Hollywood in the 30s

2014 | Architecture & Design

Tinseltown's golden era, illustrated: From Chaplin's last silent films to the colorful Wizard of Oz

In the 1930s, the legendary City of Cinema moved from the silent era to the talking picture. It was a decade of pomp and excess in the motion picture capital, of glorious stardom and megalomaniac directors; a time when politicians and the mob all wanted a piece of the thrilling action. It was the age of the Marx brothers, Greta Garbo, Frankenstein, and Gone with the Wind, Charlie Chaplin's bowler hat and moustache, Marlene Dietrich's androgynous glamor, and Jean Harlow's perfectly positioned beauty spot.In this tribute to Tinseltown's finest age, illustrator Robert Nippoldt and film critic Daniel Kothenschulte team up to pay homage to the creators, characters and charisma that made up this golden era. With his evocative illustration style, previously showcased in TASCHEN's Jazz: New York in the Roaring Twenties, Robert Nippoldt captures the scene with all its seduction, celebrity, and its grit. In the accompanying text, Kothenschulte profiles the movers and shakers of the age, as well as its most groundbreaking developments across movie direction, music, costume, scenery and beyond.Brimming with elegance and energy, this enchanting journey in images and words takes the reader back in Tinseltown time, direct to the heart, and the sheer movie-making thrill, of a decisive cinematic decade.Awards for the original German edition:
Best American Infographic "Facemap," New York, 2015
Red Dot Design Award, Essen, 2011
German Designer Club Award, Frankfurt, 2011
"Cinema Book of the Year," German Film Institute, Berlin, 2010

Daniel Kothenschulte (Author)

Robert Nippoldt (Author)