Michaela Denis

I started this book with a reflexive and inexplicable dislike of Michaela. Before picking this up, I'd never heard of her or her husband Armand, although they'd been fairly famous documentary film makers in the 1950s and 60s. She'd gone from fashion to adventuring and film-making, and perhaps it was the way she posed for pictures, carefully made up and almost as if the animals and tribal peoples she was pictured with were props. But vanity is hardly a crime! Maybe I'm a little jealous?

So I was surprised when I showed the book around to my friends and they quickly decided that Michaela was AWESOME. Pretty and adventurous.

I'd definitely come around some by the end of the book. The depictions of "primitive peoples" are definitely outdated but she and Armand genuinely cared about preserving their culture. Michaela writes in an lively and interesting manner, flitting from story to story with ease.

The book starts off describing how she and Armand med, their courtship and marriage. However, she doesn't mention the fact that he was already married, and she was engaged to somebody else, at the time this happened. Of course she wants to portray herself in the best light, and avoid bogging down a pleasant read with unpleasant memories, but it does make me wonder what else she may have left out or manipulated to show herself in a good light.

Still, a fun read. I've also picked up one of Armand's books, and it will be interesting to see how his account compares to hers.… (altro)