De Niro, A Life: by Shawn Levy

My latest Blogging For Books pick is De Niro, A Life.

  Robert De Niro is a rare breed of actor who completely immerses himself in his characters. He doesn't just read a script and give a perfunctory performance, he puts his whole heart and soul into it and really transforms into the character he's been chosen to play. This book analyzes the many (upon many) movies of De Niro's career and reveals what went into planning for each part.
  It seems I've seen only a fraction of the movies Robert De Niro has made, there were so many in here that I have not heard of. It was intriguing to read about the movies I've seen, a little less so with the ones I have not, causing me to skim over a few of the chapters. At 551 pages the book is thorough but also runs a bit tedious, going into detail on every movie De Niro has ever made and sometimes into the backgrounds of his directors.
 The only thing missing for me were more quotes and interviews from those who know De Niro. There are some but not a lot, so the book can run a little dry. But given the quiet nature of De Niro, I imagine it was difficult enough to get as much inside information as the author did. And there are many interesting stories-both behind the scenes of his movies and inside his personal life. The book has been very well researched.
 By the end you have such a respect for De Niro as an actor. So few actors research a role and dig as deep into the material the way he does. I'm among those people who are a little disappointed in his latest roles (outside of Silver Linings Playbook) when it seems more about the paycheck to him than the role. But it still cannot erase the amazing history of characters behind him.