Watch Out of the Past (1947) and 200 Cigarettes (1999)

Comparison Reviews should focus on the use of cigarettes and cigarette smoke throughout the movies.

• To what extent are cigarettes and smoking a key “actor” in each film?
• Compare the “star power” of each movie. Which movie had a greater influence on society at its time? Why?
• Was smoking glamorized in both films? How or why not?

Is smoking still prevalent in popular films or other current media?

Links for the movies are not provided.

Answer preview

Star power is a vital film evaluation metric for it demonstrates a film’s reception and its impact on society. Out of the Past had immense star power owing to its intricate plot that evaluates the entanglement between crime and romance. In contrast, 200 Cigarettes became famous for its negative reviews more than anything else. Both films glamorized smoking, albeit in different ways. On the one hand, 200 Cigarettes portrayed it as something that people could engage in as an attempt to be trendy. As insinuated earlier, Out of the Past was more successful in glamorizing smoking by portraying it as a significant facet of one’s personality and an avenue for letting out one’s emotions.

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Cigarettes and cigarette smoke