The concept of the collective unconscious was originally described by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Invoking what is sometimes referred to as the "common mind", the notion describes a phenomenon whereby a constitutive and essential segment of the human unconscious is the fruit of an (epi)genetic inheritance*, a mark (memory) engraved in everyone's unconscious, including the influence of ethnic, anthropological and social parameters. In his reflections, Jung integrates and underlines the role and symbolic stakes of spiritual, artistic and social practices, not forgetting sexual behavior and the drives of life and death.
If you've taken the time to read these few lines, you may (probably) be wondering a little... What does this have to do with cigars in cinema (indeed, the title of this article will certainly have given you an idea of the subject we're dealing with). But what is the nature of this psychoanalytical digression?
Close your eyes. Whether you're reading this article between two slots at work, comfortably seated on a sofa or in transition sitting on that seat on a train, take the time to imagine a moment, a cigar both as a concept and as an object. Then let yourself be carried away. Eventually, your imagination will seek to stage this cigar. Perhaps a place or a context now manifests itself in your mind... An atmosphere, sensations, smells... It may be that you manage to perfect the scenery that is set up around this object in your imagination. The director within you may be able to glimpse or construct a character... Who is he? How does he behave? What are his values? More vulgarly, "What does he/she give off"? Is he/she a man? A woman? What social class do you think he/she belongs to? Does he/she have any other accessories? Perhaps a particular style of dress? A particular gesture? Close your eyes and imagine...
Whatever image your brain has ventured to construct during these few evocations, each of these inner representations would be (according to Jung's precepts), to a certain extent, the fruit of a memetic reconstruction, deeply rooted in your subconscious. And yes, cigar smokers are no exception. All the characteristics that enable you to visualize your cigar-smoking image are the consequence of a memory inscription of this image at a time "t". Cinema, as an art form, allows human beings to democratize the capture of visual symbols, which are then inscribed in this famous "Collective Unconscious". It's at this point that I choose to raise the long-awaited subject of how cigars are portrayed in cinema. Why is it invoked in a specific setting? What does this say about the character with whom it is associated?
In general, the use of this accessory as a symbol of door status, power, charisma and succinctly the wealth of the smoker. Cigar smoking has gradually become a form of niche hobby. Today, cigar smoking is the preserve of a select few. energetic "attached to ancestral values. How did this image of the smoker come about? cigar in the collective unconscious. Somewhere, the cigar seems to evoke the "old world". A dominant capitalist worldé by men. However, it is curious to venture in what makes up the cigar enthusiast at the movies. We are forced to note that most of these representations are indeed masculine. Despite all in all, it is a particularly useful dramatic tool, accompanying the actor's performance.We've taken the time to put together a selection of iconic cigar scenes for you. We've taken the time to put together a selection of iconic cigar scenes for you.
Let's begin our journey through the history of cinema at the beginning of the last century:
Charlie Chaplin in City Lights (Chaplin, 1931)
To some extent, the turn of the century can be considered the golden age for cigars in cinema. Indeed, back then, movie sets had not yet become smoke-free. When Charlie Chaplin embodied the character of Charlie Chaplin, the tramp who, in many respects with his hat and cane made cinematic history in his role as a powerful humorous catharsis. The character who moved the international community with his awkward charm in stories whose Manicheanism is to be highlighted.. Indeed, in his films, good and evil are almost binary. It's impossible not to fall in love with his bowler hat, his cane and his ill-fitting suit. Cigars in those days, was a symbolic custom for the incarnation of high society characters, ideal accessory to reflect the caricature of the dandy* au nanti. In "City Lights", published in 1931, the character of Charlot falls madly in love with a blind girl to whom he wishes to restore her sight. He develops an unusual friendship with an unmannerly rich millionaire. who, of course, smokes cigars. In this scene, we see the somewhat rude attitude of this character who takes Charlot to an upscale restaurant. The latter offers a cigar to the Tramp, who is so clumsy as to accidentally throw it under a lady's buttocks, leading the scene into a series of masterfully caricatured incidents. In another scene, when the character of Charlot sees upper-class men walking along the sidewalk smoking their cigars, we see a slightly veinier attempt to enhance his status, as he rushes over and grabs a cigar stub before another tramp rushes in to do the same. This accessory demonstrates the dichotomy between social classes, the wretch doomed to submit to the richest, no matter how absurd, as if waste could become wealth for the other.
