Smoke (1995)

A Brooklyn smoke shop is the center of neighborhood activity, and the stories of its customers.

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writer:

Paul Auster

Stars:

Giancarlo Esposito, José Zúñiga, Harvey Keitel

9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giancarlo Esposito	...	OTB Man #1, Tommy
José Zúñiga	...	OTB Man #2, Jerry
Stephen Gevedon	...	OTB Man #3, Dennis (as Steve Gevedon)
Harvey Keitel	...	Augustus 'Auggie' Wren
Jared Harris	...	Jimmy Rose
William Hurt	...	Paul Benjamin
Daniel Auster	...	Book Thief
Harold Perrineau	...	Thomas 'Rashid' Cole (as Harold Perrineau Jr.)
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Sue the Waitress
Victor Argo	...	Vinnie
Michelle Hurst	...	Aunt Em
Forest Whitaker	...	Cyrus Cole
Stockard Channing	...	Ruby McNutt
Vincenzo Amelia	...	Irate Customer
Erica Gimpel	...	Doreen Cole

Storyline

The plot of this movie, like smoke itself, drifts and swirls ethereally. Characters and subplots are deftly woven into a tapestry of stories and pictures which only slowly emerges to our view. This film tries to convince us that reality doesn't matter so much as aesthetic satisfaction. In Auggie's New York smoke shop, day by day passes, seemingly unchanging until he teaches us to notice the little details of life. Paul Benjamin, a disheartened and broken writer, has a brush with death that is pivotal and sets up an unlikely series of events that afford him a novel glimpse into the life on the street which he saw, but did not truly perceive, every day. Finally, it's Auggie's turn to spin a tale....

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Plot Keywords:

smoke | writer | abortion | conversation | human relationship | 

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Taglines:

The most precious things are lighter than the air

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax Official site

Country:

Germany USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 June 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dim

Filming Locations:

Phillipstown, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,349,430 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Neue Deutsche Filmgesellschaft (NDF), Euro Space

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (DuArt) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story that William Hurt's character tells about the son who found his dead father's body frozen on a mountain is the same story that Paul Auster uses in his novel, "The New York Trilogy".

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Goofs

Auggie takes his daily picture from a typical tripod, below shoulder level. Yet the photos in his album are taken from eye-level position or higher. In fact, the alignment of the traffic signal and the building behind it is so consistent from picture to picture, that they were most likely taken from a fixed mount.

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Quotes

[first lines]
OTB Man #1, Tommy: I'm gonna tell you why they aren't going anywhere.
OTB Man #3, Dennis: Why aren't they going anywhere?
OTB Man #1, Tommy: Management.
OTB Man #3, Dennis: Aw jeez.
OTB Man #1, Tommy: Those guys are walkin' around with the head up their asses.
OTB Man #3, Dennis: Right, yeah. Well ya know, they made some good trades too ya know. Carter and Manis. Without them two there never woulda been a World Series.

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Connections

Referenced in Scream (1996)

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Soundtracks

"Supastar"
Written by James Felder and James Heath
Performed by Group Home
Courtesy of Payday Records, Inc.

User Reviews

A movie that can be watched several times with joy

After I read the comments for Smoke, I was fascinated by the power of cinema while I realized that most of the people felt the same things as I did when they watched the movie. I watched Smoke several times without getting bored and still I sometimes watch some scenes. The characters are so real and the dialogs are so natural that I feel like I meet my friends or a part of my family when I watch it. I feel like if I went to Brooklyn, I would find that tobacco shop with Auggie sitting at the desk, chatting with others.

The beautiful scenes are also unforgettable… The first scene where Paul tells about the weight of smoke… The scene where Auggie says that the light, season and people are different in the photos that he takes every day… I also love the end, where Auggie tells the Christmas story to Paul and the white-black scene with the song of Tom Waits.

When you watch the movie, you understand that it is just the little things - a chat with your friend, a moment of happiness, a Christmas story told at lunch, a photo- and the feelings in life that matters. That's why maybe we feel so happy and relaxed when we watch the movie: We forget about the daily stress and want to be a part of Auggie Wren's world.