With the 2017 Academy Awards just around the corner at the time of release, there were a number of big-hitting, serious films out in the UK in January and Jackie was up there with the likes of La La Land. It picked up three Oscar nominations – Best Actress for Natalie Portman (Thor: The Dark World), Best Original Score for Mica Levi and Best Costume for Madeline Fontaine – but didn’t go on to win any of them outright. It’s a biographical drama that focuses on Jackie Kennedy’s time in the oval office and her life after the assassination of her husband in Texas in 1963, and with its arrival on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download, it’s one to look out for to see Portman’s impressive performance.
She lead the cast as Jackie Kennedy, and the film picked up a fair amount of critical acclaim and award nods following its premier at the Venice Film Festival back in September 2016. Portman was also nominated for Best Actress in the Golden Globes, which was a precursor to her similar nomination at the Oscars.
Release date
Cinema:
Jackie had a UK release date of Friday the 20th January 2017, but it arrived on the big screen much earlier in the US and North America on the 2nd December 2016. It’s competition at the cinema was the ridiculous cash cow that is XXX: Return Of Xander Cage, which is out on the same weekend in the UK, however, with fellow Oscar contenders, Manchester By The Sea and La La Land, both out the week before, it still had a challenge on its hands.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download:
The film had a UK DVD release date of the 29th May 2017 and it was also out on Blu-ray and digital download. With both La La Land and Manchester By The Sea out on DVD a couple of weeks earlier in the UK, Jackie doesn’t have quite as much release competition for home entertainment as it did on the big screen.
Story
The story of John F. Kennedy and his assassination plays a big part in the plot for the film, but this is ultimately about Jackie Kennedy, with events shaped around her narrative. It’s the story of her struggle to deal with the realities of the assassination, while also trying to preserve the legacy of her husband in the aftermath of his death.
Jackie (2016) trailer:
Cast
In addition to Natalie Portman in the role of Jackie Kennedy, the film also stars Danish actor Casper Phillipson as John F. Kennedy, Peter Sarsgaard (The Magnificent Seven (2016)) as his brother Robert, Greta Gerwig (To Rome With Love) as White House Social Secretary Nancy Tuckerman, and Billy Crudup (Alien: Covenant) as political journalist Theodore H. White. The cast also includes Richard E. Grant (Logan) as the Kennedy’s confidant William Walton and John Hurt (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)) as Father Richard McSorley.
Age rating
Jackie has been given an age rating of 15 by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) for its release in the UK with “brief strong violence”.
Production
The film has been directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, from a screenplay by Noah Oppenheim. Stéphane Fontaine is the director of photography and music is by Mica Levi, who you might know better as singer songwriter Micachu. Juan de Dios Larraín, Darren Aronofsky, Mickey Liddell, Scott Franklin and Ari Handel are the film’s producers. You can see more on the production with the official Twitter page for the film.
Review
With solid reviews, award nominations and a trailer to match the reputation, Jackie looked like it was going to be a powerful and moving account of one of the most influential women in politics in the 20th century. In that respect it’s fairly successful with an exceptional performance from Natalie Portman, however, the it doesn’t quite connect as well as it could with difficult supporting performances and raw directions overpowering the human story at the heart of it all. Read our full review for more details.
