Blowing the Bloody Doors Off
And Other Lessons in Life
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- €6.99
Publisher Description
'Wise, funny' Daily Mail
'Chatty and engaging . . . he often comes across as endearingly humble' Sunday Times
'Thoroughly engaging' Sunday Express magazine
'Fabulous storytelling' Prima
One of 'the top 25 most compelling Hollywood autobiographies' -Guardian
Hollywood legend and British national treasure Sir Michael Caine shares the wisdom, stories, insight and skills that life has taught him in his remarkable career - and now his 85th year.
One of our best-loved actors Michael Caine has starred in a huge range of films - including all-time favourites - from the classic British movies Alfie, Zulu and The Italian Job to the Hollywood blockbusting Dark Knight trilogy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hannah and Her Sisters and Cider House Rules. Caine has excelled in every kind of role - with a skill that's made it look easy.
He knows what success takes - he's made it to the top of his profession from the toughest beginning. But as he says 'Small parts can lead to big things. And if you keep doing things right, the stars will align when you least expect it.' Now in his 85th year he wants to share everything he's learned.
With brilliant new insight into his life and work and with his wonderful gift for story, this is Caine at his wise and entertaining best.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Oscar-winning British actor Caine (What's It All About?) mines his long career for entertaining anecdotes and life lessons in this genial memoir, taking readers from his childhood in a London slum to his years as a struggling unknown one studio canceled his contract because an executive thought he looked gay to major roles in hits such as Alfie, Sleuth, and Batman Begins. Much of the book is blithe showbiz picaresque, stocked with A-listers including John Wayne and Beyonc and full of filmmaking pratfalls. ("The bees were shitting on us," he writes of a scene in The Swarm, which he cheerfully allows may be "the worst movie ever made.") From these vignettes, Caine distills advice on topics including acting mechanics ("Stand straight and you look younger; round your shoulders for instant aging") and success strategies ("You are always auditioning"), and delivers generic pep talks ("Any time you learn from a failure, it's a success"). His pens es gain resonance from deeply felt passages on the grueling rejection and insecurity of an actor's life, the sting of being typecast as an "ignorant cockney bastard," and the immersion in craft and preparation that overcome obstacles. Caine's writing funny, warm, down-to-earth will captivate fans and casual readers alike.