| famous cigar smokers, both young and old, give this film a unique and personal touch. It was nice to hear other cigar smokers talk about some of the same pleasures and experiences you may have had yourself. This was the only one of the seen films that concentrated on the smoking experience and the feelings it generates. This was especially enjoyable.
Koules -- This video captures the new wave of cigar sino ker with celebrities ranging from Paul Servino to supermodel Veronica Webb. It contains interviews with celebrities and discussions of their smoking habits, how they started and their favorite smoke. It was an informative video, but long-time smokers will probably find parts of this film redundant.
CIGARSFrom Seeds to SmokeTHE WILLIAM BEARDEN COMPANY, INC., 1994 PRODUCER: William Bearden DIRECTOR: William Bearden RUNNING TIME: 43 minutes
Hooks -- This video is for the neophyte cigar smoker. It illustrates the process of making cigars, from background information on cigar production to lessons on the proper way to light a cigar. Insightful and informative, but a little uninteresting.
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Koules -- This was more of a straightforward history lesson about cigars, especially those originating in the Dominican Republic. For me the fact they chose to exclude Cuba as a cigar production region really took me out of this video. Despite the good production quality, its slow pace and exclusion of Cuban cigars caused me to lose interest.
THE HAVANACigar of ConnoisseursJANSON ASSOCIATES, 1995 PRODUCERS: Uwe Kersken and Gerhard von Richthofen DIRECTOR: Uwe Kersken and Ralf Breier RUNNING TIME: approximately 59 minutes Hooks -- This video was the most authoritative on the subject of Cuban cigars. I enjoyed the visit to Robert Lewis in London and the classic Spanish bullfight footage. While some of the interviews tended to be slightly dull, Pierre Salinger's rendition of the famous Kennedy pre-embargo cigar order more than made up for it. History/documentary buffs will love this video. Beginners may want a more well-rounded look at cigars -- especially those that are not Cuban. Koules -- Unlike Seeds to Smoke, this video's coverage of Cuban cigars was exhaustive. Although I enjoyed the vintage film footage and great production quality, this video tended to be a bit dry. Reminiscent of the classic BBC-style |
documentaries, its slant was definitely toward Europe. For those unacquainted with Havana cigars, this makes for a great in-depth introduction.
CIGARSThe New Rage! Your Complete Guide to the Fascinating World of CigarsDEES ENTERTAINMENT, 1996 PRODUCER: Rick Dees DIRECTOR: N/A RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes Hooks -- The MTV-style opener really caught my attention. Despite the freighteningly poor historical re-enactment in the beginning of the video, the rest was well put-together and displayed a clever editorial eye. The interviews were well-conducted and brief enough not to become boring. This video seems to capture a little bit of each of the others, and was a nice balance between documentary and pure entertainment. Koules -- This was one of the best. Humorous while informative. This video is a nice compromise between entertainment and education. The narrative was lively and upbeat, and Dees provided a few laughs. I enjoyed the visit to both the Partagas Factory in Cuba and the Fuentes Factory in the D.R. From a production angle, I found that the use of subtitles, (instead of a translator), added to the authenticity. Overall, a highly campy, yet informative, video.
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