Light Up, Mr. Bond!

From Rich Perelman at CigarCyclopedia:

Score one for Agent 007 and his Havana cigar!

Despite the lobbying effort of anti-smoking groups, the British Board of Film Classification – the body that gives films ratings for appropriateness for children, teenagers and adults – decided that Pierce Brosnan’s on-screen puffs of a Havana cigar passed the smell test.

While the Board acknowledged that the glamorization of smoking will be a concern in rating future films, the 2002 release “Die Another Day” passed the test, despite anti-tobacco group protests.

The first new classification guidelines since 2000 were announced yesterday after the Board’s research efforts – including focus groups and inquiries with more than 11,000 people – were completed.

A Board spokeswomen commented, “We showed the groups clips including Die Another Day where James Bond was smoking a cigar. They were quite happy with it and thought a junior audience were unlikely to take it up.”

David Cooke, a Board director, noted that “Quite a high percentage felt quite strongly we shouldn’t prohibit smoking in films because it would be unrealistic. But as with drug and alcohol abuse, we will be looking at the issue of glamorisation, at junior levels in particular. It may influence us in which classification level to go for.”

The Board report noted that the primary concerns of the public included drug taking, violence and sexual activity in both movies and in computer games.

But Bond and his cigar are safe, at least for now.

Posted on Thursday, February 10th, 2005 at 8:38 pm.