Carmen (1915 Cecil B. DeMille film) so DeMille instructed his screenwriter brother William to base his scenario on the public domain novella "Carmen" by Prosper Mérimée. The novella's Carmen was more wilful and manipulative than the opera version. For instance, William included a cigarette factory fight scene from the book which was not found in the opera. Composer Hugo Riesenfeld arranged the orchestral score, his first of many for film, which "was" based on that of Bizet's opera. It was performed at the premiere and other prestigious screenings. There have been two restorations of Riesenfeld's score: the first was by Gillian Anderson, recorded with the London
Fearson's floating cigarette Fearson's floating cigarette Fearson's floating cigarette is a magical illusion created by Steve Fearson in the early 1990s. The performer displays a cigarette which behaves in almost a magnetic fashion, sticking to a fingertip, the tongue etc. Next it floats from hand to hand before suddenly dropping down near the floor. As it moves up again it passes through a ring formed by the performer's fingers, as proof that there is no external support, and ends up in the performer's mouth. Fearson had seen an illusion performed by John Kennedy, called the "Animated Self-lighting Cigarette". Fearson attempted to duplicate it,