James Suckling

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Cigars and Cannes

Posted: 10:54 AM ET, May 24, 2007

Cigars still seem to be in fashion in the movie world, at least in Cannes. I was in the South of France for the annual film festival last weekend with some friends from Hong Kong, including Peter Lam and David Tang—both who also happen to own a piece of The Pacfic Cigar Company Ltd., the distributor of Cuban cigars in the Far East as well as Canada.

Lam is also a director of Media Asia, which is one of the largest film companies in the Far East. As I wrote earlier this week in my blog for Wine Spectator, he was in Cannes selling a new film he has coming out later this year called ‘Warlords,” which could redefine Chinese movies. It’s an epic film about three brothers battling together in what was known as the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) during the Qing Dynasty.

There are lots of battle scenes but also a gripping story of betrayal, adultery and brotherhood that we can all understand. It is action packed and full of saga—along the lines of “Braveheart.”

Anyway, there were plenty of cigars burning during the weekend and I noticed at just about every restaurant or club I was in a number of people were smoking cigars. Most were puffing on robustos such as Partagas Serie D No. 4 or Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, but a few were even brave enough to smoke Churchills and double coronas.

There’s not much better than sitting in Cannes with a nice smoke in an outside café and watching the world go by—especially during the Film Festival.

(4 comments on this post) Submit your comments >

Reader Comments

User Name: Edward Kobesky Posted: 02:49 PM ET, May 24, 2007

Jesus, James...maybe for your next blog entry you can tell us what it's like to smoke cigars while cruising in a Ferrari Enzo with the Sultan of Brunei at the wheel. The Cannes entry was fun to read since I'll never, ever get there myself but I gotta wonder...how do you do it, buddy? House in Tuscany, trips to Cannes...either you come from money or you're the highest paid editor in publishing. Either way, keep 'em coming. Just don't rub it in.

User Name: Robert Funk, California Posted: 09:39 PM ET, May 24, 2007

Ditto what Ed says.

User Name: James Suckling Posted: 06:34 AM ET, May 25, 2007

Thanks guys. I have some really generous friends. And I pinch myself everyday...I am working on the Sultan; so stay tuned.

User Name: Nicolas Fauteux, Mont-Saint-Hilaire Posted: 08:09 AM ET, May 25, 2007

Very nice. I too am a regular of Cannes, for job purposes : I produce a few entertainment news tv programs in Quebec. If you can read a bit of French, you will find pictures of this year's event with my comments on MSN at http://divertissement.sympatico.msn.ca/Cinema/Cannes/ And I can do some name droping too : Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon, Leo DiCaprio, Claudia Schiffer, Sharon Stone, Mischa Barton, Darth Vador... Though I must admit I did not have the luxury of smoking cigars with them. However, I did smoke a Punch Churchill one evening on a semi-deserted beach (surrounded by an eucalyptus forest), on the island just in front of Cannes, Ste-Marguerite. A wonderful, wonderful place, far from the vertigo of the festival. If you don't know it, go there next time you head for the Croisette.

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