Movie Star Chronicles: A Visual History of the World’s Greatest Movie Stars
As I said in my last post, I’m an avid collector of all things “Old Hollywood” – books, dvds, magazines, photos, artwork, coffee mugs, Christmas ornaments, dolls… Books are something I add to my collection almost weekly. What can I say? Books are as big of an obsession for me as old movies are, so combine the two and I can’t stop myself or even slow myself down!
The book you see here, Movie Star Chronicles is one of the newest ones to join my collection. Naturally, my beloved Audrey caught my eye and into the cart it went. I LOVE that the publisher put three of “our” stars on the cover – Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, and Marlon Brando.
Beautifully done!
Audrey Hepburn’s Photo Spread
Many stars (“our” stars as well as modern-day stars) are featured in photo spreads like the one Audrey has (above). The stars have a “timeline” that features their filmography, including release dates and genres.
While I love the information, the gorgeous pictures are my favorite thing about this one. Look at the stunning photo of Greta Garbo below. Wouldn’t this photo make a gorgeous art print?!
Greta Garbo as Elizabeth Dohna
Book Description from Amazon:
Movie Star Chronicles promises to satisfy the curiosity of moviegoers, cinephiles, and the Hollywood-hungry fans that fuel today’s entertainment news industry. For film students, it is a practical reference to the most important actors in cinematic history.
Entries illustrated with film and television stills and other archival material chart the careers of 330 actors from the era of silent film to today’s blockbusters. Expert text gives an entertaining overview and color-coded timelines provide an at-a-glance guide to the actor’s career, their roles, movie release dates, earnings and awards.
With 576 pages and more than 2,500 illustrations for only $29.95, Movie Star Chronicles is an outstanding value. It includes:
- A to Z coverage of 330 movie stars, with extended entries for 100
- 20 feature articles on popular movie trends, including vampires; western heroes; singers turned actors; femmes fatales; saints and sinners; acting dynasties; combat stars; cops and more
- 30 lavish double-page photo spreads showing cinema’s most influential stars at work and how film has evolved from silent black- and-white to color 3-D
- 20 illustrated features on genres and trends, such as Superheroes, Acting Dynasties, Screen Sirens, and Movie Villains
- Color-coded timelines showing the arc of an actor’s career, including release dates and types of features, such as Criminal, Romantic Drama, and Thriller
- Best Actor awards: Oscars, BAFTA, Cesar (France), Goya (Spain), David Di Donatello (Italy), Golden Horse (Asia), Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance.
Covering Hollywood, Bollywood and world cinema, Movie Star Chronicles is truly international and comprehensive. Sure to attract a wide readership, it is an essential purchase.
Audrey Hepburn Timeline (continued on the next page in the book)
This big, beautiful book is an excellent coffee table book – one guests would love to lose themselves in. It would also make a gorgeous and much-appreciated gift, whether it’s for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas.
Greta Garbo’s Photo Spread
I found my copy at the Ollie’s in town but I haven’t seen this one in any bookstores. They do have it on Amazon, of course, however. Pretty sure they have everything.
Take a closer look at Movie Star Chronicles: A Visual History of the World’s Greatest Movie Stars on Amazon. I highly recommend it.