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Nicole Kidman
From the brilliant film historian and critic David Thomson, a book that reinvents the star biography in a singularly illuminating portrait of Nicole Kidman—and what it means to be a top actress today. At once life story, love letter, and critical analysis, this is not merely a book about who Kidman is but about what she is—in our culture and in our minds, on- and offscreen...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
September 5th 2006
by Knopf
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I wish that there had been a subtitle for this book because everytime someone saw me reading it they would give me an odd look and a raised eyebrow. I tried to explain that this was no glowing life story or tmz style unauthorized biography, but people couldn't really get past the cover. No one seemed to understand that Kidman is really used to examine the relationships between a star and the public and with the industry. The book seems a little sillier now that kidman is no longer the star she w...more
Apr 30, 2009
Iris
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Iris by:
Hennepin County Public Library
La Kidman.
David Thomson is a special film critic. Though he's a film historian, his reviews don't descend into geekery or plot dissections (he saves that for another book, his Dictionary of Film). When he writes about movies, he articulates extremely subjective reactions to images and performers, contemplating the inner life of what he sees.
So he turns to one fascinating performer for a book that surely was more fun to research and write than to read. Each short chapter focuses on a performance...more
David Thomson is a special film critic. Though he's a film historian, his reviews don't descend into geekery or plot dissections (he saves that for another book, his Dictionary of Film). When he writes about movies, he articulates extremely subjective reactions to images and performers, contemplating the inner life of what he sees.
So he turns to one fascinating performer for a book that surely was more fun to research and write than to read. Each short chapter focuses on a performance...more
I believe this book had so much potential. Thomson seems to analysis the films Kidman has starred in, which is relevant as he is also a film critic, but didn't really reveal the whole life and story of Nicole Kidman thoroughly, as it can get quite repetitive.
Not saying it's poor, but not implying it's brilliant.
3/5 stars.
Not saying it's poor, but not implying it's brilliant.
3/5 stars.
Not that it's terrible, Thomson writes extremely well and engagingly, and he brings out more about his subject than you might think possible. It's just that there is too much here about movies which I haven't seen, don't plan to see, and though Thomson does his best in trying to make them a part of his overall narrative it ends up being a little bit too obscure to fully appreciate. I like the concept of the book quite a bit- biographical criticism of alluring and complex stars written poetically...more
Essays on talent and celebrity.
I wish there was an addendum covering the film of The Golden Compass.
I wish there was an addendum covering the film of The Golden Compass.
Op zich een aardig boek om te lezen, maar ik vind het geen biografie. Het gaat hoofdzakelijk over de films waarin Kidman heeft gespeeld en je komt weinig over haarzelf en haar drijfveren te weten. Een gemiste kans.
This book is more than you might expect. Kidman is more the theme than the subject of this entertaining biography, which contains brilliant film and literary criticism and also offers repeated insights into how Hollywood stars manage their careers. Thomson is an incredibly insightful and skilled writer whose knowledge of film and cinematic history is probably unsurpassed.
Not recommended unless you're already interested in Kidman, but if you are, this is a clever, well-crafted and intelligent book. A bit too clever at times, but better than a fluff celeb bio thrown together to fill space on the shelf. This is written by a film professor who is also a self-professed fan.
David Thomson is quite a prolific critic. Why he put his considerable talent towards this book is beyond me. There are some quite sharp observations about celebrity and stardom in here. But the authors' fantasies about Kidman will make most cringe.
I'm not really a fan of Nicole Kidman. But David Thomson is and it was fascinating to read about his analysis of her as an actress.
hahah yes i did read this book. of course i did!
Jul 26, 2012
J.
marked it as to-read
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