Showing posts with label Olivia Hussey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olivia Hussey. Show all posts

Friday, October 26, 2018

GIVEAWAY: The Girl on the Balcony by Olivia Hussey




Today I have a special treat for my film book loving readers! Here's your chance to win an autographed copy of The Girl on the Balcony by Olivia Hussey. Yes you read that correctly. Autographed!

I reviewed Hussey's new memoir back in September. You can read the full review here. But to recap here is an excerpt of that review:

At the tender age of 15, Olivia Hussey landed the role of a lifetime: Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968). Alongside newcomer Leonard Whiting, the duo captivated audiences around the world breathing new life into Shakespeare's renowned play. In Olivia Hussey's memoir The Girl on the Balcony, she takes readers on a journey of her entire life from her early days in Argentina to the present day.  Hussey recounts in wonderful detail the making of Romeo and Juliet. I was especially pleased by this because like many others that is one of the reasons I was drawn to the book. The reader settles into to the world of 1960s Cinecitta. I particularly loved reading the passages of the sweet bond she developed with Whiting, they remained friends for decades, and the mutual admiration between her and director Zeffirelli. He could be a tough director but she acknowledges that he knew what he was doing and could bring out the best performances from her. The two would later work on Jesus of Nazareth together.







Hussey is a gentle soul who wears her heart on her sleeve. You can tell this from her book. We follow the ups and downs of her life. Her marriages to Dean "Dino" Paul Martin (her first great love who died tragically in a plane crash), Akira Fuse (the Japanese rock legend) and her current husband David Glen Eisley with whom she's been in a loving and supportive marriage since 1991. We learn about her children Alex, Max, and India. There are also the various films and TV shows she worked on over the years which culminated with another role of a lifetime, Mother Theresa in the TV movie Madre Teresa. She discusses moving to LA, living in the Tate-Polanski home just weeks after the Manson murders, her abusive relationship with Christopher Jones (Ryan's Daughter), and her tender bond with the Dean Martin clan. We learn about the classic Hollywood legends that entered her world over the years including Robert Mitchum (he was a good cook), Frank Sinatra (helped her out with Dino Martin was arrested), Elizabeth Taylor (Burton once said Hussey was like Taylor), Bette Davis ("working with her was its own kind of suffering), David Niven ("like me he was a giggler"), Burt Lancaster (she was in awe of him) and many more.




The Girl on the Balcony
Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo & Juliet
by Olivia Hussey
Kensington Publishing
320 pages

Thanks to the good folks at Kensington Publishing one winner will receive an autographed copy of Hussey's memoir.

*****************

CONTEST IS NOW OVER

Congrats to winner DKoren!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment below describing your favorite scene from Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968)
2) Include your e-mail address in the comment so I can contact you if you win. Addresses will be removed after the contest is over. 

 * Open to US only.
 * Must be age 18 or over.
* One entry per person.
* Entry must be complete based on criteria above to qualify.
 * Contest ends October 28th at 11:59 PM EST.
* One winner will be selected, contacted via e-mail, and announced here.


Saturday, September 15, 2018

The Girl on the Balcony by Olivia Hussey

The Girl on the Balcony
Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo & Juliet
by Olivia Hussey
Kensington Publishing
Hardcover ISBN: 9781496717078
320 pages
July 2018

AmazonBarnes and NoblePowells

"Juliet: It's the defining role of my life... It changed everything, and you would define my life in ways I never could have imagined."

At the tender age of 15, Olivia Hussey landed the role of a lifetime: Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet (1968). Alongside newcomer Leonard Whiting, the duo captivated audiences around the world breathing new life into Shakespeare's renowned play. When I was a teenager I saw Romeo and Juliet in my high school English class. In fact I was shown the film more than once over the years and I remember being in total awe of how this movie recreated a world lost to time but I was particularly captivated by the chemistry between Hussey and Whiting. It opened my eyes and awakened something within me. This year at the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival I got a chance to meet Hussey and Whiting and thank them in person for how their movie affected me all those years ago.

