Japan Today
features

Smoking scenes on the decline in movies

23 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.

23 Comments
Login to comment

Nothing but improved news and blue skies can result from this decline....unless your an addict who thinks cigarettes are the life of the party.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you really want to spot this trend, watch some old movies.

I don't know what went on with the 60s, but smoking went nuts. In the US, people would smoke during LIVE and RECORDED broadcasts. The Flintstones were shown smoking. YouTube that and be prepared.

Generally speaking, I don't like Audrey Hepburn movies because they show this 60s Manhattan culture of almost constant drinking and smoking. It is weird to watch. Rooms of people all lit up at once. And their cigarettes are all suspiciously the same length.

Anyway, smoking in movies is probably being avoided by everyone now. Think about it: A writer will not want to limit his characters by including it. Actors will avoid it because it is starting to have generally a negative image. Directors will not use it because a good actor might not like to smoke or look natural doing it. Plus there are continuity issues and editing problems. It has just become a distraction.

Here is a headline: Nose-picking scenes on the decline in movies

Same thing really.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Less smoking on film is good news. In the last 20 years smoking often indicates a flaw in the character. Charlie Sheen starts smoking (or at least is shown smoking) in Wall Street after the innocent idealistic kid turns bad.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Better yet, show the same glamour pusses 50 years down the road and the decidedly unattractive results. Plus the second hand smoke damage to spouses, coworkers, and children. Really, we live in insane times.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That's good to hear! Smoking isn't cool. Not even in the movies.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

As for the smoking in the movies ... who cares. People who want to smoke will smoke and people who want to bellyache about it will bellyache. Mad Men is a pretty popular show and they do nothing but smoke and drink in every episode.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is good. Still, it's hard to imagine the scene in Die Hard where McClane drops his burning cigarette butt on the floor and Hans stamps it out before saying "Put the gun down and give me my detonators" if McClane had never lit it up.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One episode of mad men will have you smoking a carton of luckys and downing a fith of scotch.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Smoking scenes on decline is a clear reflection of people's increased awareness of the detriment of smoking as clearly determined by the Surgeon General at least 30-40 years ago. presto45, it happens to all of us, and like you at some of the most surprising times. Here's a proposed formual for getting around the problem if your lucky (strikes/pun). Open up with a comment about the subject like, Smoking scenes on the decline in movies is a good thing because in my opinion....Interject your real opinion following it. Return to the subject once more and then finish with the knock-out blow conclusion, relavant or not.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

One episode of mad men will have you smoking a carton of luckys and downing a fith of scotch.

So true! I can7t help but wonder who is funding that series...

Thank you for smoking is a great movie that sums up the smoking industy

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I remember when I first came to Japan, one of the most often one-lines I heard tried on me in English was "May I smoke?" How times have incrementally changed.....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is drinking "banned" too or not, because it's "cool and fun"?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

But the murder, rape, victimizing, torture, killing, drinking, drug use, mutilating, fast driving and unprotected sex goes on.... Thank god that smoking is almost banned in movies, kids might start picking up that bad habit! After the "hattori" incident, the on-liner all Japanese students going to the US learned was "freeze!".....mmmm nothing changed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Nagoya, good point!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A new report shows reader doesn't care.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Smoking in movies may be in decline, but U.S. children will surely be influenced by having a President who smokes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"is a clear reflection of people's increased awareness of the detriment of smoking as clearly determined by the Surgeon General at least 30-40 years ago"

No it isn't. If it were, it would have happened 30-40 years ago. What is happening now is the result of people not being smokers anymore. As I explained above, portraying people smoking has started to be a distraction.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hell yaeh!! That third hand smoke from the dcreen be killin' me

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah, but! Whenever you do see someone smoking in a movie they always have the bad-boy rebel image (cue James Dean), which is exactly why most young people start sucking down coffin nails. The bloody stuff should in the same category as heroine. Ban it!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I remember when I first came to Japan, one of the most often one-lines I heard tried on me in English was "May I smoke?" How times have incrementally changed.....

Funny thing is, this was never really a question was it. I always answered no and they always still lit up. Funny thing, smokers are.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Even as a smoker I was amazed a while ago on a rainy day when I checked out some of the old TV shows, mostly done live in those days. Just one example, Johnny Carson with Dean Martin, Bob Hope, and George Gobel, and oh yeah Judy Carne was there too. All smoking non stop. Wonder what would happen these days if Jay or Conan took a puff on screen.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Smokers have joined several other minority groups in what I commonly call the "new Jews". Persecuting a "new Jew" is politically correct and government approved ... kind of like it used to be considered proper to persecute regular Jews ... and "blacks", and "catholics", and ... and ... and ..... you know, all those "threats" to a decent pure world. Any old excuse or exaggeration or outright lie will do ... and you can hate with impunity.

Same look & feel - and hatefulness - as good old anti-semitism.

Anyway ... now would be a great time for a movie director to put out a film where only the "good guys" smoked ... and the twisted, sour, "bad guys" didn't :-)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

smoking scenes are such a distraction. I lose affection for an actor real fast when he/she lights up on screen.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites