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Action on Smoking and Health
A National Legal-Action Antismoking Organization Entirely Supported by Tax-Deductible Contributions
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Film Gets Flak From Anti-Smokers [09/22-4]
Excerpts from: Film Gets Flak From Anti-Smokers
ANSA.it [09/19/05]
Award-winning movie under fire over cigarette-hooked cast
An Italian film which scooped a prize at the Venice Film Festival has come under fire from the anti-smoking lobby because of its cigarette-hooked cast .
La Bestia nel Cuore (The Beast in the Heart) stars acclaimed Italian actress Giovanna Mezzogiorno as chain-smoking Sabina, a woman whose happy existence is torn apart when buried memories of abuse return to haunt her .
Mezzogiorno's performance bagged her the top acting award for a woman at the Venice fest earlier this month .
But consumer group Codacons was less impressed and has asked magistrates to investigate the Cristina Comencini-directed film for alleged "indirect advertising for smoking products" .
"Too often directors opt to heighten moments of tension or unease with a cigarette. That's something we do not agree with because it is too simplistic and harmful," said Codacons President Marco Donzelli .
"As for this film, it's excessive. The actors smoke one cigarette after another," Donzelli said .
There have been growing calls to limit smoking in films and on TV as part of a general crackdown on cigarettes .
Former Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia, who spearheaded a ban on public smoking, recently resurrected his proposal that health warnings accompany old films on TV in which movie icons are seen puffing away on cigarettes .
The minister maintained that Hollywood legends like Humphrey Bogart, the smoker supreme, set a dangerous example for youngsters, making cigarettes look sexy and glamorous .
Italy's smoking law, which came into effect in January, is one of the toughest in Europe and has virtually ended smoking in cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs .
Any establishment wishing to cater to smokers - and there is no obligation to do this - must have separate rooms for them with automatically closing doors and smoke extractors .
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