The health argument
Tobacco remains present in more than 90% of French films, according to a study by the League against cancer published in May, while this causes 75,000 deaths each year and remains the leading cause of cancer death in France. Shots on a lighter or an ashtray, characters toasting cigarettes… the analysis of 150 works released between 2014 and 2019 shows that directors love smoke.
The artistic argument
Smoking has declined among the French, but not on screen. We even smoke more on screen than in reality, according to the study by the League against cancer: 65% of films show a smoker while only 25% of French people smoke regularly. And, when, on the screen, we light a cigarette, it is often in forbidden places. For the League, the number of young smokers would be reduced by 18% if the cinema were better regulated.
The legal argument
Since 1991, the Evin law has prohibited all forms of direct and indirect advertising for tobacco, as for alcohol or drugs. However, by trivializing the act of smoking, the films would promote the much-maligned product. “A cultural incentive to smoke”, declared the former Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, in 2017, accusing the cinema of making “The diverted advertising for the consumption of tobacco”.
The health counter-argument
Let’s not get confused about the debate. The fight against tobacco is already a public health priority, there is no need to involve the cinema. Rise in the price of cigarettes, ban on smoking in public places, marketing of the “Tobacco Free Month”, deterrent packages… Result: despite a slight rebound linked to confinements, the French smoke less than before. The number of daily consumers fell by 4.5 points between 2014 and 2019, according to data from Public Health France.
The artistic counter-argument
Art is intended to be neither realistic nor moralist. As if James Bond, during chases, had to respect the highway code. So, if the directors want to film their hero with a cigarette in his mouth or make Thomas Shelby smoke 3,000 Gauloises in the series Peaky Blinders to add more charisma, free to them. We reassure you, the 3,000 cigarettes smoked by the latter were quickly replaced by substitutes by production.
The legal counter-argument
Certainly, 54% of 18-24 year olds hold the tobacco industry responsible for the promotion of cigarettes in the cinema, according to the study of the League against cancer. Yet it is product placements that the Evin Law prohibits, not cultural inducement. However, today, no one is aware of the existence of financial contracts between tobacco companies and studios. Contrary to certain past actions which have definitely made the world of cinema addicted!