The legendary secret agent James Bond must stop smoking, according to scientists

Featured Adina Camarasu
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Two public health specialists from New Zealand have decided to highlight the dangers of smoking that clearly affects the legendary secret agent James Bond.

But, smoking also harms real people who have been inspired by him, as AFP noted.

So far, other studies have focused on alcohol abuse or violent behavior in movies.

But, it has been given detailed consideration to issues relating to health and smoking.

This was highlighted by the researchers, Nick Wilson and Anne Tucker, from the University of Otago in Wellington. Their study was published on Tuesday in the journal Tobacco Control.

Overall, the persistence of smoking in the adventures of James Bond is problematic from a public health perspective.

Particularly given the popularity of this series of movies, the authors of the research analyzed all 24 screenings produced by Eon Productions.

The movies aired from 1962 (Dr. No) to 2015 (Spectre). Out of these, only one movie didn’t have smoking scenes – ‘Casino Royale’ in 2006.

Consequently, the findings are a concern, given that the links between smoking in movies and adolescents are growing.

Furthermore, analyzing the series revealed that the spy especially smoked in the 1960s – in five of the six films of the decade.

Reflecting reality

Back then, when he smoked, he would lit a cigarette 20 minutes after the movie started. Bond has given up smoking in 2002, in ‘Die Another Day’.

But, the character has continued to be at risk of passive smoking, especially due to the habits of his movie partners.

Although the smoking scenes were considerably reduced, this custom was also observed in further screenings, including Skyfall (2012).

An extensive research has shown that smoking on screen is related to the real world.

Researchers have noticed that there have been attempts in the Bond movies to describe the dangers of smoking. They have also noted that electronic cigarettes have not yet appeared in the series.

In the original novels, Bond has been described as a smoker. His creator himself, Ian Fleming, was a drinker and smoker. Fleming died of a heart attack in 1961, aged 53 years.