Judi Dench as told to John Miller. And Furthermore.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2010.
Judi Dench. Scenes from my Life. John Miller (ed.)
London: Weidenfeld &Nicolson,2005.
John Miller (ed.) Darling Judi: A Celebration of Judi Dench.
London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004.
As reviewed by Ted Odenwald
Dame Judi Dench’s memoir, And Furthermore, is a collection of anecdotes, annotations, and afterthoughts—a companion piece to her biographer, John Miller’s work published in the late 90’s. Dench complements Miller’s use of her diaries and commentaries from both critics and her associates on stage and screen with colorful bits and pieces gleaned from her incredibly sharp recollections. This memoir adds color to the 2005 publication of photos of her personal life as well as records of her brilliant 50-year career in classical and modern theatre, two situation comedy series, made-for-tv productions, and movies. Darling Judi provides the insights of stage and screen associates into her personality and career; the work was published as a tribute to Dame Judi upon the celebration of her 70th birthday. Together, these books clearly reveal why she is revered as a performer and professional.
Billy Connelly, her co-star in Mrs. Brown, calls Dame Judi “The world’s first completely compact and portable giant.” While poking fun at her short stature, Connelly echoes the admiration of virtually all who have been in productions with her. A perusal of her “Chronology of Parts,” printed as an appendix in each of these books, reveals a productive and diverse career. She has performed on stage with The Old Vic Company, The Royal Shakespeare Company, and the National Theatre Company, with key roles in classics by Shakespeare, Chekhov, Shaw, O’Casey, and Wilde. She has performed in critically acclaimed modern dramas: Brecht’s Mother Courage, Ackland’s Absolute Hell, Pinter’s Langrishe, Go Down, and Hare’s Amy’s View. She has been recognized as an outstanding comic performer as a result of her work on two tv series: A FineRomance(1980-3), opposite her husband, Michael Williams; and As Time Goes By(1991-2002), opposite Geoffrey Palmer. Her film career is also replete with impressive performances, gaining world-wide recognition for her roles as Queen Victoria in 1996 in Mrs. Brown, Queen Elizabeth I in 2001in Shakespeare in Love, and Iris Murdoch in 2002.
Dame Judi recalls the challenges and accomplishments of most of her dramatic work, including five efforts at stage direction. These recollections reveal her relationships with some of the icons of the stage and screen including Sir John Geilgud, Dame PeggyAshcroft, Dame Maggie Smith, Trevor Nunn, John Madden, Lasse Hallstrom, Jim Broadbent , Richard Eyre, and Kenneth Branagh. She explains how she learned a great deal from each of these relationships. Consequently, her education in the theatre has been rich and diverse.
Several aspects of her personality are evident through her anecdotes. While she is respectful of traditional approaches, she delights in experimenting with her characters—interpreting lines, making her actions spontaneous but consistent with her interpretation of the character, and digging deeply within to find the emotional focal point of each character. Director Trevor Nunn says, “She has the capacity to open herself and become a conduit for all our emotions and experiences and memories.” Her sense of humor is legendary among her co-workers. She gleefully recounts several practical jokes she perpetrated against fellow performers –even in actual performances. She often appears out-of-control and hilariously unfocused just before going on stage, but this is a part of her preparation technique—her focusing to enter the action with full energy. This behavior affects her fellow actors positively: “…Out of humour come so many things; the malleable quality that humour creates in people is of vital importance when you are working with them.”
Actor Michael Williams, the love of her life, also performed to critical acclaim. Their relationship was strong, built upon a mutual understanding and respect for the demands of their respective careers. While Michael’s death in 2001 was devastating, she created her own therapeutic regimen, performing in that same year in three top-flight movies, Iris, The Shipping News, and The Importance of Being Earnest.
Biographer, editor, and friend John Miller sums up what these three works reveal about Dame Judi Dench: “…it is her qualities as a person—her ready sympathy, her alert sensitivity to the problems of others, her quick intelligence, her bubbling sense of humour, her astonishing generosity and thoughtfulness—which combine with her innate truthfulness in every part she plays to create a character that can reduce you to tears or laughter, often with just a look or a gesture, an inflection, or sometimes even just a momentary pause.”
Ted Odenwald and his wife, Shirley have lived in Oakland for 42 years. He taught HS English at Glen Rock High School for all of those years plus one more. Now he is enjoying time spent with his family, singing in the North Jersey Chorus and quenching his wanderlust. Ted is also the Worship Leader at the Ramapo Valley Baptist Church in Oakland.