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Close-Up
The bestselling author of Spy Story offers a brilliant and unforgettable novel about a Hollywood that is rarely seen. An internationally known actor finds himself at a dangerous crossroads in his life when TV begins to compete with Tinseltown for its share of the take. "Hypnotic!"--The New Yorker.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
22 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Len Deighton
226 books944 followersDeighton was born in Marylebone, London, in 1929. His father was a chauffeur and mechanic, and his mother was a part-time cook. After leaving school, Deighton worked as a railway clerk before performing his National Service, which he spent as a photographer for the Royal Air Force's Special Investigation Branch. After discharge from the RAF, he studied at St Martin's School of Art in London in 1949, and in 1952 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, graduating in 1955.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
Deighton worked as an airline steward with BOAC. Before he began his writing career he worked as an illustrator in New York and, in 1960, as an art director in a London advertising agency. He is credited with creating the first British cover for Jack Kerouac's On the Road. He has since used his drawing skills to illustrate a number of his own military history books.
Following the success of his first novels, Deighton became The Observer's cookery writer and produced illustrated cookbooks. In September 1967 he wrote an article in the Sunday Times Magazine about Operation Snowdrop - an SAS attack on Benghazi during World War II. The following year David Stirling would be awarded substantial damages in libel from the article.
He also wrote travel guides and became travel editor of Playboy, before becoming a film producer. After producing a film adaption of his 1968 novel Only When I Larf, Deighton and photographer Brian Duffy bought the film rights to Joan Littlewood and Theatre Workshop's stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! He had his name removed from the credits of the film, however, which was a move that he later described as "stupid and infantile." That was his last involvement with the cinema.
Deighton left England in 1969. He briefly resided in Blackrock, County Louth in Ireland. He has not returned to England apart from some personal visits and very few media appearances, his last one since 1985 being a 2006 interview which formed part of a "Len Deighton Night" on BBC Four. He and his wife Ysabele divide their time between homes in Portugal and Guernsey.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 19, 2022
In an opening note, Len Deighton writes, "In the recent past it has become fashionable for writers to use thinly disguised biographical material about 'show-business' figures, but I have not intended to depict any person, living or dead, or any film, institution or corporation, past or present."
Yet, despite that, CLOSE UP is the most insightful and accurate book I have ever read about Hollywood from the 1940's through the demise of the "Studio System" and into the independent films of the early 1970's. Every once in a while, a Big Star will make an appearance. Gary Cooper is mentioned the most, but his interactions in the story are very minimal.
Len Deighton made a name for himself as a writer of spy thrillers such as THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN and BILLION-DOLLAR BRAIN. He also became intimately involved with filmmaking production companies ... and, Wow, he definitely has a story to tell (through fictional devices).
CLOSE UP follows the rise of English actor, Marshall Stone, who comes to America for one movie and ends up staying as an Olivier-type superstar. Interwoven throughout Stone's story are the dynamics of filmmaking, especially the "unreal" glamour and the constant manipulation to put oneself, one's product, and one's stars in the best light possible.
I was fascinated by the incidents that unfolded through backstories and attempts to craft favorable perspectives to target audiences. What I quickly learned was that I couldn't take anything provided as being the truth. As stories would progress, the "spin" was revealed. And what I was accepting as the foundation for my understanding could easily be turned right on its head! I did something with CLOSE UP that I very seldom have done while reading, and that is to gasp out loud at some of the revelations as if I'd uncovered a forbidden secret about a beloved star!
Also impressive were the descriptions of what would happen on the set of a production. Often, Hollywood novels provide sketches, but not details. In one sequence, the Reader sees exactly what it takes to prepare a set for a shot from multiple departments that are involved. It truly felt as if I was "on location." (There is also a description of the "selling" process involved to receive an Academy Award nomination, and the intense follow-up to secure votes. If you've ever thought that the best picture did not win Best Picture, you'll now understand why.)
There is so much that I want to describe about what happens, but as many casual snippets eventually come back to reveal much greater significance, I'd be gingerly stepping through Spoiler Territory. I'll just say that if you've wanted to know what really goes on behind the scenes of filmmaking and dealmaking, CLOSE UP is the book to read. The book isn't a relating of incidents that actually happened, but some of them are very close. And the descriptions of the manipulation are right on the mark.
Yet, despite that, CLOSE UP is the most insightful and accurate book I have ever read about Hollywood from the 1940's through the demise of the "Studio System" and into the independent films of the early 1970's. Every once in a while, a Big Star will make an appearance. Gary Cooper is mentioned the most, but his interactions in the story are very minimal.
Len Deighton made a name for himself as a writer of spy thrillers such as THE IPCRESS FILE, FUNERAL IN BERLIN and BILLION-DOLLAR BRAIN. He also became intimately involved with filmmaking production companies ... and, Wow, he definitely has a story to tell (through fictional devices).
CLOSE UP follows the rise of English actor, Marshall Stone, who comes to America for one movie and ends up staying as an Olivier-type superstar. Interwoven throughout Stone's story are the dynamics of filmmaking, especially the "unreal" glamour and the constant manipulation to put oneself, one's product, and one's stars in the best light possible.
