Dorothy makes star turn

The Golden Age star chart imagines a snap shot of the sky over Los Angeles on 6 October 1927, the release date of Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer.

This milestone film spelled the beginning of the end for silent film as thereafter dialogue and moving image skipped merrily down the Hollywood Boulevard into the sunset.

There are 62 films in the Golden Age star chart including King Kong, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, and Casablanca.

The Modern Day star chart supposes a night sky over New York on 16 June 1960, the date of the fist showing of Hitchcock’s Psycho at the DeMille Theatre in New York.

Its approach to storytelling, characterisation, and on-screen violence mark the beginning of the post-classical era of Hollywood. 

This chart covers 108 films including Easy Rider, Bonny and Clyde, The Exorcist, The Godfather, Star Wars, Pulp Fiction and Avatar.

Dorothy co-founder Ali Johnson says, ‘Films selected for inclusion include those that have been chosen for preservation in the US National Film Registry, due to their cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance; by the United States National Film Preservation Board; films that have won Academy Awards, and a few films that are our personal favourites.

‘The key at the base of each print lists the actors featured on the chart, the date of their Oscar win or nomination and the position of their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.’

Prints are available from www.wearedorothy.com/shop as signed and stamped Limited Edition prints (£100 plus P&P) and as Open Edition prints (£25 plus P&P).