Book Description
From his amazing feature film performances to his roles as producer and director to his many notable guest appearances, De Niro started his career as early as 1965 and has since dominated the world of Hollywood. Untouchable will take you inside the life of this astonishing actor to provide a revealing and sometimes startling account of an intensely private man. Dougan provides information on actual life events that seemed to have had a profound effect on De Niro emotionally, and discusses De Niro's working and personal relationships with personalities such as Martin Scorcese, Jack Nicholson, Jodie Foster, and Sharon Stone. With an updated epilogue and filmography, this new edition will also include De Niro's entrepreneurial and behind-the-scenes role in co-founding Tribeca Productions in 1988 and the works he has since produced and directed. Although De Niro continues his work as an actor, it is his vision for Tribeca to be the axis of the film industry and the heart of New York City's film community that currently takes up most of his time. 24 black-and-white photos are included.
Customer Reviews:
A Suspect Expose.......2006-06-22
First, I must say that the writer must be British, because of his spelling. However, I personally believe that only a New Yorker can really accurately capture a man like Robert De Niro's life. I also believe that the author engages in speculation on more than one occasion and oftentimes his speculation is presented as fact. Granted, Robert De Niro is an "intensely private" individual, as the author says. So an author must engage in some speculation, however there is too much ambiguity, tenuous speclation in this biography, for my taste. But, Mr. Dougan's alleged reputation as "a respected film reviewer and broadcaster" became a matter of speculation itself, when Andy Dougan makes the impugnable offense of claiming that "De Niro, incidentally, is the only person in the Godfather films who utters the immortal phrase about non-refusable offers...When Al Pacino as Michael relates to Vito's negotiating ploy in the first film he says only, 'My father made him an offer he couldn't refuse.'" (page 65, second to last paragraph) Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone tells his godson, Johnny Fontane, that it's too late for the Godfather to get him into an acting role, because the part has been cast,
Fontane: "It's too late, they start shooting in a week."
Don Corleone (Brando): "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
I only realized after this review that other Amazon reviewers spotted the mistake, however when I read it, I almost fell out of my chair; I knew it was a mistake immediately. How can a "respected film reviewer" forget about one of the most famous lines, in perhaps the most famous film ever made? For me, a movie purist, this casts a shadow on the veracity of this biography, or any of this author's speculation and/or conclusions. This is not pedantry, I believe that when writing a biography of Robert De Niro, and proclaiming yourself as a respected film reviewer, one cannot make these mistakes. Also, the author does not make much reference to the friendship of Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Personally, through some inside knowledge, I happen to know quite a bit of their relationship through a source who "hung out with them" during the early to mid 1980s in Jersey City, NJ and Manhattan. However, let me point to some positives, I did in fact learn several little trifles of knowledge and interesting facts about the legendary screen actor, director, and film-maker.
Untouchable..........2003-12-27
I'm a big fan of Robert DeNiro.This book help me to see him in different view.The way he's prepare for each role his endeless hard work and great performing.He's know as a private person and the book is not only talk about his great movies,but tell a lot of his private life.I learn so much and I recomended everybody who loves him.
De Niro.......2003-12-14
UNTOUCHABLE is a decent book. I agree with the others that state some obvious errors, such as the famous Godfather quote. Another is the Scorsese/Raging Bull quote. Scorsese actually greatly admired Buster Keaton's work in Battling Butler (and Keaton never hit anyone over the head with a chair in it). Dougan has it all wrong.
Having said that, this is about the only biography of Robert De Niro available and Dougan does a good job of covering his personal life which is not well known.
GOOD BOOK LOTS OF INFO........2002-03-21
It took me a long time and I mean a very long time about 6 mths. to actually get into this book but after I did I enjoyed it and found out alot of information that I never knew about Deniro. The one thing that bothered me about this book and took me so long to get into it was the grammar in this book I mean I am no English lit. teacher but at least proofread the book before publishing it. I mean come on there was alot of mispelling of words and missing words that you just kind of had to fill in for yourself along the way, and it was a little confusing the way the author went back and forth with certain events and movies you really had to follow along every single step of the way. Overall I liked it because it was a good book as far as info. was concerned. I really only bought the book because I love Deniro as an actor and think he is THE sexiest man alive!!!
DEE-Cleveland,OHIO
"Anytime, anywhere.".......2002-01-29
It took me a while to decide whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. As you can see, I decided on the lower number. I have many reasons for this:
1. This is an interesting book, but only because it is about Robert De Niro. Not because the information is presented in an interesting fashion. In fact, my Calculus textbook presents its information more interestingly than this bio. Mr. Dougan either doesn't know how to write, or had his 9 year old write this book for him. The language of his writing is awful. The way he states things is bad (he also uses the word "keen" at least once every 2 pages-what's up with that?)You'll understand what I mean
if you have read this.
