Streep: A Life in Film
"Meryl's got to be one of those phenomena, like Garbo, that happens once in a generation"
- Mike Nichols
The 'Quiet Queen of Hollywood', Meryl Streep holds more Oscar nominations (15) and Golden Globe nominations (23) than any other actor.
In her last few films she has played Miranda Priestly, the fierce fashionista in The Devil Wears Prada; Donna Sheridan, the happy hippy in Mamma Mia; and Sister Aloysius, the vengeful nun in Doubt and an ex-wife who has an affair with her ex in It's Complicated. Streep has the gift of being infinitely versatile and has even played a rabbi in full Hassidic beard in Angels in America.
For over 20 years, no book has examined what sets this remarkable actress apart and has kept her at the top for over 30 years. Iain Johnstone has studied her work since the 1970s and has interviewed her four times in depth. "Writing this book has revealed, to me at least, a woman who is more insightful and instinctive about the ways of the cinema than anyone I've ever met, much funnier but, at the same time, ruthlessly determined and virtually out of sight of her peer group in terms of her achievements," says Johnstone.
Streep's mother - 'my best producer' - encouraged her from the start, Johnstone reveals. She took her to singing classes in New York. Her father let her make 'films' using his 8mm camera. Then, Streep studied at Vassar and Yale Drama School, learning her craft to perfection. Johnstone argues it is this education which has made her such a good judge of what films to play in.
Johnstone also looks at Streep's relationship with John Cazale and her friendships with Al Pacino and Kevin Kline. In an industry known for its three minute marriages, Streep has been married to sculptor Don Gummer for more than thirty years. They have four children.
The revised edition looks at her latest work and has a complete filmography.
Streep shows no sign of stopping. Why should she? Katherine Hepburn shot three films in the year she turned eighty-four.
With a detailed account of all her greatest roles, from The Deer Hunter and Kramer vs Kramer to Mamma Mia and 16 pages of pictures, Johnstone's Streep: A Life in Film is the definitive study of the world's greatest actress.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Iain Johnstone was the Film Critic of The Sunday Times and has written biographies of Clint Eastwood and Tom Cruise. He co-wrote Fierce Creatures with John Cleese and has produced a number of documentaries on the arts and the cinema including Snowdon on Camera which earned him a BAFTA nomination as Best Director.
