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Victor Spinetti Up Front... - His Strictly Confidential Autobiography (Hardcover) Loot Price: R404
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Victor Spinetti Up Front... - His Strictly Confidential Autobiography (Hardcover): Victor Spinetti

Victor Spinetti Up Front... - His Strictly Confidential Autobiography (Hardcover)

Victor Spinetti

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List price R536 Loot Price R404 Discovery Miles 4 040 You Save R132 (25%)

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Amusing if fitfully irritating memoir of a (sort-of) brilliant career.Character actor Spinetti recounts his '60s heyday, during which he frolicked with the Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles and a host of other swinging celebrities, in anecdotes designed to underscore what a clever and exceptional chap he is. Perhaps this insecure self-promotion is understandable in a talented performer who never achieved the fame of his more celebrated peers. Best known for his role as the sneering television director swaddled in an impossibly fuzzy sweater in A Hard Day's Night, Spinetti was also a prominent player in the progressive theater of the era, working with such visionaries as Joan Littlewood in plays like Oh! What a Lovely War. He rubbed shoulders with the famous and almost famous: "A man, totally naked, was peeing into the sink. He turned round and, extending his hand, said, 'Hallo, I'm Sean Connery.' " These glimpses of backstage life are great fun, with Richard Burton, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier and a host of other dramatic titans rendered human and surprising. The portraits are not uniformly flattering. Peter Sellers is depicted as a schizophrenic disaster who coldly cut Spinetti's scenes from The Return of the Pink Panther, fearful he would siphon laughs from the star. Mostly, though, Spinetti paints the international showbiz scene of the '60s as a grand adventure full of warm fellowship. This contrasts dramatically with the book's early sections on a grim childhood in a small Welsh village, dominated by a remote, pleasure-hating father completely mystified by his dreamy, unconventional son. The family's Italian lineage led their neighbors to shun the Spinettis after the outbreak of World War II, and this experience colors the author's observations on his theatrical career. He is infuriated by unfairness, fiercely loyal and haunted by the feeling of being an outsider. Fortunately, these are useful qualities in a memoirist.A slight but enjoyable read for film fans, theater junkies and '60s nostalgics. (Kirkus Reviews)
Described by Sir Paul McCartney as "the man who makes clouds disappear", Victor Spinetti is one of Britain's best-loved and most outrageous performers. He became known to the Sixties generation through his comedic roles in the landmark Beatles films and the now classic Return of the Pink Panther, starring Peter Sellers, and his remarkable wit and versatility has earned him fresh popularity with every generation since. A veteran stage actor, writer and director, Spinetti gives us an irresistible account of his own life, from his Welsh-Italian upbringing to his role as one of the few trusted friends of the Beatles - they insisted he was in every film they made - through to his recent portrayal of Einstein on stage in London. Highlights include his 1964 Tony award for his Sergeant Major in Joan Littlewood's Oh What a Lovely War!, working with Laurence Olivier, close encounters with Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and collaboration with John Lennon on 'In His Own Write', the play he subsequently directed at the National Theatre. Up Front contains startling new insights into life with the Beatles, and a selection of previously unpublished photos of the Fab Four. Spinetti's charismatic personality and his fabulous ability to entertain, spanning over forty years and forty films, combine to make this a book of exquisite charm, joy and irreverence.

General

Imprint: Robson Books Ltd
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Release date: September 2006
First published: 2006
Authors: Victor Spinetti
Dimensions: 247 x 172 x 27mm (L x W x T)
Format: Hardcover - With dust jacket
Pages: 256
ISBN-13: 978-1-86105-943-7
Categories: Books > Arts & Architecture > Performing arts > General
Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Film, television, music, theatre
Books > Biography > Film, television, music, theatre
LSN: 1-86105-943-4
Barcode: 9781861059437

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