Customer Reviews

Darling Judi: A Celebration of Judi Dench

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Essentially a collection of tributes from a wide ranging slice of the actresses peer group, all of whom adore her and admire her skill terribly. I really enjoyed learning a little more about Dame Judi, as famous as her face is, she is afterall still somewhat enigmatic. The writing is varied because of it's shared authorship but as such makes the book more challenging.
This is not a celebratory style that would work for anyone famous, the very fact it focuses on Dame Judi makes it more than tolerable. Had it been other stars it may not have been so easy to take nor to read. But it is lovely, like a few days in the company of Lionel and Jean (As time goes by).

This is a charming collection of tiny essays or vignettes, singing the praises of Dame Judi Dench, by her fellow actors, directors and producers. Her co workers have nothing but love and admiration for this lady who apparently is, as she has always appeared to me, a warm friendly, lovable and superbly talented woman. These snippets tell of her love of practical jokes and of upholding certain theatre traditions, some of her own devising, but also of her kindness and lack of "side" to younger and less famous actors. The stories span many years and show that her genuine warmth and humanity has not changed as her fame grew. I love this Dame and am sure that others would love to read this collection of tales as much as I did.

Those of us who enjoy reading about Judi's life will be a little disappointed,for this book deals mainly with her acting career.Her many friends in the profession have written amusing stories of their contact with her during various stage and film roles,which are quite entertaining and highlight their view of her as an individual.Judi Dench fans will,no doubt,find it quite an enjoyable read and well worth the price.

Anyone who has enjoyed Dame Judi Dench's work over the 40+ years will surely enjoy reading this book. In this book, many of Judi's co-workers, directors, and friends write their own personal views on Judi and what makes her so special. Read it, enjoy it, and get another glimpse into this remarkable artist's life and work.

Being a super fan of Dame Judi Dench, I bought this book and have read it multiple times. It is wonderful to read the words said of this wonderful lady by those who know her. Having met her and found her to be so kind and caring to her fans, I have to agree with all of their good words. Everyone seems to just love her and I can see why.

Dame Judi Dench is a superbly talented actress and a lovely human being, and she earned every bit of the acclaim sent her way. But in this book, her biographer asked a bunch of associates to write about her, and an endless series of essays oozing with praise gets old fast. I wouldn't even read it if it was DARLING MICHAEL LaROCCA. Sorry.

I like Judi Dench and I won't call her Dame Judi because if you want to know this much about her. She's not into Dame Judi this. She writes her name Judi Dench no OBE or CH. I even think she is kind of embarrassed by the title since she got it at 54 years old. Maybe she regrets taking it but regardless she will always be Dame Judi Dench to the crowd but she really is just Dame Judi. Sadly, she is as nice in person as she seems to be. I wrote her twice and she wrote back months later but still somebody with schedule must have better things to do than write her fans. I think Judi is getting the accolades because people in the theater community just love her to death. She acts like a maternal figure to her cast mates and she is lots of fun on the set as well. She has playfulness in the theater and God Bless her because I can't imagine performing the same role with the same lines 8 times a week for any long engagement. I saw Judi Saturday Night performing in Sir Noel Coward's Hay Fever with Peter Bowles and the cast. She works hard at it. That's the key. People respect her because she works hard at creating the illusion. I'm sorry, Judi, but Jay Leno performs the TOnight Show and does 150 performances during the year as a comic whether it's after the Tonight show or on weekends, he works hard just like Judi at being funny. Judi inhabits a character quite the same way. She works hard and works well with theater directors because they have a mutual respect for each other. We'll probably won't see another actress like Judi Dench in our lifetime. She reminds me of my mother, short and that plain beautiful face. When it comes to Shakespeare roles, she nails it there is no doubt about it. Can other actresses do it, definitely, but what separates Judi apart from others is that dedication, loyalty, and determination in making you believe anything on stage. Somehow she doesn't get board and is so skeptical that she will work again that you just want to tell her that she'll be working for the rest of her life. She has become the Peggy Ashcroft of our generation. Sadly, actresses who make their careers on stage will have to do film, television, and act in other ways to survive. Judi had suffer a heartbroken loss and she regrets not having another child. She had a career few of us could only dream of and the talent and drive many of us lack in our passion. Acting is Judi's passion and that's clear but she doesn't have that attitude or ego that so many others possess in this business and maybe that's why she's so nice. She treats everybody with that respect. You just can't imagine her being anybody but Judi and she puts her heart in roles that aren't quite sympathetic like Lady Macbeth for one. oh, we love Judi and yes she is one of the top actresses on stage, television, and film. This book is worth the purchase for any aspiring actor or actress. Unlike some, Judi knows the story or plot briefly. She doesn't read the scripts and she doesn't dig deep unless she is in rehearsal. It's there that she masters her craft in creating the illusion. I was shocked to learn that she has trouble with evil female characters. It's just not in her and that's fine because Judi likes to play people with faults. It's hard to imagine that Judi is her worst critic. She doesn't watch herself. While she aims for perfection in her performance, we can't expect anything less than a hundred percent. Whether's she's doing Shakespeare, Coward, Wilde, or even a sitcom, we can imagine her playing a character that we come to know and love just as much as we love Judi herself.

Everything about Judi is covered in this book. If you like Judi Dench, you will love this book.