3. He doesn't do everything in chronological order. For example, he'll go on for a few pages about a movie De Niro was doing, than he'll suddenly go back five years and tell us about De Niro's relationship with one of his wives or something like that. He could definately have done this in a way so that it isn't so grating on the reader.
4. He uses quotes that are at times unrelated to what he's talking about.
5. He repeats the same information multiple times. For example, I think that he has John Belushi dying about 5 times in 2 chapters. In fact chapters 22 and 23 three begin with almost the exact same sentence ("The death of John Belushi was a devastating blow for De Niro." and "Since the death of John Belushi, De Niro had been taking stock of his life." Tell me that those two chapters don't sound like they are both about the same thing, De Niro dealing with Belushi's death.)
6. He uses unrelated things to make the book seem bigger. For example, a little over two chapters are devoted to John Belushi's life, his relatationship with De Niro, his death, and the investigation after his death.
7. He doesn't have enough actual information about De Niro preparing and making his movies. He tends to spend much more time quoting reviews that various critics gave of De Niro's performances. In fact, I'd say that the critic quotes outnumber actual facts about making the movies 3 to 1.
8. He has absolutely no interviews that he specifically did for this book with anyone who would know anything about De Niro's life, preparing for roles, making his movies, anything! Instead he relies on past interviews that other people have conducted with De Niro and people who know him.
So, overall this was an interesting book since it is the first bio of Robert De Niro that I read. However, that is the only thing it has going for it. Unless you can't find ANYTHING at all better, don't read this. If you have to read this because your library doesn't have any other bios on De Niro (the unfortunate situation that I fell into), then I guess this is okay.
Oh, I almost forgot one more thing:
9. He gets a lot of his facts wrong. For instance, he says that De Niro, playing Vito Corleone in Godfather II, was the only one to say the famous "offer he can't refuse" line. While in fact, Brando says it in the first one when telling Tom Hagen what to do about Woltz, the movie producer, AND Michael (Pacino) also says it in the first one when Fredo asks how he will convince Moe Greene to sell the casino. And those two are just off of my head (he does say that Pacino "alluded" to the famous line while telling Kay about Luca Brasi and the band leader during the wedding scene, but he says that that apparently doesn't count).
Book Description
Robert De Niro's portrayals of the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather II, Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, and Jake La Motta in Raging Bull are among the most vivid ever committed to celluloid. The actor is famously perfectionistic, and the lengths to which he will go to create his characters are legendary. Based on scrupulous research and conversations with De Niro’s friends and colleagues, and featuring a complete filmography, John Baxter’s biography sheds new light on the life and career of this fiercely private star.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing.......2007-07-22
Baxter certainly doesn't seem to be in love with his subject! Reading this book, you would think that De Niro has only made a couple of decent films.
While De Niro has certainly made his share of lemons, the talent of the man only comes out sporadically in this biography and you don't get a sense of what he is really like.
I wouldn't recommend it.
An Unrelenting Attack on his Character.......2005-12-23
I had wanted to like this book. The subject is one of the world's most respected actors and I had hoped for an even-handed treatment. I so wanted to disagree with the other assessments that the author simply "has it in" for the actor, Robert De Niro. But after an initial framing of Robert De Niro as the great actor dedicated to earning a right to inhabit a part, the author rips into him at every opportunity. All the scandals, the dirt, every bit of tainted laundry and really; who cares if De Niro's dad was gay, bisexual or straight? Still, the author hammers away about De Niro's dad struggling with his sexuality. How this shapes the actor is of little consequence. And the saddest part is that this bully, this needless attack on Robert De Niro's character will go un-answered.
Yes, you will read about film deals, and the actor's competitive nature, his dedication to his craft and then judgment after judgement will follow that he has phoned-in performances for nearly 15 years to sustain his TriBeCa production company. But it's an uneven book, a hack job, a work of disrespect thinly veiled in false praise. It peddles De Niro and Scorsese's relationship as drug-fueled excesses with barbaric results.
It is easy to attack Robert De Niro because he won't respond. This book is sensationalist bullying. Robert De Niro deserves better, he's earned better. Not because this reviewer feels the need to defend him, but because this particular biography is equivalent to literary "poo" and not worth the cash, nor the time required to get through it.
And further, the public knows of De Niro's preference for black partners, why dig into his conquests and his sexual appetite as though it mattered at all? With respect, those who will read this book will find little more than tabloid gossip, speculations about his famiy life, his intimacies and failures. Ultimatey we learn that Robert De Niro is an actor, a man, and a father many times over with all the frailties that come with being human. Aside from that, the book is truly flawed by lousy facts, inconsistencies and flat-out unforgivable errors. There are better books about this actor. This one is not worth your time.
