Cigarettes in film 

 

   Cigarettes have always been extremely popular in American cinema. They have proven themselves to be a substantial vessel for symbolism throughout the years. Since the late 1800s cigarettes have been seen in film and used as a method of speaking to the audience visually. Cigarettes have carried many meanings throughout the decades. The most common being, dominance, masculinity, rebelion, and villainous intention. 

 

   Cape Fear 1991- When looking at the use of cigarettes in film one can say that smoking is almost entirely reserved for male characters and especially those that portray villains. In this film by Martin Scorsese, where fresh out of jail Max Cady plans to terrorize the Bowden family the psychopathic villain is seen frequently with his cigar, in fact the first scene that he shares with the Bowden family, Cady is smoking obnoxiously. Cady's character smokes in a lot of the major scenes where director Scorsese is emphasizing and developing Cady's persona as violent, malicious, and villainous. Taking a look at the scenes you will notice that the first three interactions Max Cady has with the Bowden family he is smoking his cigar, and the cigar continuously foreshadows malicious intent, developing Cady's character as a villain. 

 

   The Graduate 1967- This American classic has one of the best uses of the cigarette in film history. The Graduate is widely regarded for its twisted version of a coming of age story. When an older woman, Mrs Robinson, becomes sexually interested in 21 year old Benjamin, Ben begins a conflicting journey between his morals and desires. There is one pivotal scene that sets the tone for the remainder of the film. In this scene Benjamin is invited into the home of Mrs. Robinson, she begins to speak to Ben in a subtly seductive manner. Ben is caught off guard and becomes insecure. This scene would not be as effective if Mrs. Robinson had not been smoking her cigarette. This is because of the careful timing of the film. The scene begins with both Ben and Mrs. Robinson standing up, and Ben decisively trying to escape a conversation, however, the moment that Mrs. Robinson lights a cigarette and exhales the smoke onto Ben’s face, he sits down and begins to slowly lose control of the conversation. This was a very subtle decision which made all the difference in this scene. Mrs Robinson would not have had the control and dominance over Benjamin if it wasn't for the cigarette in her hand. 

 

   The Good the Bad and the Ugly 1966- Like I mentioned before, cigarette use has mainly been reserved for male characters in film. This is because cigarettes are commonly used to express masculinity. Although one's definition of masculinity may vary depending on individual beliefs, the definition of masculinity in Hollywood (especially in the 20th century), has for the most part remained the same. A man was strong, brave, and a hero. The Good the Bad and the Ugly is a great example of a Hollywood film which uses the cigarette to symbolize this interpretation of masculinity. In this film before the audience sees the face of the hero, (aka Man with No Name) they see that he is smoking. He makes his entrance with a cigarette in his mouth. He then proceeds to kill off three bounty hunters who had taken a man hostage, almost like the cigarette has given him this confidence. Just like that, before even seeing his face, the audience admires this man and thinks of him as a brave strong hero . He is established as a

hero before the audience knows anything about him and a lot of that credit is due to the cigarette in Man with No Name’s mouth. 

 

   Palo Alto 2014- In Gia Coppola’s teenage drama, the three leads of the story are introduced to the audience while they smoke a cigarette. It is common to see teenagers smoking in films but what makes Palo Alto stand out in its usage of the cigarette is that it seemingly romanticizes or glamorizes smoking amongst teenagers which is something that has become more and more popular over the years in teen dramas. In this film where the main leads do not conform to what's normal, the cigarette is used as a symbol of their rebellion. The simple fact that in the first scene we see these characters, they are smoking, means it was an intentional detail meant to establish the idea that they are rebels. Rebelling against what they've been told is normal or okay their entire lives, is something that teenagers tend to be extremely attracted to, as teenage years are central years of self discovery. Through this symbolic meaning of the cigarette, a second message is given to the audience which would be if you smoke you are a rebel, hence the glamorization. 

 

   Throughout the years cigarettes have conveyed an image of the cool character, someone who the audience would want to be like, and it has achieved this influence on the audience by the subtle symbolisms given to the cigarette. Although time, gender, and genre, have applied their unique meanings to the cigarette, these themes have remained relevant in American cinema. The next time that you see a cigarette in a film consider which one of these meanings it has. Does the director want you to see the character as dominant, masculine, rebellious, or as a villain?

​

~Paloma Ixta