This film is part of Free
The Smoking Machine
Documentary warning children about the drawbacks of cigarettes – not least their addictiveness.
Overview
Hacking coughs punctuate the soundtrack throughout, making the film’s propaganda purpose clear from the start. We follow a group of children trying to find out why the various adults in their lives smoke, and what the attractions are considering what to them are obvious drawbacks. Indiscriminate smoking “looks funny to us now”, says the narrator, but The Smoking Machine’s own footage of people casually smoking in cinemas, cafés and on public transport must seem equally bizarre to today’s kids.
Although there had long been suspicions about links between smoking and cancer, it was the publication of a Royal College of Physicians report, Smoking and Health (1962) that gave the issue widespread publicity. The Ministry of Health responded by funding anti-smoking propaganda films, many aimed specifically at children in the vulnerable 11-16 range. The first, Smoking and You (1963) was much more graphic in its close-ups of blackened lungs and the side-effects of smoking-related illnesses, but was perhaps less accessible than The Smoking Machine’s focus on children’s natural curiosity.
Related
Frida Kahlo & Tina Modotti Frida Kahlo & Tina Modotti
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1983 30 mins
Immerse yourself in the work of Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti - icons of the Mexican Renaissance.
Once We Were Four Once We Were Four
Documentary 1942 9 mins
Innocent bunnies face an onslaught of badgers, bombs and birds of prey in this black comedy masquerading as a nature film.
Tunde's Film Tunde's Film
Documentary drama 1974 40 mins Location: Stepney
Tired of being hassled by the police and with no job opportunities, a group of teenage East End lads plan to rob a bank.
So This Is London So This Is London
Documentary 1933 14 mins Silent Location: Westminster
London at its best? This gorgeous lyrical portrait was made by pioneering female director Marion Grierson.
Black to Front Black to Front
Current affairs 1978 27 mins Location: Brixton
World in Action interviews the residents of Haycroft Road, Brixton as a controversial by-election stokes concerns about race and immigration.
Spring on the Farm Spring on the Farm
Documentary 1933 8 mins
The exhilaration of spring in the country – blossom, piglets, ducklings and more delights on the farm.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.
Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A Starve Acre - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 24 mins
Daniel Kokotajlo talks to Nia Childs about Starve Acre, his folk horror about a couple digging deep into grief in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A Sky Peals - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 30 mins
Sky Peals director Moin Hussain and lead actor Faraz Ayub talk to Tomisin Adepeju about their magic realist drama.
Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell Inside the Archive: The Early Films of Michael Powell
Documentary 2024 42 mins
Documentary exploring the BFI National Archive’s role in rediscovering and remastering the early films of Michael Powell.
Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels Inside the Archive: The Riviera Revels
Short documentary 2024 12 mins
Bryony Dixon, curator of silent film at the BFI national archive, explores the origins of a series of comic travelogues, and Michael Powell's involvement in making them.