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    The Elephant to Hollywood
    The Elephant to Hollywood
    The Elephant to Hollywood
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Elephant to Hollywood

    Written by Michael Caine

    Narrated by Michael Caine

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Charming, engaging, and surprisingly forthright, Michael Caine gives us his insider's view of Hollywood and the story of his brilliant second act

    When he was in his late fifties, Michael Caine believed his glamorous, rags-to-riches Hollywood career had come to an end. The scripts being sent his way were worse and worse. When one script really disappointed, he called the producer to complain about the part. The producer said, "No, no, we don't want you for the lover, we want you for the father." Salvation came in the unlikely form of his old friend Jack Nicholson, who convinced him to give acting one more shot. What followed was not only an incredible personal transformation but also one of the most radical comebacks in film history. Learning to accept his new role both on camera and in his own life, Caine went on to win his second Oscar, be knighted by the queen, and deliver some of his best performances to date. Now he shares the spectacular story of his life, from his humble upbringing in London's poverty-stricken Elephant and Castle, his military service, touching marriage and family life, and lively adventures with friends, to legendary meetings with fellow stars, forays as a restaurateur, and hilarious off-screen encounters from his glittering five-decade career. Caine's The Elephant to Hollywood brings his gift for storytelling and his insider's view to a tale that is funny, warm, and deeply honest.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateOct 26, 2010
    ISBN9781427212900
    Author

    Michael Caine

    Sir Michael Caine has won two Academy Awards during his distinguished five-decade career on screen. Knighted in 2000, Caine was born in working-class Sussex, England, and served in the British Army before landing his first film role in Zulu (1964). His films include The Ipcress File, Alfie, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Cider House Rules, and Harry Brown. He is the author of the bestselling What's It All About? and The Elephant to Hollywood. He lives in Surrey with his wife.

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    Reviews for The Elephant to Hollywood