*dandymale noun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nbr6XoWdpY
Pinocchio (Walt Disney, 1940)
And yes, there are plenty of scenes in which Walt-Disney characters appear with the smoker's attributes. This image is often used to represent a form of antagonism to the "evil" character. For example, Cruella d'enfer, who chain-smokes cigarettes. The captain hook has a unique candlestick-like accessory that allows him to smoke two cigars at the same time.. When Pinocchio arrives on the island of pleasuresthere's the famous scene in which he tries to smoke a cigar and falls ill.. Temptation is an essential theme in this film, in which the character of Pinocchio is constantly led astray; going to school as a a real little boy. What's particularly interesting to noteis that the Pinocchio film itself is dominated by male characters. Most of the boy puppet's encounters are with men. This probably refers to the post-war climate in which the original story was written. Moreover, most of the characters in the film are chronic smokers. This reminds us that, originally, smoking was very much in evidence in films from the 1930s. It was an ideal accessory to represent sophistication and seduction in film noir. We can't say that the characters in Pinocchio come close to any kind of smoking.conque form of refinement. Once again, it's the poorly-influential characters of the smoking film. This contrasts with "sophisticated" representations of this attribute.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1966)
In "from its original title "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly". bad and the ugly" from Sergio Leone, classic western genre film cinema, all characters smoke cigars, the most emblematic of which is played by Clint Eastwood. who plays the man with no name. Indeed, this character's name is never uttered throughout the film, which takes place during the American Civil War. A bounty hunter played by Clint Eastwood is subjected to a large action et of adventures in a trilogy of films called dollars. Clint Eastwood was never a smoker, but "the man without a nom" is a singular indulgence for shorts and cheap cigars, certainly something no one would venture to smoke today, but the perfect choice for such an iconic western hero. Back then, Clint Eastwood has become a kind of archetypal cigar symbol over the years, with the chair bar accessorized in many of his films. Despite this, Eastwood himself doesn't smoke, keeping cigars for the screen only. In the "Dollars" trilogy, thehe cigar Eastwood smoked in the films is the subject of much speculation, and has never been identified. Nevertheless, as Sergi Leone is Italian by birth, some have assumed that the cigars were Tuscans, although Clint himself claims they were American cigars called "Virginians". Knowing that Eastwood was not a smoker himself, the cigar is rarely lit in the films, but simply held between the teeth. When it is lit, it is for clear dramatic purposes, as in the famous scene (5:20 minutes in the video below) in which Clint shares his cigar with a soldier who is about to die, evoking a singular gesture commonly described when, during the First World War, soldiers took breaks in the trenches to share a cigarette, the time to inhale the smoke for a few moments. In the 1960s, machine-made cigars were democratized in the United States.
Al Pacino in Scarface (Brian de Palma, 1983)
When you consider the symbolism of power embodied in the cigar as a cinematic prop, Toni Montana embodies the archetype of this representation. A hardened character, a dangerous gangster and a great amateur, Al Pacino's interpretation of the infamous Tony Montana in the 1983 film Scarface was adored by audiences and critics alike, and has become a classic of the genre for over four decades. The film describes the meteoric rise of a Cuban immigrant in Miami who makes his way in the world of crime and drugs. He becomes the "kingpin", before succumbing to his own ego and borderline behavior. A big-screen phenomenon, the latest Scarface film is the subject of an in-depth analysis of its creation, its influences on pop culture and its close ties to the world of Cuban cigars. The unmistakable charisma, the fiery, explosive dialogues, the cigar that becomes an extension of himself and his personality. These are the hallmarks of Al Pacino, a legendary actor forever revered for his effervescent, nuanced roles. Off-screen, his passion for Cuban cigars is just as legendary and real. Scarface is certainly one of the most spectacular stagings in the world. emblematic when you think of cigars in cinema. It's impossible to detach Toni Montana's character from the cigar. Scarface remains a symbol of the "mafia" film genre, adored by critics and cinephiles alike. University dormitories still display the film's iconic posters, featuring Al Pacino as Tony Montana.