Poorly written.......2005-09-13
There are so many examples of gratuitous name dropping in this "biography" that it is indeed a chore to get through it. As a fan of much of De Niro's work, I also realize he has made some poor role choices but Baxter has little to say that is positive. I learned some details regarding De Niro's early life and training that were somewhat interesting so I give it 2 stars for that but it seems that a better biography with more balance might be a better choice for the general reader. Actually then later chapters seem rushed as if Baxter was more concerned about hitting a deadline than producing a good and balanced book.
John Baxter should go piss up a flag pole........2005-07-07
This is a really terrible book. For starters, it's unfair. Most biographers should find a balance between negativity and praise - a good example is Laurence Leamer's recent Arnold Schwarzenegger biography, "Fantastic," which details his faults and strengths.
"De Niro" (oh, what a unique title!) by John Baxter is a terribly painful ordeal. It's clear from the beginning that he dislikes De Niro, and considers his last good performance to be in the film "Taxi Driver" (1976) -- thereby forgetting "The Deer Hunter" (1978), "Raging Bull" (1980), "The King of Comedy" (1983), "Brazil" (1985), "Midnight Run" (1987), "Awakenings" and "GoodFellas" (1990), "Casino" and "Heat" (1995). (I'm one of De Niro's fans who also likes his comedic ventures, but if you're a snobby film critic, chances are you'll consider "Casino" his last great film, if that.)
Anyway, Baxter's first mistake is that he tries to offer film criticism. Simply put, he sucks at a critic because he can't get his facts straight. He says "Awakenings" came out in 1987. Claims "Deliverance" came out the same year as "Mean Streets." Incorrectly quotes De Niro and Scorsese on many occasions, as well as erroneously makes assumptions about their box office failure "King of Comedy." He misspells names frequently, occasionally making mistakes altogether (replacing one name with an entirely different one). He gives incorrect plot summaries and seems to like comparing Pacino and De Niro in his section on "Heat" and other films - a mistake, I think, since they're two very different actors, and anyone who tries to compare them is doing something utterly pointless. I mean, really, they're two great actors - let's just get over with it already, okay?
Another thing Baxter does is try and make a claim to support the fact that De Niro is stupid, inarticulate, weird (because of his intense privacy), and so on and so forth. I think that's a very cheap shot. He's inarticulate BECAUSE he is shy, dumbass. Privacy doesn't automatically make someone a reclusive weirdo. I'm a private person, too, and am not very good at expressing myself through speaking publicly. I don't think that's "strange" - it's just different personalities. If I had to define Baxter's personality, I'd say he's one of those arrogant snobs who belittles others to make himself feel better. But that's my opinion.
Baxter is a really bad writer and he can't get any of his facts straight. His bio is unauthorized and as a result he has nothing worthwhile to say; save your cash and wait for an authorized biography in the future.
de Ziro.......2004-08-24
When a biographer can't even get the most basic facts right, there's good reason to wonder about the rest of his research, too. In addition to a raft of rudimentary errors pointed out by other readers, Baxter also misidentifies the author of Helter Skelter (it's Vincent, not Steven, Bugliosi); refers to the cult film Spider Baby as Spider Boy; confuses Milton Berle with Arthur Godfrey (this incident is so mangled it's impossible to know who Baxter really means) and claims that Mean Streets (released in 1973) got lost in the shuffle because so many other high-profile movies were released that year--including A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Deliverance (1972). But why go on? A real mess.
Average customer rating:
- THE book to own for Robert De Niro fans!
- Bravo
- Beautiful, perfect book
|
The Films Of Robert De Niro
Douglas Brode
Manufacturer: Citadel
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Untouchable: A Biography of Robert De Niro
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ASIN: 0806521104 |
Customer Reviews:
THE book to own for Robert De Niro fans!.......2005-03-03
Robert De Niro is without a doubt one of the best actors of all time. This wonderful in-depth book covers his film career, from his early student films of the 60's with Brian De Palma through 1998's "Ronin". It briefly mentions his roles after "Ronin" and ends with "Meet the Parents" and "Men of Honor". As this fourth edition was published in 2001, an updated fifth edition is badly needed. But, even the most hardcore De Niro fans like me must admit that he hasn't had many memorable roles since "Ronin", although "Analyze This" was very funny.
