Photographs to the Forefront: Illustrated Periodicals and Cinema in the Italian Context of the Entre-deux-guerres

This article aims to connect the fields of film and periodical studies by exploring the visual aspects of illustrated periodicals through the lens of cinema. It emphasizes how the interplay of photographic images and written text in magazine layouts serves as a form of serial visual storytelling that mirrors the moving images of cinema. By analyzing the links between early cinema and Italian illustrated film magazines from the early twentieth century—drawing on examples from publications such as Cinematografo, Kines, Cinema illustrazione, Cinema, and Film—the study highlights the significant role that illustrated periodicals played in shaping the visual culture of that era.