In Olivia Hussey's memoir The Girl on the Balcony, she takes readers on a journey of her entire life from her early days in Argentina to the present day. The second of two children, her parents split up shortly after she was born and a few years later her mother whisked her and her brother off to England. It was here that Hussey pursued her interest in acting. After a stint on stage and a couple bit parts in movie, she traveled to Cinecitta in Italy to audition for Zeffirelli for the part of Juliet. She was paired with Whiting from the very beginning and the two were up against hundreds of other hopefuls. The making of this movie was highly anticipated by many and became a worldwide cinematic event. It catapulted Hussey into stardom.

In the book Hussey recounts in wonderful detail the making of Romeo and Juliet. I was especially pleased by this because like many others that is one of the reasons I was drawn to the book. The reader settles into to the world of 1960s Cinecitta. I particularly loved reading the passages of the sweet bond she developed with Whiting, they remained friends for decades, and the mutual admiration between her and director Zeffirelli. He could be a tough director but she acknowledges that he knew what he was doing and could bring out the best performances from her. The two would later work on Jesus of Nazareth together.

Hussey is a gentle soul who wears her heart on her sleeve. You can tell this from her book. We follow the ups and downs of her life. Her marriages to Dean "Dino" Paul Martin (her first great love who died tragically in a plane crash), Akira Fuse (the Japanese rock legend) and her current husband David Glen Eisley with whom she's been in a loving and supportive marriage since 1991. We learn about her children Alex, Max, and India. There are also the various films and TV shows she worked on over the years which culminated with another role of a lifetime, Mother Theresa in the TV movie Madre Teresa. She discusses moving to LA, living in the Tate-Polanski home just weeks after the Manson murders, her abusive relationship with Christopher Jones (Ryan's Daughter), and her tender bond with the Dean Martin clan. We learn about the classic Hollywood legends that entered her world over the years including Robert Mitchum (he was a good cook), Frank Sinatra (helped her out with Dino Martin was arrested), Elizabeth Taylor (Burton once said Hussey was like Taylor), Bette Davis ("working with her was its own kind of suffering), David Niven ("like me he was a giggler"), Burt Lancaster (she was in awe of him) and many more.

We also learn about Hussey's spiritual enlightenment when she met the guru who would change her life. Then there were her bouts of post partum depression, her drinking problem and the stage 4 breast cancer that almost claimed her life. I was particularly interested to learn about her struggles with agoraphobia. When I met Hussey on the red carpet at this year's TCMFF, I noticed that she remained arm-in-arm with Whiting the entire time. In fact when I shook both of their hands, she would not remove her arm from his. Now I realize Whiting must have been giving her support because with all the press, photographers and the bleachers filled with adoring fans, that must have triggered her agoraphobia. We sometimes think of movie stars as extreme extroverts but it's interesting to learn that some of them have their own social anxieties and fears like we do.



Hussey's memoir is a delightful read. She has a gentle and soothing narrative voice. There are a few grammatical errors that could be easily cleaned up with some editing. Fans of Romeo and Juliet or anyone interested looking for a straightforward and highly readable memoir will want to check this one out.

A special thank you to my friend Vanessa who gave me an autographed copy of Hussey's book as a gift.







This is my fourth review for the Summer Reading Challenge.  

Monday, May 14, 2018

TCMFF Red Carpet Interviews

As promised in my original TCMFF red carpet post, here are the video interviews. I embedded each one individually including a quick intro from me.

This year I approached my videos differently. I invested in a microphone which helped immensely. Thanks to my friend Jonas and my husband Carlos who helped me get the right one for the project. The audio quality of my TCMFF red carpet footage is leagues better. Instead of doing compilation videos (like I did in 2016 and 2017), I decided to separate the interviews into their own videos. Now viewers can easily pick and chose which interviews they want to see. If you want to view them all in one go, complete with my intro, you can watch the TCMFF Red Carpet playlist here. Unfortunately my Dennis Miller video didn't pan out and I had one glaring issue with my Leonard Maltin one that corrected itself mid-interview. However, I was pleased as punch that my short interviews ranging from 2-4 minutes all came out really well. Enjoy!





















If you enjoyed these interviews, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel!