I was fascinated by the incidents that unfolded through backstories and attempts to craft favorable perspectives to target audiences. What I quickly learned was that I couldn't take anything provided as being the truth. As stories would progress, the "spin" was revealed. And what I was accepting as the foundation for my understanding could easily be turned right on its head! I did something with CLOSE UP that I very seldom have done while reading, and that is to gasp out loud at some of the revelations as if I'd uncovered a forbidden secret about a beloved star!
Also impressive were the descriptions of what would happen on the set of a production. Often, Hollywood novels provide sketches, but not details. In one sequence, the Reader sees exactly what it takes to prepare a set for a shot from multiple departments that are involved. It truly felt as if I was "on location." (There is also a description of the "selling" process involved to receive an Academy Award nomination, and the intense follow-up to secure votes. If you've ever thought that the best picture did not win Best Picture, you'll now understand why.)
There is so much that I want to describe about what happens, but as many casual snippets eventually come back to reveal much greater significance, I'd be gingerly stepping through Spoiler Territory. I'll just say that if you've wanted to know what really goes on behind the scenes of filmmaking and dealmaking, CLOSE UP is the book to read. The book isn't a relating of incidents that actually happened, but some of them are very close. And the descriptions of the manipulation are right on the mark.
Read
May 14, 2021Not what we usually associate with Len Deighton. There are no spies and there is no war – at least not in the conventional sense. But Hollywood has its own versions of espionage and pseudomilitary action. It is an occasionally funny, occasionally bitter satire of the filmmaking industry, not just in Hollywood but also in Europe, both in England and on the continent. It is also one of those circular stories that eventually winds up being about itself. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that ending yet. I first read it 30 years ago; I wasn’t sure then either.
August 14, 2012
Deightons novel about the film world written presumably because of his own experiences.
I have given it four stars as I did like it. However I don't think I would be any the poorer if I had not read it.
It's basically a story of an ageing one time star who realises he is in his ascendant to himself but keeps up appearances to everyone else. The book is about a biog being written about him by his ex wife's new husband, pay attention! As such it goes back into his past life, success and failures and his attempts to revitalise his career.
The problem I found is that I couldn't like any of the characters and therefore couldn't care what happened to them.
But perhaps this is Hollywood, everyone self obsessed and constantly acting a part. You love each other in public, couldn't give a damn for anyone in private.
Deighton may have got it right, you're not supposed to like any of them!
I have given it four stars as I did like it. However I don't think I would be any the poorer if I had not read it.
It's basically a story of an ageing one time star who realises he is in his ascendant to himself but keeps up appearances to everyone else. The book is about a biog being written about him by his ex wife's new husband, pay attention! As such it goes back into his past life, success and failures and his attempts to revitalise his career.
The problem I found is that I couldn't like any of the characters and therefore couldn't care what happened to them.
But perhaps this is Hollywood, everyone self obsessed and constantly acting a part. You love each other in public, couldn't give a damn for anyone in private.
Deighton may have got it right, you're not supposed to like any of them!
February 13, 2013
Originally published on my blog here in April 2004.
This is the last of Deighton's experiments outside the spy genre for a long time, and it is the only one of his novels which cannot be described as a thriller of one sort or another. Close-Up is a satirical portrait of the Hollywood film industry, based presumably on stories heard or impressions gained during the filming of many of Deighton's novels during the sixties. (I would hesitate to say, particularly given the clear disclaimer at the start of the novel, that the characters are based on any real individuals.)
Close-Up is the story of superstar Marshall Stone who, in the early seventies after twenty years a star is frightened - that his career is coming to an end, of the young up-and-coming actors who might take the roles he regards as his own. Then there is what the press think is a romance with young model turned actress Suzy Delft, though in a twist typical of the novel, she is in fact his daughter from an affair hushed up by the studios at the beginning of his career. The whole novel is about how different the reality of the film business is from the image fed to (and eagerly lapped up by) the media. Stone, for example, may be charming, but he is also an utterly self centred hypochondriac. His real name, Eddie Brummage, points to the difference between appearance and reality - "brummagem" was slang for shoddy mass produced goods.
The subtle aspect of the novel is the way in which the reader is given insights into why Stone is the way he is - how his insecurities made him a great screen actor, and how his success in turn feeds his psychological problems. This blunts the edge of the satire - the film The Player, for example, is much more vicious - but makes Close-Up more effective as a piece of fiction about characters who seem real.
Close-Up may not be the most immediately appealing Len Deighton novel, because it is so different from anything else he wrote. It is in this way similar to John le Carré's The Naive And Sentimental Lover, but is less ambitious and, partly as a result, much more successful. This is one of Deighton's best novels - it is just not a thriller.
This is the last of Deighton's experiments outside the spy genre for a long time, and it is the only one of his novels which cannot be described as a thriller of one sort or another. Close-Up is a satirical portrait of the Hollywood film industry, based presumably on stories heard or impressions gained during the filming of many of Deighton's novels during the sixties. (I would hesitate to say, particularly given the clear disclaimer at the start of the novel, that the characters are based on any real individuals.)
