Friday, August 27, 2010

Thank you for (not) smoking


I hate everything about smoking and the people who smoke them, but even I will admit that when I watch one of those old film noirs and I see old Humphrey B lighting up I can't help thinking, 'Christ he makes that look soooo good.'

There is something about film that captures cigarettes in such a glamourous light, and it simply astounds me. Maybe it has something to do with the seductive tilt of the woman's head while the man lights her cigarette, or  the way they hold the cigarette which gives you far more insight into the character than any other mannerism they could display.

I once thought it had to do with the time these films are set, and the epic smoking sessions in Mad Men seemed to back that up, but more recent movies have triggered a similar reaction for me.

The biggest mystery to me is, however, that it only seems cool in film. Apart from all the health risks and the disgusting smell, people can never pull off that casual smoking stance you see in film. I watch people holding cigarettes and I can see the exact Hollywood star they're trying to emulate, and even if they are a dead ringer for Humphrey Bogart standing in a dimlit bar with a piano and martini nearby all I can think is, 'stop it! You look ridiculous, for the love of god stop making a fool of yourself!'

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