In the original dustsheet. Black cloth binding with silver title on the spine.

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Deneuve’s startling portrayal of an icy, sexually adventurous housewife in Belle de Jour helped to establish her as one of the most remarkable and compelling actresses of her generation. Forty years on and Deneuve is still widely regarded as one of the greatest and most international grandes dames of French cinema. Despite her international appeal, however, Deneuve has always chosen to avoid the ferocious glare of Hollywood and seldom allows the public into her private life. In Close Up and Personal, Deneuve gives her fans an exclusive look behind the scenes of her life and career in this fascinating collection of seven previously unpublished diaries that she kept while filming abroad. Written in her own words, Deneuve charts the shooting of films such as The April Fools (1968) co-starring Jack Lemmon; Tristana (1969) directed by the great Luis Bunuel; Indochine (1991), shot in Vietnam and Lars von Trier’s acclaimed Dancer in the Dark (1999) co-starring Bjork. Including an exclusive interview with famous director Pascal Bonitzer, Close Up and Personal offers an intimate and revealing insight into Deneuve’s life both on- and off-screen. Arguably the greatest cool blonde in cinema history, the truly international star of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion has produced a book every bit as riveting as her movie persona.

Reviews:

• I found this book quite interesting,  which surprised me because from a few comments I’d read some readers and reviewers seemed disappointed in it. I suspect they were hoping for intimate details of Deneuve’s love life. I say good for her in keeping her private life private. We get enough details from so many actors that it would not have interested me if she’d taken that route. OK it might have interested me a bit! I had never read a book like this with accounts of what film shoots are like – the personalities, the conditions, what work days are like. I had always imagined movie stars to have glamorous conditions wherever they are. This book was quite enlightening as to working conditions, weather conditions, relationships between actors and directors, even rodents! Diaries are written honestly because the writers do not expect them to be read by others so to me such accounts are more trustworthy than memoirs written from the beginning with publication in mind. Moreover, while Deneuve does not write about her personal life, I  feel reading between the lines the reader does get some insights into her personality and life. I recommend the book for a true Deneuve admirer and also for anyone interested in what film shoots and filmmaking are really like.

• If you are looking for another celebrity tell-all book, this is not it. Catherine Deneuve, one of the greatest actresses to come from French Cinema and a diarist, shares bits and pieces of her life and work with us, the reader. The book follows Deneuve from the movie set to Cannes, from her home in Paris to the tropics of Vietnam for the filming of “Indochine”. There are some personal momentary recollections about her late sister, the actress Francoise Dorleac. Catherine Denueve does not share the usual dribble that so many celebrity diaries reveal. Deneuve is too classy for that: she finds it interesting that we find her so captivating, compelling. A great book if you are wanting to gain some insight into the actress, the woman and the humanitarian.

Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties for various directors, including Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, and Roman Polanski. In 1985, she succeeded Mireille Mathieu as the official face of Marianne, France’s national symbol of liberty. A 14-time César Award nominee, she won for her performances in Truffaut’s The Last Metro (1980), for which she also won the David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress, and Régis Wargnier’s Indochine (1992).

Deneuve made her screen debut in 1957 at age 13, in a film shot the previous year when she was only 12. She first came to prominence in Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. She went on to star for Polanski in Repulsion (1965), and for Buñuel in Belle de Jour (1967) and Tristana (1970). She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress for Belle de Jour, and the Academy Award for Best Actress for Indochine. She also won the 1998 Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for Place Vendôme. Her English-language films include The April Fools (1969), Hustle (1975), The Hunger (1983), Dancer in the Dark (2000), and The Musketeer (2001). Other notable films include Mississippi Mermaid (1969), Scene of the Crime (1986), My Favourite Season (1993), 8 Women (2002), Persepolis (2007), Potiche (2010), The Brand New Testament (2015), and Bonne Pomme (2017). More recent films include The Midwife (2017), The Truth (2019), and Peaceful (2021).