The Glories of Poland's KINO Magazine, part one

If you are anything like me (and I realize most people aren't), then you may enjoy surfing the internet and browsing old newspapers and magazines, especially international publications. I like doing so on occasion. In particular, I enjoy looking at old film magazines. They depict a world gone by. A time and place no longer. But what's more, you never know what you will find - rare and unusual images, little known interviews with favorite stars, and more. 

I am drawn to publications from Eastern Europe, especially publications from Poland. (I am of Polish heritage.) One of my favorite magazines to look through is KINO, a Polish film magazines. A small archive of the magazine, dating from the 1930s, can be found online HERE. (Warning, this archive can be problematic to navigate.)

What is especially notable about this magazine (especially in the early 1930s) is its striking, sometimes avante-garde cover art, which utilizes a muted palette and employs portrait photography and illustration, as well as moderne and art deco designs, collage, coloring, patterns, layers, geometric forms, abstraction, "exoticism" and a varied layout (i.e. title placement). It is also worth noticing the predominance of angles over curves. (As the decade progressed, KINO covers were less bold, and began to resemble the covers found on other magazines of the time.)

I found a bit of material about Louise Brooks, of course, as well as many attractive magazine covers which I wanted to share - both because they depict favorite movie stars, but also for their swell graphic design. There are so many interesting images that I need divide this post into a few parts.  

This is part one. I will start with a Louise Brooks cover and go from there.

Louise Brooks 1932

John Gilbert 1930

Ramon Novarro 1930

Charlie Chaplin 1931

Buster Keaton 1932

Pola Negri 1931

Colleen Moore 1930

Clara Bow 1930

Greta Garbo 1934

The next post will feature even more covers. Of course, there are many other interesting / appealing / unusual interior illustrations. Here is one that I came across that intrigues me to no end - a caricature and poem related to Garbo. Can anyone transcribe and translate the verse?