Judi Dench: Scenes from My Life [Hardcover]

Dame Judi Dench (Author), John Miller (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

This marvelous collection of images, many of which are drawn from Judi Dench’s personal photo albums, offer the actress’ many fans a rare insight into her life. John Miller, her biographer, has augmented Judi Dench’s own photos with images depicting 50 years of distinguished work in film, theater, and television. From her childhood in York and her first work as an actress in her teens, to recent informal shots backstage and private family photos, these images show Judi Dench as never seen before.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Don't Miss: This book is a substantial memoir and photograph album... A heart-warming read.' REAL magazine 'This delightful book is the closest that Dame Judi has come to writing an autobiography.' DAILY EXPRESS 'The words are free from luvviness, confirming Dame Judi as our most down-to-earth superstar and a worthy contender for national-treasure status' YOU (Mail on Sunday) 'a fitting tribute for a fine actress.' HAM & HIGH

About the Author

John Miller's career has principally been in TV and radio (for the BBC) and for ten years until 1992 for the South of England ITV company, TVS. He is the author of biographies of Ralph Richardson, and for W&N/Orion: Judi Dench and Peter Ustinov. He collaborated with John Gielgud on AN ACTOR AND HIS TIME (Pan pb). He has also edited DARLING JUDI (W&N/Orion) which celebrated Judi Dench's 70th birthday. Judi Dench is the foremost actress in the British theatre. Created a DBE in 1988 and a Companion of Honour in 2005. John Miller's career has principally been in TV and radio (for the BBC) and for ten years until 1992 for the South of England ITV company, TVS. He is the author of biographies of Ralph Richardson, and for W&N/Orion: Judi Dench and Peter Ustinov. He collaborated with John Gielgud on AN ACTOR AND HIS TIME (Pan pb). He has also edited DARLING JUDI (W&N/Orion) which celebrated Judi Dench's 70th birthday.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 029784427X
• ISBN-13: 978-0297844273
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

141 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Guided Tour Through Dame Judi's Photo Album!, December 3, 2005

By 

Tiggah "the Anglophile" (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judi Dench: Scenes from My Life (Hardcover)

As I already have John Miller's biography of Dame Judi Dench, I debated getting the newly-released (as of the date of writing) Scenes from My Life, which I assumed was Dame Judi's autobiography and which I thought might be somewhat repetitious. I needn't have worried, for this is, in essence, a photo album annotated with brief anecdotes or fond memories concerning each photo. This is a beautiful, slightly oversized 223-page hardcover, which is printed on heavy, photo-quality paper and is packed with quality colour and black-and-white photos on every page with very little text.

Dame Judi is generous in sharing with us a number of personal photographs. Though there are shots of her at various ages and stages in her life and career, there are not many childhood family photos (sadly, she lost most of her personal photo collection in a house fire). Still, she has managed to amass a nice assortment. There are photos of her with her late-husband, actor Michael Williams, with their daughter Finty, with grandson Sam, and with her darling and obviously much-loved little shih tzu (photos of whom I noticed even adorn her dressing room mirror in one shot!). Though the majority of photos are scenes of Judi in her professional capacity, there are as many "off stage" photos (ie. behind-the-scenes shots, dressing room shots, etc.) as their are stills from films or photos taken on stage.

The book is divided into eleven chapters, beginning with "My Family and other animals." The next seven chapters are a visual chronology of Dame Judi's roles on stage from the fifties through to the nineties. Chapters nine and ten cover Dame Judi's roles on screen (both on television and on film). The final chapter, entitled "Some Off-Duty Moments," brings the book full circle with a few more spatterings of personal photos.

Dame Judi is reputed to be a lovely person, and her wonderful sense of humour is apparent throughout. With so many photos and so little text, I suppose one would best describe this as a "coffee table" book. Certainly, it doesn't take long to read (and is well suited to being picked up and put down), but the nicest thing about it is the feeling one gets while going through the book, for it's almost as if Judi Dench herself is sitting with us, giving us a guided tour as we look through her photo album.

In conclusion, this is a lovely book which is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Dame Judi Dench, whether one is an avid reader or not, and it's the sort of book that is a pleasure to return to again and again. Highly recommended to all fans of this lovely, talented, and very successful Oscar-winning actress.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an added bonus...., March 11, 2006

By 

PNWmuse - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judi Dench: Scenes from My Life (Hardcover)

As a long-time fan of Dame Judi Dench, I found this book to be a perfect companion to her autobiography by John Miller 'Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice'. I didn't have the advantage of following her life more closely by living in England. When I read the autobiography, I wanted to 'see' more of her to sense this life she was sharing with us. This book gives the reader a full spectrum of her life and the pictures are wonderfully presented. I am so glad to have added this to my collection which also includes 'Darling Judi'. For me, the three books together complete a full and beautiful picture of this wonderful lady and actress.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dame Judi, February 21, 2006

By 

Eileen R. Maguire "Irish lass" (Jacksonville, Florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Judi Dench: Scenes from My Life (Hardcover)

I am a fan of Judi Dench's and this book is a keeper--the photos and anecdotes are superb.