrays the relationship between Hilary Du Pre and her sister the high spirited celebrated cellist Jacqueline, who was struck down with the wasting disease multiple sclerosis.
Pheloung says: "It's a dream of a score for a composer to write.It's a music film about one of my heroes but it's also about a beautiful story of two sisters with an emotional rollercoaster that you wouldn't believe....."
Pheloung left Australia in his late teens to arrive in England with no formal education in music but the single ambition of gaining a place at London's Royal College of Music to study guitar.For the man who still can't understand how he achieved his goal, composing the score for Hilary and Jackie was autobiographical.
"It's something that was almost inspirational for me.I saw Jacqueline Du Pre playing herself when I was first in London and the level of commitment in her playing and the sheer mastery and joy with which she played in that concert was one of those the very things that inspired me.Writing the score for me of Jackie, much of it was autobiographical for me."
Pheloung says he has no special routine to composing, when he is struggling to produce a particularly challenging score, he draws from life experiences.
"I was sort of wandering around outside looking at the newts in the pond last spring" he said, talking of how he was inspired to write the opening notes of his score for the movie 'Hilary and Jackie',
"and I thought what are the first notes of this score.It tells everything this is the first important big story quite powerful stuff.And I couldn't make a start and eventually it came to me while I was playing cricket and fielding mid-off."
"And my wife was very sweet she was getting very concerned that I hadn't made a start.And we were in the pub and she said to me 'have you got any ideas?' and I said 'Yup.
It just came to me while we were at mid off'."
The film centres around an alleged sexual involvement between Jackie and her brother-in-law Christopher "Kiffer"
Finzi, a relationship that was actually encouraged by Hilary.
Pheloung says: "I know it's caused a lot of controversy but that's among a certain circle of very close friends and I guess that's understandable though.Although I can't work out how anyone can see the film and have any problems at all.It doesn't set out to destroy anyone's reputation or hurt anyone, does it?....I know a lot of my colleagues that I have toured with and worked with and worked with and we have all done it and lived out of suitcases and it can be a lonely and very strange way of life and a life of endless practicing and serious hard work."
It is this alleged extra-marital relationship that has provoked an outcry among musicians by portraying one of Britain's most talented musicians as a foul mouthed sexual predator.EMI also refused to release any of its du Pre archive to the film-makers, including Jackie's famous Elgar concerto.The movie's soundtrack instead features the less well known Sony version with du Pre's husband Daniel Barenboim.
But despite the criticism, Pheloung has nothing but praise for the cast of the movie, especially Emily Watson, who played Jackie.Watson had to learn to play the cello and look as if she had been born to the job.
The film, based on a biography written by Hilary and her brother Piers, has in Pheloung's mind switched millions of people onto the beautiful music of Jacqueline du Pre, many of whom had neither heard of du Pre nor heard a cello played live.
Pheloung says: "Film is such a great medium we as composers get a chance to do what we are here for and that is to touch people.In some cases millions of people.For instance in the Jackie film most people have gone to see the film have not heard of the cellist Jacqueline du Pre if any of them or thousands then go out to listen to her recordings as a result of seeing the film then I think it's a wonderful thing."
Pheloung has already started working on his next project -- which is a million miles from the world of celluloid -- he is writing musical scores for the original Kung Fu Buddhist monks, the Shaolin monks of China.He is composing the music, which will accompany the spiritual but deadly monks on their millennium world tour. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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