Hollywood, as in previous decades, producing good films that remain in world entertainment history, probably belongs to the past, along with all its mythology. The period from silent cinema to around 1995-2000 is now seen as one big whole, with many individual chapters and readings, of course, but with a connective tissue of great directors and protagonist names that showed great charm. Hollywood in the 20th century was a leading, complex and multifactorial phenomenon in the history of entertainment, which the more you push back in time, the more interest and excitement it creates. A new book of 768 pages has recently been released in English called Hollywood: An Oral History by Harper, the fruit of the labor. This feat is signed by two researchers, writer Sam Wasson and film historian Janine Basinger, whose books have rewritten the history of Hollywood in fascinating ways. This new book comes out at a time when the international film crisis is manifesting itself as a product of new social conditions around the world (platforms, theaters with smaller audiences, lack of magic on the screen…). This crisis gives rise to reflections and nostalgia not only for the distant Hollywood of the golden age, but also for the last decades of the 20th century, when the last real stars such as Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and others appeared. Hollywood: An Oral History takes a deep dive into the film industry between 1915 and 1995, up and down, and essentially illuminates a dense map of memories through thousands of audio recordings and numerous interviews. The feat of the two researchers is that they have put together an epic narrative using this rare material as a document of what it was like to work in Hollywood in the 20th century. And these interviews come from the whole spectrum of creators and workers. From directors (Frank Capra, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, etc.) and main characters (Harold Lloyd, Bette Davis, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, etc.) to screenwriters, costume designers, cosmetologists, technicians and two thousand two more specialties. A world that is still being explored.

Views of the world

EDINBURGH
Turner, watercolors
Every January, the National Gallery of Scotland hosts an exhibition on the museum’s collection of Turner’s watercolors. The collection was bequeathed to the National Gallery in 1900 by the collector Henry Vaughan, and following his instructions, these works by Turner are exhibited only in January, when lighting conditions are most appropriate to highlight the evocative atmosphere of the artist’s world.

A photo
Tony Vaccaro, 100 years old
The legend of 20th century photography, American photographer Tony Vaccaro, passed away a few days ago after making headlines for his contribution to the photography of the last century. Born in 1922 to Italian parents, Toni Vaccaro became famous for photographs he took in Europe in 1944-45 and in Germany after the war. He later became known as a fashion and lifestyle photographer for major magazines.

LONDON
Demonstration and strength
As museums have announced their exhibition program for the new year, an exhibition on the interpretation of wealth and power in the ancient world, from Persia to Greece, is eagerly awaited in Britannica. The exhibition opens on May 4 and is dedicated to the confrontation between the two worlds during the Greco-Persian conflicts in the 5th century BC. century, and extends to a comprehensive consideration of the aspects of wealth and restraint.

ZURICH
Outstanding Museums
The contribution of modern architecture to the popularization of art and the popularization of museums is emphasized every time the result justifies the choice. For example, the Zurich Art Museum (Kunsthaus), which acquired a new wing with particular favor, as it bears the signature of the architectural office of David Chipperfield. The museum is a collage of buildings from different periods, all signed by great architects.

EAU DE TOILETTE
Art and plants
At the Ludwig Museum, a new exhibition explores an original theme: plants in the art of the early 20th century, in painting, sculpture and photography with a philosophical, ecological, artistic feel. The exhibition, entitled “Green Modernism”, takes us on a journey through the perception of botany and society, finding new ways to portray the great transformations 100 and 120 years ago.