    3.5/5

    79 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Extremely enjoyable. Like listening to a good friend tell really entertaining, funny, and often touching stories.
    • 2/5
      Personally I think you should write one autobiography in your life and have done with it - Or write a wickedly funny trilogy - But please let’s not take three quarters of book one and regurgitate it into book two, add a little bit and expect to sell it!!! Autobiography one, ‘What’s it all about,” was a great read. Full Stop. Autobiography two, ‘From the Elephant to Hollywood’ doesn’t come close. ‘The Elephant to Hollywood,’ should have been full of previously unknown grit and emotions and anecdotes and real life and marched on from ‘What’s it all about’ and focused in depth on the past twenty years of Mr. Caine’s life and looked at the man, his feelings, the pain he was going through and how he emerged and celebrated the roles Mr. Caine has taken on during that time … which would have been a way more interesting and meaningful read. Instead Mr. Caine takes his first book, regurgitate three quarters into his second book, adds a little bit and expects us to be pleased Likewise, the list of famous people Mr. Caine has undisputedly met and worked with and come described as his best friends sounds like name dropping, which is sad!!! … and finally, there are parts of the book that are genuinely, incredibly irritating; as in, when Mr. Caine tells you, “I was sitting in the Connaught Hotel in London one evening having dinner on my own,” and you feel like screaming, ‘ Why can’t you just say, I was sitting having dinner on my own in some hotel or other!!!!”I’m sorry Michael, I am genuinely a HUGE fan but this book does you no favors and it’s not about ‘envy’ as you suggest (in this book) that motivates men to post bad reviews. I would love to write a glowing review … but … ‘What’s it all about,” I assume it took much longer for you to write and as such was way more thought filled and as such, insightful ... Book two feels as if it was genuinely much easier for you to write - when you were looking for something to do - and as such disappoints on more than one level!!!!
    • 4/5
      So, I really stepped out of my usual reading with this audiobook but I heard an interview with Michael Caine talking about this memoir and he's just such a joy to listen to that I thought I'd give it a shot. It was definitely worth the credit. Caine is such an engaging person. He doesn't get mean or ugly with any person and I'm sure with as long as he's been in Hollywood, he could tell some stories that would make people look bad. He's a class act and exactly how I imagine a real knight would be in his elder years. On top of that, Caine does a wonderful job narrating the story. It's like you're sitting in his living room, drinking tea and eating scones and he's telling you stories. I loved it.
    • 3/5
      Read in August, 2013The Elephant to HollywoodNonfic> Celebrity memoirFraudio read by authorsummer 2013> tbr busting 2013"My name is Michael Caine"More name dropping and false modesty, however he does it so well. You get to hear of all his charitable acts and gifts, which is where this drops a star from the first memoir.4* What's It All About3* The Elephant to Hollywood1 like
    • 4/5
      Unexpectedly delightful. Warm, moving, funny, sentimental, innocent but not naive. Comes across as a likeable, sociable bloke with a steely core that he doesn't need to flaunt. Could be accused of name-dropping, especially of a previous generation of Hollywood honchos, but he clearly enjoys their company and is generous to those who've helped him. Story of his falling in love (which I heard him tell before) is wonderful. Story of discovery of his disabled half-brother brought tears to my eyes. He's well aware of the media and jealous rivals snapping at his heels but seems to have little trouble from them; perhaps his mix of charm and toughness keeps them at bay. Simple but graceful style which we are led to believe is his own.
    • 4/5
      What this book has going for it is that you really feel like Michael Caine is there in the room with you just shooting the you-know-what. He is just telling his stories. And that is why this book succeeds. He is sharing with us, as if we were all great friends, the way he became an actor and the way he became a famous actor and the various interactions he has had with other famous people.By using the “I’m just telling you stories” approach, the accusation of “name dropper” never lands. And the sincerity of the prose shines through. This is a man who has succeeded through effort and (as with all of us) just a little luck. He knows it, and is thankful for the great things he has been able to do. For most of the book, the conversational style works really well. It all loses steam at toward the end. Then again, we are all losing a little steam as we move further into our own lives.Probably a book that is more fun to those of us who remember all the old stars. But worth trying, even if you don’t. (And I defy you to read the book without hearing Michael Caine’s voice in your head.)
    • 5/5
      A lot of great actors are not interesting at all: they just think they are because they are well known, so I seldom read any actor's biography; I prefer the biographies of businessmen and sports coaches: at least I know I will learn something. I made three exceptions: one with Paul Newman, because he was successful at anything he tried, one with Laurence Olivier, because I wondered if he was as insufferable as I suspected - and he was. The third one is Michael Caine, because I have seen him in a lot of bad movies, but he never gave a bad performance or let himself go. In a 40 years career' span, it says something of the man's character.Caine was born on the wrong side of the tracks in Britain in 1933. There was a much bigger class division in Britain than in the USA or France, a division I still felt in the 40s, 50s and early 60s. The Victorian snobbery was still in full blast; the great depression was followed by the war and the great decolonization: that did not help anybody get out of misery. What made of Michael Caine a success? Character. It makes the book worth reading for me.The general mood of the book is good: no complaint, lament or bitterness. Caine is a good story teller and sees the funny side of things. He is faithful to his friends, so do not expect scandals and shocking revelations. If you are a good reader, you will guess who he does not care for, but he never spells it out. Caine met everybody in Hollywood. Some people call it "name dropping." I do not see it that way. Caine was starstruck as any movie fan and happy to meet his big American screen heroes. In my field, people who ever met Einstein are happy to talk about it, and they think it will make you happy too, I pass around whatever nice story I know about the few Nobel prizes I met: it is not about me, and it is not about Caine: it is sharing the small pleasures of life. Proof of this is that Caine shares memories of friends we never heard about, the people he found remarkable and was proud to meet. Once again, this shows character.Altogether, a remarkable man. A good and easy read -with a lot of depth under the apparent lightness.To the future actor, I heartily recommend reading Michael Caine's "Acting in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making."
    • 3/5
      A pleasant enough amble through the life of a great movie actor. A little too much of my lovely famous friends for me but contains enough insights into what it takes to be a movie star and movie actor to keep the interest going.
    • 5/5
      This is my second Michael Caine autobiography. After reading "What's It All About, Alfie?", I loved Michael Caine even more than his acting performances. Although this book revisits many of the same things from that first book, there are new stories and I think Michael is a wonderful writer and I like to listen to his stories. This book was a little more disjointed, I had trouble keeping track of exactly where we were on his history time line and people were confusing to keep track of as he went back and forth telling stories that included them. He has a real sense of engaging his reader, like he's talking just to you, and I adore his honesty. I think he has more stories to tell if he will just dare to tell them. And as a side note, this was my first read on my new Kindle. Perfect.