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- Title
"I'm Learning to Smoke Now": The Evolution of Cigarettes in Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai.
- Authors
Iucci, Francesca
- Abstract
This article explores the symbolic connotations of cigarettes in Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai (1947). Although a common theme in film noir, the act of smoking can become a dynamic component of cinematic narrative. My work argues that Elsa Bannister's use of cigarettes in the film reinvents the object's role within the genre, as cigarettes move from being a "thing" to embodying Elsa's power. The article demonstrates this by examining valuable scenes through shot-by-shot analysis and thus challenging the characters' agency in relation to Elsa.
- Subjects
WELLES, Orson, 1915-1985; LADY From Shanghai, The (Film); FEMMES fatales; SMOKING in motion pictures; HAYWORTH, Rita, 1918-1987
- Publication
Film Matters, 2022, Vol 13, Issue 1, p68
- ISSN
2042-1869
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1386/fm_00205_1