I Remember It Well

by Vincente Minnelli

No markings. A very good plus or a little better copy in a good plus or a little better publisher priced dust jacket. No remainder marks.

Genres: Nonfiction

391 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Born Lester Anthony Minnelli, with his background in theatre, Vincente Minnelli was known as an auteur who always brought his stage experience to his films. The first movie that he directed, Cabin in the Sky (1943), was visibly influenced by the theater. Shortly after that, he directed Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), during which he befriended the film's star, Judy Garland, although it is probable the two had met casually earlier. The two began a courtship that eventually led to their marriage in June, 1945. Their one child together, Liza Minnelli, grew up to become an Academy Award-winning singer and actress.

Though widely known for directing musicals, including An American in Paris (1951), The Bandwagon (1953), Brigadoon (1954), Kismet (1955), and Gigi (1958) he also helmed comedies and melodramas, including Madame Bovary (1949), Father of the Bride (1950), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), The Long, Long Trailer (1954), Lust for Life (1956), Tea and Sympathy (1956), Designing Woman (1957), Some Came Running (1958) and The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963). His last film was A Matter of Time (1976) starring his daughter Liza Minnelli and Ingrid Bergman. He received an Oscar nomination as Best Director for An American in Paris (1951) and later won the Best Director Oscar for Gigi (1958). He was awarded France's highest civilian honor, the Commander Nationale of the Legion of Honor, only weeks before his death in 1986.

Reviews

[Russell Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vincente Minelli was one of Hollywood’s finest film directors, having directed during his career over twenty movies. His autobiography I Remember It Well is not one of his finest achievements. He does “remember it well”—too well for my tastes. In a world where celebrities all too often give cursory explanations of some of there works when they write their life stories, Minelli spent several pages on each of his films, from preparation to filming to problems encountered, to (and these was the most tedious to read) long quotes from reviewers. (I say “each,” but the movie I wanted to hear more about was Kismet, and he spent a total of about two paragraphs on it. He didn’t want to make it, he didn’t like it, and the critics didn’t flood him with accolades for it.) I often feel cheated by Hollywood bios. Here, I felt overwhelmed. Minelli had every right to toot his own horn, but for me, he tooted it too long and too loudly. And speaking of tooting his own horn. He was, famously, the husband (one of them) of Judy Garland and the father of Liza Minelli. In this book, and I’m sure in daily life, he wasquite proud of Liza. In fact, the book begins with an overlong “interview” (real or imagined) featuring him and Liza. They discuss, among other things, the film they were planning (this was early 1970s) together, she acting, he directing. The film did get made, and it was interesting to hear a bit about it, but apparently it wasn’t made before this book came to print, for we hear nothing at all about it towards the end. It could be they still had not begun filming, or it could be that it was a critical failure, as it was, so he didn’t want to end the book with it. All that being said, I was fascinated reading about all these films and even, just yesterday, watched one of them, a movie I hadn’t seen since it was first released in 1958. It was every bit as entertaining as Minelli described it. The man was indeed a master. For my tastes, I would have liked to hear less about Liza. And, since he had a second daughter as well, perhaps more about her. He tried desperately to convince us he cherished her as much as his first-born. But she was not, and never became, another Liza. Not even close. This is a wonderful document of old Hollywood. Just, if you’re reading it in bed, get ready for your arms to get tired.

[Patrick Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love classic movies and enjoyed reading Mr. Minnelli's inside stories.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an interesting set of stories from this wonderful director. I talks about her work, personal experiences, Judy Garland, his daughter Liza Minelli. If you are a fan of his work is a great read.