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Smoking in the movies (1 Viewer)

Jacob McCraw

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It seems to me that it has become more of a way to distinguish a character as a "bad guy" or a "rebel". In the 80's Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis smoked about 5 packs each in every film they made. Now, villains tend to smoke much more often than heroes, and smoking is now a prerequisite for teenage rebellion.
 

Joe Karlosi

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On a personal level, I've never smoked and I've always found it to be disgusting. I'm one of those guys who doesn't like watching beautiful women smoking, either. But while I'm certainly not complaining over not seeing it in newer films, I still wouldn't care if movies showed smoking. As many have said here, people do it in the real world.
 

Zen Butler

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Personally, and let me duck, I find it sexy.




OFF: If we're teaching tolerance, teach it clear across the board. If I wan't to smoke at work, I must do it 200 yards away from any other living creature, in a 6x6 box. I'm dead serious. We smokers, get the point.

Now, if I could see a percentage of the same motivation applied to second-hand cell phone usage.
 

doug zdanivsky

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I must admit, seeing it on the screen, I find it a little sexy, too..

But your missing the reality of it.. You don't smell the stinky breath and clothes, you don't see the yellow teeth and fingers, the smoker's cough..

That's why it's so appealing to youngsters when they see it "advertised", so..

:frowning:
 

Glenn Overholt

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No, it can't be product placement. If an actor doesn't smoke, they won't make them smoke during a scene, that just doesn't make any sense. What we are seeing is that some of the actors really do smoke, and it was either written into the script or they got an ok to 'light up' during a scene.

Glenn
 

Zen Butler

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I wonder. In Kill Bill, there is a profile shot of a well known actor.
Cigarette(a trendy but very good brand) perfectly placed so you can see the emblem. Seemed intentional. Maybe, only I noticed because I smoke that brand?
 

Frank Grimes

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Tarantino shows or mentions Red Apple cigarettes in every one of his movies, so yes, it was intentional. I didn't know they were real cigarettes, and if they are, it is the only time I can think of where a specific brand of cigarettes is featured, so I doubt cigarette companies are sponsoring these films.
 

Seth Paxton

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Smoking exists for 2 simple reasons.

1) The dynamic movement of smoke makes for beautiful cinematography, and that goes for fog too if you can capture it the way you want to.

For similar reasons streets are almost always wet down, and that's not a product placement for rain. ;)


2) Many actors like to have it as a prop to work with so that they don't have awkward idle hands. A side reason to this is also that sometimes it gives a character an edge that the director envisions.


Thinking its just about product placement seems to stem more from a lack of understanding of the history of the cinematic arts than anything else. Or maybe a touch of paranoia.

I don't care for smoking at all but I understand the facination with watching smoke roll away on film, cigs or other sources. After all that's a big part of cinema, watching interesting things move. For early cinema big attractions were scenes with leaves or grass blowing in the wind because that idea of motion was the new thing that the cinema arts offered, and audiences were fascinated by it.

Smoke has that great fluid dynamics motion that is both simple and complex.
 
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Even though I hate smoking I have to admit it looks really cool on screen. Of course they don't show the bit afterwards where the character spends five minutes coughing violently and spitting out sticky dollops of flem. That wouldn't be quite so cool.
 

JonZ

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"Smoking exists (in film) for 2 simple reasons."


Also, because people smoke :)
 

Benson R

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Jeez does this really need to be said. Red Apples are not real cigarettes, I repeat it is not a real brand.

Just like Kahuna burgers which also appear in from dusk till dawn, Tarantino likes to make it clear his films occupy the same universe and repeats made up brand names to help bring that point across.

Also I believe in old school he says that she was intimidating because she smoke Marlboros. I could be wrong, I may have to check. Even if he does mention Red Apple I am sure it would be a little nod to Tarantino.
 

RyanAn

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When someone picks up a pack of Camels, yes, that is bad, but when somone picks up a ficitonal brand like "Nails" it is alright. I am incredibly against smoking, but if it furthurs a character and is NOT product placement, it is ok.


An example would be Billy Bob's character, or Silent Bob.

Ryan
 

Garrett Lundy

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Tarantino's Red Apple and Smith's Nails cigarettes were developed so that protest groups could not point to tobacco advertising. Yes, it would have been easy to get a major brand (Harley-Davidson and the Marlboro Man, anyone?), but instead they made-up a fictional brand: The smoking isn't commercial, so it becomes a character trait.

And you can lump me into the "Women smoking is sexy" camp. I also like the smell. maybe I'm just bitter because I had to quit (my GF has athsma). ;)

Should smoking films be rated R?: Hell no. Whats next, films rated NC-17 because the characters aren't devout Mormons? (or catholic, jew, protestant, or whatever religion the protestor belongs to). Maybe we should ban all films that show on-screen drinking while they're at it. :angry:
 

Benson R

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I'm really sick of people complaining about this. Smoking is a lot less common in movies these days then it used to be.

If anything it stands out more when it is used, due to it seeming unusual. It depends on the movie though, independent and more character based films use it more, but big hollywood movies actively seem to try and avoid using it.

Its still there, but like it was said earlier people still smoke in real life, just not as much. Movies are a reflection of real life. Twenty years ago, lots of people smoked, so lots of movies had smoking. Today its on the decline, so its on the decline in movies.

I strongly disagree with the assertion that its more present right now then it was a little while ago. While I'm sure several recent movies that some people in this thread saw had smoking, that is hardly evidence of a trend.
 

Benson R

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I also disagree with this. I am sure studios want directors to avoid showing brand names so they are not endorsing specific products, but the two directors mentioned did not make up those brands for that reason.

Both Tarantino and Smith create fake brands to make there world seem real, but seperate from ours. I mean they have brands for other things, Kahuna burgers, Chewley Gum etc.
 

Glenn Overholt

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I have an age related question. If any of you were in high school when we had a ton of teen flicks, it would be reasonable to assume that there wouldn't be much smoking in them, because they are too young, as you were. But now that you're out of high school, not only can you smoke but you're watching - or rather, you are NOT watching the teen flicks anymore.

I hope that came out right.

GLenn
 

todbnla

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It does indeed seem odd, in these times of "tobacco is not healthy" conscious society, I too feel we are seeing it more on the big screen. I do also concur, I feel the tobacco companies are putting up big bucks for the studios.


FWIW: I hear what you smokers are saying about haveing to be secluded in order to smoke at work, but my gripe is, when do I get my every 45 minute break so I can stand outside and look around for 4-10 minutes. :frowning: Whats good for the goose...And I am a cube farm drone that resides in corporate america.
 

Chris Lockwood

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>I think I heard that some group was going to lobby the ratings group to get them to force an 'R' rating on every movie that had smoking in it.

I think that's nuts. Totally ruins the point of ratings.


>when do I get my every 45 minute break so I can stand outside and look around for 4-10 minutes

Why don't you take breaks like that? I took breaks outside when I had corporate jobs- didn't think I had to be a smoker to do that.

I don't mind smoking in the movies at all. It's smoking in real life I don't like. (If anyone thinks the habit is dwindling, try going to a nightclub.)
 

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