How lovely for Christopher Plummer winning his first Oscar last night and what an elegant and touching speech. I was really happy for him. His memoir, In Spite of Myself, which came out a few years ago remains one of my favourite celebrity autobiographies, because the guy can really write! This is such an enjoyable, intelligent read for anyone who loves the theatre or film world. It has a wonderful portrayal of Montreal in its cultural heyday, filled with fantastic anecdotes of working with all the theatrical greats, and Plummer's very honest, charming and quite funny observations about just how much fun and naughtiness he's had throughout his career. You can picture a twinkle in his eye or a mischievous grin on virtually every page. He loves his work and it shows, and now there's this lovely Oscar coda to add. I was so pleased that he got a standing ovation.
The BBC recently released a DVD of Hamlet at Elsinore which I simply must get my hands on. It was filmed at Kronborg Castle and Plummer's performance is supposed to be one of THE definitive Hamlets. I've been lucky enough to see him live as Prospero, Lear and John Barrymore, and I have a wonderful CD of him doing speeches from Henry V accompanied by Walton's score. His presence is so commanding and I just love that deep and powerful and very sexy voice.
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