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 three. (See the previous
blog post for part two.) I will start with a couple of Louise Brooks related covers
and go from there. This first cover depicts William Powell from around the time he starred in The Canary Murder Case, which in Poland was titled Kryyk z za Swlatow. (See the end of the previous post for stunning image of Brooks as the Canary, which was published in KINO.) The second cover depicts Louise Brooks two-time co-star, Adolphe Menjou.
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William Powell 1930
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Adolphe Menjou 1930
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Anna May Wong 1930
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Nina Mae McKinney 1935
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Lya di Putti 1931
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Gloria Stuart 1937
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Mae West 1935
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Myrna Loy 1936
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