Depardieu
by Paul Chutkow
Hands down, Depardieu is one of the most fascinating, entertaining, touching biographies I’ve ever read. And if you follow my reviews on Hot Toasty Rag, you know I’ve read dozens in that genre, so that’s quite a compliment. In this authorized biography of France’s greatest star, Gérard Depardieu is finally revealed to the world. He’s an internally wounded, extremely sensitive, overly generous, kind-hearted, beautiful man, and thanks to Paul Chutkow, English readers can get to know him.
Anyone who doesn’t believe one’s childhood completely shapes the adult he grows into needs to read this book. Chutkow must have a background in psychology, or else be very in tuned with the human mind and heart, because he links Gérard’s childhood experiences with his adult behavioral traits in heartbreaking accuracy. Gérard did not grow up in a happy household, so depending on how much you’re affected by sad childhoods—or how dearly you love him—you might need to set aside a Kleenex or two.
Chutkow is an incredibly talented writer, turning both harrowing and entertaining situations into interesting, detailed fiction. This biography really reads like a novel, propelling readers through with their thirst to learn more about the complex protagonist. When Gérard was first exploring his interest in acting, he mumbled and whispered his recitations with very little feeling in his words. Can you imagine it? Gérard is such a powerful, expressive actor—and if it weren’t for one man taking an interest in his speech problem, he never would have had a career. Gérard was sent to an alternative therapy center and listened to hours of classical music; it turns out, he had a hearing problem brought on by emotional stress from his childhood. Once his heart and therefore his ears were healed, he was able to speak at a normal volume and perform as an actor.
See what I mean? It’s almost too fluid to be nonfiction. Gérard has had a very eventful life, and although this book stops the narrative in 1992 whilst on the set of his film 1492: Conquest of Paradise, there’s more than enough to fill the pages. There is one very upsetting incident that Chutkow writes about, the infamous Time Magazine scandal. If you’ve never heard about this, and you’re desperately in love with Gérard, as I am, it would be a good idea for you to skip that chapter of the book. It’s upsetting to read about, and while I’m extremely grateful for Chutkow for including the true story and for being the first to vindicate Gérard, it still hurts.
If you’re not in love with Gérard Depardieu, you might not be persuaded to read this book. After all, it’s a hard sell to get someone to read a book about a movie star they’re not crazy about. I am absolutely crazy about Gérard, so reading Depardieu was a natural course of action. My advice is to watch Green Card and then pick up a copy of the book. It’s impossible not to fall in love with him in that movie, so you’ll be interested in learning his story.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Gérard Depardieu's memoir Innocent here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of Gérard Depardieu's films here!
Anyone who doesn’t believe one’s childhood completely shapes the adult he grows into needs to read this book. Chutkow must have a background in psychology, or else be very in tuned with the human mind and heart, because he links Gérard’s childhood experiences with his adult behavioral traits in heartbreaking accuracy. Gérard did not grow up in a happy household, so depending on how much you’re affected by sad childhoods—or how dearly you love him—you might need to set aside a Kleenex or two.
Chutkow is an incredibly talented writer, turning both harrowing and entertaining situations into interesting, detailed fiction. This biography really reads like a novel, propelling readers through with their thirst to learn more about the complex protagonist. When Gérard was first exploring his interest in acting, he mumbled and whispered his recitations with very little feeling in his words. Can you imagine it? Gérard is such a powerful, expressive actor—and if it weren’t for one man taking an interest in his speech problem, he never would have had a career. Gérard was sent to an alternative therapy center and listened to hours of classical music; it turns out, he had a hearing problem brought on by emotional stress from his childhood. Once his heart and therefore his ears were healed, he was able to speak at a normal volume and perform as an actor.
See what I mean? It’s almost too fluid to be nonfiction. Gérard has had a very eventful life, and although this book stops the narrative in 1992 whilst on the set of his film 1492: Conquest of Paradise, there’s more than enough to fill the pages. There is one very upsetting incident that Chutkow writes about, the infamous Time Magazine scandal. If you’ve never heard about this, and you’re desperately in love with Gérard, as I am, it would be a good idea for you to skip that chapter of the book. It’s upsetting to read about, and while I’m extremely grateful for Chutkow for including the true story and for being the first to vindicate Gérard, it still hurts.
If you’re not in love with Gérard Depardieu, you might not be persuaded to read this book. After all, it’s a hard sell to get someone to read a book about a movie star they’re not crazy about. I am absolutely crazy about Gérard, so reading Depardieu was a natural course of action. My advice is to watch Green Card and then pick up a copy of the book. It’s impossible not to fall in love with him in that movie, so you’ll be interested in learning his story.
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of Gérard Depardieu's memoir Innocent here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's reviews of Gérard Depardieu's films here!