Product Description

One of our best-known journalists and broadcasters, renowned for his laconic wit and opinionated ideas, now looks back at his fascinating life. Barry Norman fronted the seminal BBC film programme since FILM 72 and many mourned the moment he decided to leave. For nearly 30 years he established himself as the authority on film and has become the funniest, most iconoclastic and astute reviewer we know. During that time he met and fraternised with the cinematic greats - stars, directors and producers - and he now tells all in an honest, clever and humorous insider's look at the world of journalism, broadcasting and film. Barry's autobiography promises offbeat encounters with the likes of Sir David English, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers, Madonna, Robert De Niro and many more. With both his parents working in the world of film, Barry Norman was no stranger to the starry circles. From his childhood and early days as a journalist to his retirement from the BBC, and with thirty years of the most fabulous anecdotes to be told both from the worlds of journalism and cinema, this is a witty and intelligently written story of a fascinating life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1019069 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
For nearly 30 years the late night film review programme on BBC was effectively the Barry Norman show. He was, arguably, the most influential film critic Britain has ever had. It helped that he was also very funny. In his long-awaited autobiography he gives his behind-the-scenes account of his own life on the small screen, plus his many meetings with the big screen Hollywood greats, from Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor to Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers, Robert de Niro (a highly uncongenial encounter) and many more. He is also a very experienced and accomplished writer, with no less than 18 books to his name. Jonathan Ross is funny too, but the film review show isn't quite what it used to be, is it? This captivating autobiography is a reminder of the critic we have lost.

Barry Norman, film pundit, television presenter, critic and reporter, is Britain's best-loved and best-informed authority on cinema, and in this thoroughly enjoyable autobiography he describes his path to success and gives readers entertaining glimpses into the world of film. His fascination for the medium started early: both parents worked in the industry, his mother as an editor, his father as Producer and later Director for the world-famous Ealing Studios. So very early in life the young Barry became unimpressed by famous names and faces. To him the stars of the silver screen were 'just people doing a job'. If they did it well he respected them. If they did it badly he didn't. Later some of the great did become his friends, notably Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor and Anthony Hopkins - but most, by his own choice, remained friendly acquaintances. He needed, and insisted on having, freedom to criticize. Unlike his parents he didn't join the film world as a technician. He loved words and the English language (as these memoirs demonstrate) and his great ambition was to become a novelist - which he did. At the last count his tally was ten, plus a comfortable handful of non-fiction works mostly about films. So writing - books and journalism - became his chosen career; he wrote columns of various kinds for prestigious newspapers and spent 13 happy years as show-business editor for the Daily Mail until one day he was made redundant. So he turned freelance - and never looked back. This is not just a book for movie-lovers, though they will revel in its many entertaining anecdotes, but for a far wider audience; written with sparkle and integrity, it's uninhibited, amusing, fair-minded, infinitely quotable and never, ever, boring. (Kirkus UK)

TLS
'Enormously enjoyable'

SUNDAY TIMES
'Entertaining and engaging'

Customer Reviews

An Informative Entertaining Book
Hook your readers in the first paragraph. This is just one pearl of wisdom from Mr Norman from his days as a journalist in South Africa and indeed I was hooked by this book very early on. An interesting but not overly detailed account of his upbringing includes wonderful information and stories of his father. A lot of readers will know that Leslie Norman directed "The Cruel Sea" but how many will know of his innovative cinematic work which helped the war effort.
Following on Mr Norman treats us to a wonderfully written autobiographical tale which takes us through the entertainment and cinema industry.
Beautifully written and throughly entertaining I can recommend this book to anyone

Witty, incisive and intensely funny
Known to millions through BBC's Film programme, Barry Norman is essentially a writer and in this book he follows the golden rule of writing: write about what you know. The result is a beautifully crafted gem of book which takes the reader on a ramble through the good, bad and downright peculiar events of Barry's life.

For film buffs, there are cameo appearances by any number of Hollywood greats as well as fascinating insights into the British film industry at its zenith (Barry's father was the producer and director Leslie Norman). For the rest of us, there are anecdotes about everything from the author's light fingered mother to his life as a Fleet Street insider.

This is a masterpiece of storytelling and the easy, conversational style will leave you feeling as if you've spent the evening putting the world to rights with a wise and intensely funny friend. An excellent holiday read and a sure-fire birthday present or stocking filler.