Blowing the Bloody Doors Off by Michael Caine

At the ripe old age of 85, Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, alias Michael Caine (a tale in itself) has written no less than a third volume of autobiography - this one, perhaps, the icing on the cake.

Unlike its splendid predecessors, however (What's It All About? and The Elephant to Hollywood, both a delight in their fashion), Blowing the Bloody Doors Off is much more anecdotal. Ruminative and reflective, a hundred films in, but as indulgent and humorous as ever, this frothy tome is precisely the sort of thing with which one would expect a grand old man of the movies to crown his career. Indeed, his wry and benevolent look at a bygone era (not ghostwritten, either!) matches any of its kind.

From poverty in darkest Camberwell, as the son of a fish porter, to Oscars, a knighthood and one of the most successful marriages in the canon, this colourful character regales us with an insider's account of what it's like to be still at the top, all these years later.

Not to be misconstrued as literature, this is nonetheless old-fashioned fun from a richly recognisable voice. It is also a revealing bonanza for film buffs and foodies alike. And as to the latter, the next time you visit London, don't miss Langan's, the legendary restaurant started by Michael Caine and Peter Langan, just off Piccadilly: a destination in itself, of which much is written, and which is still going strong.

"The Italian Job" film clip, courtesy Paramount Pictures

More autobiography video book reviews at

https://www.bookreviewsandvideos.com/...