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator (John Mc Tieman, 1987)
When it comes to cigars in movies, aficionados often think of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Perhaps it's because he's such a passionate cigar aficionado. Indeed, Arnold Schwarzenegger can be unanimously described as the most iconic aficionado actor of our time. Many of his films feature cigars, often in keeping with the values conveyed by his character. through the singular gesture of the smoker. It's strange to think that most films that feature cigars are action films. It's not hard to imagine why. this phenomenon is omnipresent. The cigar becomes a symbol of "Masculinity" in its almost parodic attributes. Strength and power are the watchwords for smokers in this particular kind of film. Finally, we understand that the image of nobility projected at the beginning of the century is transformed into attributes of strength and power later on. Arnold's favorite cigars are the Cohiba and PunchAs you may have guessed, he prefers Cuban cigars.
The film follows a special forces team, led by Arnold's character, who have been sent into a Central American jungle to rescue hostages. Things don't go according to plan, and the team is hunted down by an advanced alien species. Before the drama unfolds, Arnold is seen enjoying a cigar just before leaving the military helicopter.
Piers Brosnan in "Meurs un autre jour" (Die another day, Lee Tamahori 2002)
The scèofopening of "Die another day (to die another day) marquhas the minds of cigar aficionados. Indeed, the scene in Cuba, it was impossible not to incorporate the symbolic "cigarantesque" imagery into the staging of the film. In this latest film starring iconic Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. In the scene in question, Bond goes to a cigar factory where he is to meet a double agent. Arriving at the factory, he asks for "Delectados", which, at the time of the film, were not a type of cigar, but a code word for the sleeping agent. Shortly after the film's release, many cigar makers began producing Delectado cigars (James Bond's cigar!). The film shows torcedores* rolling cigars while a man reads the newspaper to the workers, a practice that would still be common today in Cuban cigar factories. Of course, it would be awkward to evoke this specific scene without referring to previous Agent 007 films featuring our beloved cigars.
Legend has it that Roger Moore, who succeeded Sean Connery as Bond, included a clause in his contract stipulating that he was to be supplied with an unlimited supply of Montecristo cigars for the duration of his contract. Although Moore was a cigar man, he was also a pipe man. However, the association of the "gentlemen" style represented in the figure of James Bond with cigars was almost self-evident at the time when the first films were being made. Of course, Daniel Craig no longer smokes cigars... (don't worry, he's now drinking alcohol-free Heineken)... Product placement aside, when will vapots be introduced? The representations associated with tobacco are no longer customary in today's incarnations, and this is strongly linked to international legislation on the promotion and marketing of all products derived from the plant.
*Torcedor a person who rolls cigars.
Etymology:
From Spanish torcedor ("roller") or Portuguese torcedor ("support"). (Def. wikitionary; https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/torcedor#:~:text=Personne%20qui%20roule%20des%20cigares)
There are, of course, other films we could mention in the imagery built up over time around the "Chair Bar" in cinema, and then in our subconscious. It would be clumsy to deny the character of our personal empirical experiences, which aim to develop the typical profile our mind constructs when we think of the cigar smoker. The mental image we sketch out conforms both to societal principles and to the principles of personal memories. As we have noted in this small selection, however, cinematographic depictions of the genre seem to manifest themselves essentially in a sometimes caricatured "masculinist" form, often evocative of a superior social status. Today's aficionado, however, can easily be seen as a deeply passionate person, appreciating the meditative and poetic character that he exalts in the form of "savoir être" that this inspires. It's not hard to wonder about the future fate of these representations on our big and small screens. By virtue of its marginalization outside the conventional channels of the mainstream market, cigars are no longer as easily represented in the cinema. That said, it becomes an all the more evocative marker when exploited for artistic purposes. A strong distinctive element, allowing a complex construction of the psyche of the individual who possesses it. This is why we can confidently say that this symbol has guaranteed its durability in the decisive cinematic role it enjoys. The cigar can thus be seen simultaneously as anachronistic, anti-conformist and subversive. Who knows? Perhaps we'll soon be lucky enough to see actresses asserting themselves in female roles in films or TV series, making shameless use of our favorite accessory: the cigar.
