It is hard to say which came first: filmmakers' love of smoke on screen or the crates of free cigarettes supplied by sponsors on set.
Researchers in the US found that 37% of teenagers started smoking to imitate characters on screen. Here in the CIS, we are not far behind: sometimes a film sends us straight to the shop for another pack.
But if you want to put your willpower to the test, welcome to our selection of films filled with smoke.
The Fifth Element
Bruce, what are you doing?
The charming taxi driver and role model for boys growing up in the 1990s lights up at every opportunity. While pure Evil hurtles towards Earth in the form of an enormous meteorite, humanity's only hope is busy wrecking his health.
The cigarette here is more than a standard tough-guy accessory. At the start of the film, Korben is dealing with a divorce, loses his job and feels like a complete failure.
Yes, his last match saves the world in the final scene. But we hope Korben went on to live happily ever after without the harmful habit.
“Korben... Korben, sweetheart, I have no fire! No matches! I quit smoking! I don't smoke anymore! Father, do you smoke?! Got any matches? Matches? We need fire! Or that's it for all of us! We're all going to die!”
“Not a sound.”
Constantine
Trust the devil — but do your own part
Exorcist John Constantine has a tough job, so after every call-out he reaches for a cigarette. The result is terminal lung cancer.
Doctors cannot save the medium, and in the end it takes Lucifer himself to cure him. Not out of the kindness of his heart, of course.
The moral: even if your job involves driving demons out of little girls, that is no reason to destroy your health. Try mints and meditation instead.
“I always won. I defeated creatures most people have never even heard of. And it was cigarettes that finished me off.”
Bridget Jones's Diary
Quit smoking in the new year. All right, just smoke less.
Bridget is not your typical rom-com heroine, and that is exactly why we love her. She lives in pyjama bottoms, mixes vodka with juice and smokes a pack a day, all while poking fun at herself.
Like the rest of us, Bridget promises to quit smoking every New Year. But by 1 January she has forgotten all about it and is smoking again, drink in hand.
Of course, your dream man is unlikely to reject you because you smoke (otherwise, what kind of dream man is he?). Still, keeping New Year's resolutions is good for your conscience and your karma.
“New Year's resolution: drink less. Oh, and quit smoking. And keep my New Year's resolutions. And stop saying stupid things to strangers. And stop talking altogether. Full stop.”
The Seventh Day
The priest and the tobacco demon
Our second exorcist already. Is this an occupational habit?
The striking Guy Pearce handles a silver cross as deftly as a cowboy handles a gun. As a seasoned exorcist, he is apparently expected to smoke — especially during difficult conversations with his young protégé. And guess who ends up possessed?
Scripture says: “If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” So put out that cigarette, Father!
“Anxiety is a kind of kryptonite for demons.”
Carol
A love story in clouds of smoke
New York society in the 1950s is ready to accept a woman's right to smoke, but not her right to love whomever she chooses.
Two women in love, Carol and Therese, are constantly surrounded by cigarette smoke. In bars, restaurants and underground cinemas, they keep on smoking.
What does a cigarette mean to them: rebellion, an attempt to fit in, or relief from emotional pain? Something to think about. As for you, love whomever you like — and quit smoking.
“Just when you think things cannot get any worse, you run out of cigarettes.”
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Passion and cigarettes in sunny Spain
In Woody Allen's warm comedy, every artist smokes — and between puffs they argue about who stole whose style.
Penélope Cruz does it most brilliantly of all. Her fiery, slightly unhinged character is trying to win back her ex-husband, who has already settled into the arms of Cristina, a tourist from New York.
The characters' lives are intense and fleeting. A cigarette is the perfect way to show that they do not care about tomorrow. But if you do care, don't smoke — and don't call your ex.
“I almost killed for you!”
“Yes, you almost killed me... with a chair.”
“It was self-defence. You were waving a razor! You were drunk, furious, and holding a razor!”
“Out of jealousy. I was crazy about you, and you cheated on me... with your eyes.”
The Hobbit
Where will an old man with a pipe take you?
Unexpected? Absolutely! Gandalf the Grey keeps his pipe close throughout the trilogy, mysteriously blowing smoke rings.
Why has the wizard still not given up the habit in his old age? Perhaps he inherited it from Tolkien himself: the creator of Middle-earth was fond of a pipe too.
Yet Gandalf appears without his ever-present companion in his first scene. Perhaps that is why Bilbo finds him so grumpy. If you do not want to snap at people in the morning, don't smoke. Or make sure you replenish your tobacco supplies in time.
“Good morning!”
“What do you mean? Are you simply wishing me a good morning? Or saying that this morning is good, regardless of what I think of it? Or that everyone ought to be good this morning?” “All of them at once, I suppose.”