Monday, May 7, 2018

Red Carpet: 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival Opening Night



Thursday April 26th was the opening night for the 9th annual TCM Classic Film Festival. That evening TCM celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Producers (1968) with director Mel Brooks in attendance. Director Martin Scorsese was also on hand to received the inaugural Robert Osborne Award for excellence in the preservation of classic film heritage.

For the third year in a row, I was on the red carpet at the opening night of TCMFF to take photos and to interview some of the special guests. The red carpet is the most exciting part of the festival. Not only do the evening's honorees walk the carpet but you also see TCM hosts, festival presenters, festival passholders, actors, actresses, directors and a host of other celebrities. And of course, Norman Lloyd. 

I had a blast this year on the carpet. I of course had my moment of Norman Lloyd as I called out to him with words of adoration and air kisses. He stopped for a brief moment to acknowledge me and my fellow Lloyd admirer Nora aka Nitrate Diva. Lloyd is always a highlight of the festival. You can read here all the previous times I've seen him at TCMFF. 

The red carpet has been a test of my social skills and each year I get better and more confident. I went from being an awkward and shy teenager to a thirty something who yells out to celebrities on the red carpet. If you told me years ago that I'd be yelling out to Maxwell Caulfield (Empire Records!) and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!) in the same evening I wouldn't have believed you.

Below is a collection of photos I took on the red carpet. I also conducted interviews which I'll be posting here and on my YouTube channel. Those video interviews include Alan K. Rode, Ben Model, Wyatt McCrea, Dennis Miller, Leonard Maltin, Bill Morrison, Ruta Lee, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.


Mel Brooks TCM Classic Film Festival
Director Mel Brooks

Alicia Malone TCM Classic Film Festival
TCM host Alicia Malone

Alan K. Rode TCM Classic Film Festival
Author Alan K. Rode and his wife

Wyatt McCrea TCM Classic Film Festival
Wyatt McCrea

Ben Model TCM Classic Film Festival
Silent film accompanist Ben Model

Jennifer Dorian and Coleman Breland TCM Classic Film Festival
TCM General Manager Jennifer Dorian and TCM President Coleman Breland

The Pigeon Sisters from The Odd Couple: Monica Evans and Carole Shelley

The Pigeon Sisters from The Odd Couple: Monica Evans and Carole Shelley

Melvin van Peebles and Mario van Peebles TCM Classic Film Festival
Mandela, Melvin and Mario van Peebles

Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield TCM Classic Film Festival
Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield

Gillian Armstrong TCM Classic Film Festival
Director Gillian Armstrong and Marya Gates of TCM

Paul Sorvino TCM Classic Film Festival
Paul Sorvino

Norman Lloyd TCM Classic Film Festival
Norman Lloyd

Norman Lloyd TCM Classic Film Festival
More Norman Lloyd because one can never have enough of this living legend.

Ben Mankiewicz TCM Classic Film Festival
TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz


John Martin TCM Classic Film Festival
Turner CEO John Martin

Mark Bridges TCM Classic Film Festival
Costume Designer Mark Bridges (Phantom Thread)

Pola Changnon TCM Classic Film Festival
Pola Changnon


Kate Flannery TCM Classic Film Festival
Kate Flannery

Keith Carradine TCM Classic Film Festival
Keith Carradine

Dennis Miller TCM Classic Film Festival
Dennis Miller


Andrea Savage and Tom Everett Scott TCM Classic Film Festival
Andrea Savage and Tom Everett Scott 


Larry Mirisch TCM Classic Film Festival
Larry Mirisch

Suzanne Lloyd TCM Classic Film Festival
Suzanne Lloyd

Rudy De Luca TCM Classic Film Festival
Rudy De Luca

John Mankiewicz TCM Classic Film Festival
TV writer John Mankiewicz (House of Cards)

Martin Scorsese TCM Classic Film Festival
Martin Scorsese


Lolita Davidovich and Ron Shelton TCM Classic Film Festival
Lolita Davidovich and Ron Shelton

Ruta Lee TCM Classic Film Festival
Actress Ruta Lee







Eva Marie Saint TCM Classic Film Festival
Eva Marie Saint in the background

Rosanna Arquette TCM Classic Film Festival
Rosanna Arquette

Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey TCM Classic Film Festival
Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey



Popular Posts

 Twitter   Instagram   Facebook