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3.1.4.3 The Hulmes.
** Who were the members of the Hulme family?
Henry Hulme Henry Hulme was Rector of Canterbury University College, husband of
Hilda and father to Juliet and Jonathon. He is introduced as a likeable, slightly
absent-minded academic (discipline unspecified but maybe a scientist: "I thought I
smelled sulphur..."), but his character develops a far harder, more manipulative and
cunning edge as the film progresses and his personal problems mount. Dr Hulme was
idolized, with tragic repercussions, by Juliet and Pauline, and cuckolded very publicly by
Hilda. Curiously enough, if the film has a villain, then it is probably Henry Hulme.
Hilda Hulme Hilda Hulme is portrayed as an intelligent, chic, stylish, cultured and sensitive woman. Hilda was a visible, and audible, pillar of the community. In fact, her face and voice were probably better known in Christchurch than those of her husband. Hilda is shown to be a little bored with her life, but also terribly wrapped up in herself and distracted by the escalating turmoil in her personal life. Hilda obviously loved her daughter and was concerned about her daughter's happiness. Her feelings toward Henry were less obvious, but she clearly worried about the health of her marriage through much of the film. Hilda was sophisticated and had a progressive, liberal outlook on life and sexuality. But... Hilda fell in love with a married man and brought scandal, public scrutiny and disgrace into Henry Hulme's home, and she dealt a severe setback to Henry's career. Hilda was the unwitting catalyst of many tragic events in "Heavenly Creatures."
Juliet Hulme At the chronological start of "Heavenly Creatures," Juliet is shown to be a bright, outgoing, precocious girl although, perhaps, more than a little arrogant and disrespectful. We come to see that Juliet hid considerable loneliness, insecurity and a crippling fear of rejection and abandonment under this confident and brash exterior. Juliet had suffered recurring poor health as a child and her health plays an important part in "Heavenly Creatures." At the chronological end of the film, Juliet helps Pauline kill Honora Rieper. The filmmakers want to know 'why.'
Jonathon Hulme The lively younger brother of Juliet, who claimed, at Port Levy in April '53, to be "almost ten," to which Juliet replied: "No you're not! You're eight and a half, and incredibly stupid!" Juliet calls him 'Jonsy.'
