What do these films have in common?

Crush About a Boy Charlie's Angels Erin Brockovich There's Something About Mary Thelma and Louise What Women Want Titanic Independence Day My Best Friend's Wedding Bridget Jones's Diary Good Will Hunting Men in Black Reality Bites Romeo and Juliet Jerry Maguire Payback Escape from LA Lethal Weapon	Join the fight against the glamorisation of smoking in movies

Answer:

They are all among the rising number of films that feature lead characters who smoke.

When producers portray smoking in the movies, they often use it to signal that a character is cool, rebellious or sophisticated. Research has shown that this is just the sort of message that is most effective in encouraging young people to start smoking and, for many, continue for a lifetime. The fact is that smoking is deadly. If you've known someone who suffers from lung cancer or emphysema, you will know that the reality is a world away from the glossy images on screen. Help us to counteract the effect of smoking in movies by taking one of the actions below. Together we can send the message that this kind of propaganda is not acceptable.

We propose:

• That all movies are assessed for inappropriate smoking content prior to release,
• That, once they have been identified, these films are accompanied by strong smoking education advertisements.
• That this requirement is written into law at State and Federal levels.
  

What you can do

• Write to the Chair of the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia, and tell him that you don't want to see films that glamorise smoking.
  
  Mr Sunder Kimitrai
  Chair of the Motion Picture Distributor's Association of Australia
  PO Box 888
  Paddington 2021
  
  
• Write a letter to the editor

  Whether it's your local paper or one of the Sydney metro papers, letters to the editor are a great way to promote debate about different issues.

  Tell the editor what you think about smoking in films and how you feel when you see films that glamorise smoking.

  Editor, Sydney Morning Herald
  Email: letters@smh.com.au
  Fax: 9282 3492
  GPO Box 3771
  Sydney 2001

  Editor, Daily Telegraph
  Email:letters@dailytelegraph.com.au
  Fax: 9288 2300
  PO BOX 2808
  GPO
  Sydney NSW 2001
  

• Join the Tobacco Action Group mailing list

Quick facts about smoking in film

• 1 in every 2 lead characters smoke compared to 1 in 7 people of similar social background in the general population.
  
  
• In the 1990s actors lit a cigarette every 1 to 3 minutes compared to the 70s and 80s when they lit up every 10 to 15 minutes
  
  
• Over 89 percent of top US movie rentals in 1996-97 contained tobacco use
  
  
• Since 1998 smoking has increased by 50 percent in youth-oriented film. A study of the 250 highest-grossing films over 10 years found that characters smoked in 85% of them.

What is 'product placement' in movies?

United States tobacco industry documents have shown that the tobacco industry has paid large amounts of money to have its products appear in movies and TV series. This form of product promotion is known as 'product placement'. Examples include:

• $350,000 to have Lark cigarettes appear in the James Bond movie License to Kill
• $42,000 to place Marlboro cigarettes in Superman II
• $30,000 to place Eve cigarettes in Supergirl
• Over $5,000 to have Lucky Strike appear in Beverly Hills Cop.
• An agreement to pay a $500,000 fee to actor, Sylvester Stallone to use Brown and Williamson products in five feature films.

Go deeper

There is a lot more to learn

• Reeling them in: An information sheet on smoking in movies
• The tobacco industry

Sites of interest

Smoke Free Movies http://www.smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/index.html