Scan barcode
A review by jacki_f
And Furthermore by Judi Dench
4.0
As Judi Dench explains in the preface, this book is not a traditional autobiography. Rather, it's intended to be a follow-up to her 1998 biography Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice, filling in gaps and bringing us up to date with her life since that book was written. However I enjoyed it without having read that biography. It reads like you are sitting down with a cup of tea and enjoying a lengthy conversation with this very interesting lady. Dame Judi talks us through her career with passing asides about why she made a decision to play a part a particular way or how she'd do it differently now or a funny anecdote about a member of the cast. Because her career has been so extensive, there are times when the book seems to get bogged down in lists of plays she appeared in and who she worked with, but it's written in a sufficiently interesting way that it stays enjoyable.
There are revealing glimpses here and there, but for the most part Dame Judi remains reticent about disclosing too much about who she is or how she works. Near the end she says "why should (the public) know the ins and outs of everything?...I want to keep a quiet portion inside that is my own business". Which is interesting given that she openly confesses to being very nosy and liking knowing what's happening with everyone around her. There are fascinating sections where she describes her working routine or how she sometimes struggles to come to grips with characters, but then she backs away again, as if to say "that's all you're getting".
What does clearly emerge is her lively and mischievous sense of humor. She has an ongoing gag with Tim Piggott-Smith where they arrange to surprise one another (usually on stage) with the appearance of a black glove. She encourages her fellow castmates to slip Russian names into their lines during a production of The Cherry Orchard. She revels in a farting horse on the set of Mrs Smith. We also get glimpses of occasional diva like tendencies: dressing down journalists who ask inane questions or directors who expect her to learn new lines at short notice. She comments, "I can really be difficult when I want to be."
The focus is very much on Dame Judi's professional career. She mentions her husband often, but there is very little about their relationship or how his passing affected her (what she doesn't say somehow makes it more moving). In fact we learn very little of substance about any of her friends. There's no gossip here. If she doesn't like someone, she'll simply skip over them. So what do we get? Fascinating insights into the different ways that directors operate (a 23 year old Sam Mendes confidently tells her that the way she wants to play a scene won't work and he won't watch), how she interprets famous characters, the plays and theaters she likes and doesn't, how she motivates herself when she doesn't feel inspired. It's highly readable, extremely interesting and well worth a read.
There are revealing glimpses here and there, but for the most part Dame Judi remains reticent about disclosing too much about who she is or how she works. Near the end she says "why should (the public) know the ins and outs of everything?...I want to keep a quiet portion inside that is my own business". Which is interesting given that she openly confesses to being very nosy and liking knowing what's happening with everyone around her. There are fascinating sections where she describes her working routine or how she sometimes struggles to come to grips with characters, but then she backs away again, as if to say "that's all you're getting".
What does clearly emerge is her lively and mischievous sense of humor. She has an ongoing gag with Tim Piggott-Smith where they arrange to surprise one another (usually on stage) with the appearance of a black glove. She encourages her fellow castmates to slip Russian names into their lines during a production of The Cherry Orchard. She revels in a farting horse on the set of Mrs Smith. We also get glimpses of occasional diva like tendencies: dressing down journalists who ask inane questions or directors who expect her to learn new lines at short notice. She comments, "I can really be difficult when I want to be."
The focus is very much on Dame Judi's professional career. She mentions her husband often, but there is very little about their relationship or how his passing affected her (what she doesn't say somehow makes it more moving). In fact we learn very little of substance about any of her friends. There's no gossip here. If she doesn't like someone, she'll simply skip over them. So what do we get? Fascinating insights into the different ways that directors operate (a 23 year old Sam Mendes confidently tells her that the way she wants to play a scene won't work and he won't watch), how she interprets famous characters, the plays and theaters she likes and doesn't, how she motivates herself when she doesn't feel inspired. It's highly readable, extremely interesting and well worth a read.