Life, 1928-01-19 · page 29 of 38
Life — January 19, 1928 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Kodak advertisement**, not a political cartoon. The page promotes home movie-making technology—specifically the Ciné-Kodak camera and Kodascope projector—to a mass audience. The main image shows a **Cine-Kodak demonstration in a New York department store**, with crowds of ordinary people (wearing 1920s attire) gathered to watch the technology in action. The satire is gentle: the ad celebrates how democratized filmmaking has become. What was once expensive hobby equipment for the wealthy is now affordable ($140 complete outfit) for "millions." The key selling point: simplicity. Following Eastman's famous slogan ("You press the button—We do the rest"), users need only film; Kodak handles processing. The ad emphasizes this repeatedly to overcome consumer anxiety about technical complexity. The cultural moment: this reflects 1920s enthusiasm for consumer technology and participatory entertainment—the idea that ordinary families could become "movie directors" themselves, mirroring Hollywood's glamour at home.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life 27 Home MOVIES fr | MILLIONS $140 comPLete Today a complete out- St, Ciné-Kodak, Ko- dascope Projector and Screen, sells for only $740. At last, Home Movies are available at prices millions can afford, Illustrated at the left is the Koda- scope Model “C” Projector which, with one reel, now sells for only $60, Here’s a new thrill...a new sport...a new type of home en- tertainment. Now thousands are taking movies with pro- | , Sessional results, Easy to make—easy to show. Be your own X%, Movie Director and enjoy the fun in this new dramatic art. RAMA....adventure ... romance! Ready, action, CAMERA! Today vou can get these thrills in movies that you make yourself. For now, thanks to an amazing develop- ment, Home Movies have been brought to a practical basis that millions can afford. No longer a rich man’s hobby. No longer something you'd like to have but cannot afford. Home Movies are here. . . perfected, developed, simplified . . . and best of all, at Prices you can easily pay. Low Prices Bring Great Public Interest The astonishing growth in Home Movie pop- ularity is directly due to two very significant teasons: 1, Complete simplification . . . even a novice can now make pictures of sparkling beauty and clearness. Pictures that have a professional look. Gone are the complicated grinding cranks, long-legged tripods, and troublesome developing. 2. Amazingly low prices . . . prices that millions can afford. An entire outht for movie-making and projection now sells for only $140. Thousands of people tell us that a Ciné Kodak is even easier to use than the con- ventional camera. That real movies are easier to make than ordinary “‘snap-shots.”” You have no idea how simple it is. There's no need to focus. No tripod. No grinding crank. Just sight the camera, at either waist height or eye level. Everything is simple. Then press the button—a shutter whirls inside, and the film slides swiftly be- hind the always-ready lens. A Famous Slogan Tells the Story Of course you remember the old Eastman slogan, “ You press the button — We do the rest"? Ie still holds true today. For after the movie film is taken your work is done. No troublesome developing. You have noth- ing to worry about. We finish your films at { CINE-KODAK DEMONSTRATION IN A LARGE NEW YORK STORE } no extra cost and return them to you ready to run on your own silver screen. Then with equal ease your films are shown. Switch on your Kodascope Projector and in- stantly the screen becomes alive with action. There, parading before your eyes, are the movies that you made yourself. It is all just as simple as that. And to supplement your own movie pro- gram, Kodak Cinegraphs, 100-foot reels covering a variety of subjects . . . comedy, drama, cartoons, travel are available at your dealer's. Price $7.50 per 100 feet, which becomes a permanent part of your film library. Official United States War Department movies of the World War, filmed in action by the Signal Corps, are also available for you torun. War Cinegraphs—200 feet per reel— $15 each. Special authentic war pictures compiled and edited by military experts, “America Goes Over”—2000 feet—$150, taking an hour and a quarter to show. In addition, full length films, which con- stitute a complete entertainment and include the biggest screen successes of famous stars, may be secured for a modest rental from the nearest Kodascope Library. Go see the Ciné-Kodak demonstration at your nearest Kodak dealer’s. Get the facts about Movie-Making. Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N. Y. comicbooks.com