FINDING AND ENJOYING YOUR FAVORITE CIGAR

The Practical Guide to Developing Your Own Personal Approach to the Pleasures of Cigar Smoking
CIGARS, CARS, & GUITARS, 1995
PRODUCER: William Klien
DIRECTOR: Robers Hyndman
RUNNING TIME: 45 minutes

If you are just at the beginning of your cigar smoking experience, this is the right video for you. This film covers everything from picking the cigar to how to light it. There is also a section which shows how to distinguish a premium cigar.

Despite being a little dry, this was a very informative video. It was very easy to follow and had good production quality.

CIGARS... From Seeds to Smoke
THE WILLIAM BEARDEN COMPANY, INC., 1994
PRODUCER: William Bearden
DIRECTOR: William Bearden

RUNNING TIME: 43 minutes

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.

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 HAVANA

Cigar of Connoisseurs
JANSON ASSOCIATES, 1995
PRODUCERS: Uwe Kersken and Gerhard von Richthofen
DIRECTOR: Uwe Kersken and Ralf Breier
RUNNING TIME: approximately 59 minutes

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. 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.

CIGARS

The New Rage! Your Complete Guide to the Fascinating World of Cigars
DEES ENTERTAINMENT, 1996
PRODUCER: Rick Dees
DIRECTOR: N/A
RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes

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.

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.

THE HAVANA CIGAR

The Ultimate Cuban Cigar Adventure
BDMRC Productions, 1995
PRODUCER: Robert Chaikin
and Brett Mayer
DIRECTOR: Brett Mayer
RUNNING TIME: 40 minutes

Well-made. Well-produced. Really gave you the flavor of the Cuban cigar tradition. Made me want to light up! Great music too. A guided tour through Cuba's greatest factories. Really gave me a tremendous appreciation for the care and pride that goes into each cigar. From the Montecristo brand to Hoyo de Monterrey and of course, my personal favorite, Cohiba. This is by far the most informative video. Meandering, but romantic in its love for fine cigars. It contains interviews with everyone -- from beginning cigar rollers to the head of Cubatabaco. This tape had a movie-like feel reminiscent of the Alfonso Arua film A Walk in the Clouds. Overall, this was the best video of the bunch.

THE PURSUIT OF PLEASURE

The classical approach to cigar smoking explains how the term "stogie" came about. (How many of us knew that piece of trivia?) Very formal, but informative, presentation also covers Cuban cigar history. But not as detailed as "The Havana Cigar" video. Talkes about caring for cigars and the different sizes etc.

I had problems both the content and style of this video. The narration was somewhat lifeless, which detracted from its content. The video also suffered from poor music and some moments that were almost hokey.

THE ART OF THE CIGAR

Very enjoyable look at the personal pleasure of smoking cigars. Interviews with 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. 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.