When looking through this book I'm surprised at how many De Niro films haven't been released yet on dvd. With each of his movies, the author lists the cast, gives a plot summary, and tells how the critics and public reacted to each movie upon its initial release. There are hundreds of great photos from his movies (including a nice color section in the middle of the book) that fans will appreciate. I was already a major Robert De Niro fan before I bought this awesome book, but reading it helped me discover many more of his great movies. This book is an absolute must for any De Niro fan!
Bravo.......2005-01-12
You may think that Bobby D is the man, and you'd be right. But do you really understand WHY he is the man? Douglas Brode does, and in this project, he lays out all of the reasons De Niro has become one of the most prolific actors of his time. Informative and entertaining, The Films of Robert De Niro is a must read for fans of the actor and his movies.
Beautiful, perfect book.......2003-02-05
This series of books is always outstanding for the bunch of pictures it contents. But the text equals the image, there's a lot of research for each movie De Niro's done -critic-guru Pauline Kael's comments among others-, and a few insights on the flaws of some of his movies, that may give you the right impression that this author knows some things about craftsmanship.
Book Description
De Niro’s Game plunges readers into the timely story of two young men caught in Lebanon’s civil war. Bassam and George, best friends in childhood, have grown to adulthood in war-torn Beirut. Now they must choose their futures: to stay in the city and consolidate power through crime, or to go into exile abroad, alienated from the only existence they have known. Told in a distinctive, captivating voice that fuses vivid cinematic imagery and page-turning plot with the measured strength and beauty of Arabic poetry, De Niro’s Game is an explosive portrait of life in a war zone, and a powerful meditation on what comes after.
Customer Reviews:
Seemingly hopeless. .......2007-09-17
A young man is forced to raise himself and grow up in a war torn city and he just wants to get enough money to leave. However, he tries to mess with the wrong people and do things his way and finds out he's just a little fish in a big pond. He can't seem to stay out of trouble and no matter how far he runs, his biggest enemy is himself. Not a bad book, but it just doesn't seem to go anywhere and it doesn't seem to leave much of an impression either way.
Average customer rating:
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Race (Transitions)
Brian Niro
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
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ASIN: 0333753135 |
Book Description
This dynamic study of the history of the idea of race provides a broad historical overview of the concept from its inception to the present. Brian Niro introduces key theorists and philosophers and a wide variety of literary and theoretical concepts. A series of close readings of often studied literary texts, including Robinson Crusoe, Frankenstein and Heart of Darkness, help to make the theories discussed accessible.
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Al Pacino, Robert De Niro : regards croises
Michel Cieutat
Manufacturer: Dreamland
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ASIN: 2910027627 |
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City by the Sea
Robert Ddwa 23893 De Niro
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0790774852 |
Book Description
The studies in this volume concern cultural history. They grew out of the author's work over the last two decades with colleagues in the Lindisfarne Association, and especially his eighteen-year collaboration with the chaos mathematician Ralph Abraham.
Customer Reviews:
An Intriguing Option.......2000-06-21
I found that this suplement can be quite helpful if you know what you are looking for, but if you are reading for pure enjoyment you may find it a bit to disturbing in sections. I also thought that while several story ideas are presented almost none were to my taste.
But, on a positive note, the writing was quite good and everything included I eventually found invaluable.
So, to conclude I both liked this supplement and found it useful.
Book Description
Get the in-depth information you need to modifyand seamlessly managethe Windows registry. Written for IT professionals and power users, this vital resource reveals little-known registry techniques, tricks, tips, and secrets to make your job easier. Understand the inner workings of the Windows operating systemand use the registry to get Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP to run the way you want, on a single desktop or across the network. Youll learn how to pinpoint registry settings and script registry changes, deal with registry permissions, use Windows Installer, and map Tweak UI settings. Also, find best practices for how to back up, restore, and maintain registry settings with confidence. The CD includes 100+ registry files for customizing operating system appearance and behavior, and the complete eBook.
Customer Reviews:
Windows Registry Guide.......2006-11-13
Windows Registry Guide is a comprehensive approach to the Windows registry. Great for the novice and expert alike.
For Administrators of Windows XP Professional or Windows 2003 Server Software.......2006-02-01
I purchased this book to help me create a more secure limited user environment for Windows XP Home which would also work with legacy software. After purchase I found out that the author assumes the user is administering either Windows XP Professional or Windows 2003 Server software for large groups of users. The author details how to make mass registry changes using the Group Policy Editor which is not available in Windows XP Home. This book is probably the best resource available for its intended readers. While it was not intended for use with Windows XP Home, I've gained enough knowledge from the book to be able to successfully find on the internet the writings of other authors who have already worked out the registry hacks of XP Home needed to accomplish for its administrators one user at a time the same result as that obtained for those who administer large groups of users.
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