Close-Up is the story of superstar Marshall Stone who, in the early seventies after twenty years a star is frightened - that his career is coming to an end, of the young up-and-coming actors who might take the roles he regards as his own. Then there is what the press think is a romance with young model turned actress Suzy Delft, though in a twist typical of the novel, she is in fact his daughter from an affair hushed up by the studios at the beginning of his career. The whole novel is about how different the reality of the film business is from the image fed to (and eagerly lapped up by) the media. Stone, for example, may be charming, but he is also an utterly self centred hypochondriac. His real name, Eddie Brummage, points to the difference between appearance and reality - "brummagem" was slang for shoddy mass produced goods.
The subtle aspect of the novel is the way in which the reader is given insights into why Stone is the way he is - how his insecurities made him a great screen actor, and how his success in turn feeds his psychological problems. This blunts the edge of the satire - the film The Player, for example, is much more vicious - but makes Close-Up more effective as a piece of fiction about characters who seem real.
Close-Up may not be the most immediately appealing Len Deighton novel, because it is so different from anything else he wrote. It is in this way similar to John le Carré's The Naive And Sentimental Lover, but is less ambitious and, partly as a result, much more successful. This is one of Deighton's best novels - it is just not a thriller.
December 10, 2025
If ever there was a hard book to rate, it would be this one. The story is about a "fictional" famous actor and a writer who has the task of writing his biography. We see glimpses of the actor's current life which appears to be at it's peak, and him wondering where things are going next. From the actor's worries and concerns we learn more about him as a person and the core personality that he deeply hides behind his charm, hospitality, and friendliness.
It's a stunning read. The writing makes you feel like an actor like this could exist, also particularly the other people we meet along the way - the producers, the directors, the people that work behind the scenes in filmmaking. Some of those other people feel very realistically written.
Nothing of an over-the-top nature happens - no murder, no spy intrigues, no saving the world. But this is the essence of the book. The drama that occurs are all matters of everyday life. The actor wondering if the peak of his career is now behind him, the producer reminiscing about days gone by (and showing us glimpses of how the actor was when he was newer to the industry), and the unseen and never spoken rivalry that some people may have.
It is not normally the kind of book I would read. I went into it hoping for a spy thriller but instead received something very different and more grounded. Is it the Len Deighton book I enjoyed the most? Perhaps not, it's just not my type. But I can say without hesitation that it is the best written Len Deighton book I have ever read. I am not kidding.
It's a stunning read. The writing makes you feel like an actor like this could exist, also particularly the other people we meet along the way - the producers, the directors, the people that work behind the scenes in filmmaking. Some of those other people feel very realistically written.
Nothing of an over-the-top nature happens - no murder, no spy intrigues, no saving the world. But this is the essence of the book. The drama that occurs are all matters of everyday life. The actor wondering if the peak of his career is now behind him, the producer reminiscing about days gone by (and showing us glimpses of how the actor was when he was newer to the industry), and the unseen and never spoken rivalry that some people may have.
It is not normally the kind of book I would read. I went into it hoping for a spy thriller but instead received something very different and more grounded. Is it the Len Deighton book I enjoyed the most? Perhaps not, it's just not my type. But I can say without hesitation that it is the best written Len Deighton book I have ever read. I am not kidding.
April 27, 2023
There were some good bits which touched in a sarky and to the point way of the way the movie business and Hollywood worked.
However, there weren't enough of this in what for me was a book which wasn't particularly well written and simply didn't capture my imagination or attention.
Apart from in small parts, it certainly wasn't an enjoyable read for me and I far prefer the spy thrillers I've read so far by Deighton. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book.
However, there weren't enough of this in what for me was a book which wasn't particularly well written and simply didn't capture my imagination or attention.
Apart from in small parts, it certainly wasn't an enjoyable read for me and I far prefer the spy thrillers I've read so far by Deighton. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book.
June 9, 2019
Another brilliant look in at the life of a superstar back in the day... majority of it sleazy and well just like it is today.... though the amount of stubtle nods and winks about women being taken for granted are many as though yeah this is fine. So in a way it highlights the bad side of Hollywood at its darkest and dingiest.
November 2, 2019
An odd story with a neat ending. Deighton is a skilled writer.
October 7, 2016
Written in the early 1970's, this novel is a departure from the spy thrillers Deighton is mainly associated with writing. Great look at the intricacies of relationships of people in the movie industry at the time with the wheeling and dealing that went on. Occasionally the story gets a little muddled otherwise I would have given it a five star rating.
May 26, 2012
I read this because I have never read any Len Deighton and felt that a story about Hollywood (a subject the interests me) might ease me into his writing. It was an easy read with nothing too challenging. Enjoyable, holiday reading. Think I need to read one of his spy novels now...
February 5, 2015
Really liked the Bernard Samson books but this one ... Starts from nowhere and you are not sure where the hell it finishes... Didn't like the different viewpoints and the flashbacks are kind of confusing. Avoid this book!
October 6, 2007
Wow! Another difficult Klein book to locate - but do so! Read my review regarding his retrospective catalogue.
June 24, 2015
yawn...
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews