"I'm Learning to Smoke Now": The Evolution of Cigarettes in Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai. Issue 1 (1st March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Iucci, Francesca
• Is Part Of: Film matters. Volume 13:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 68
• Page End: 82
• Publication Date: 2022-03-01
• Subjects: Motion pictures -- Periodicals; 791.4305
• DOI: 10.1386/fm_00205_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2042-1869

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.