Willem Dafoe & His Pipe in 'The Lighthouse'

[odobenus]

[Note: No Spoilers]
I've been reading/hearing some of the PR for Robert Eggers' latest film 'The Lighthouse,' which I can't wait to check out, and thought it worth noting that in many interviews, Willem Dafoe mentions how he had to learn and practice the proper technique for keeping a pipe lit. It's kind of his acting-prep schtick to learn as much as he can about the practical aspects of his character's life and work, and in 'The Lighthouse,' apparently, one of those tasks is keeping a pipe lit while speechifying at great length. Made me glad to hear someone describing pipe-smoking as a 'technique' -- something to be taken seriously instead of just a prop.
Here's a quote from one interview:
“You’ve got to go over to a potbelly stove, open it up, get a cinder during your speech, light your pipe, and it’s got to be tapped the right way,” Dafoe explains of the film’s carefully choreographed scenes. “Otherwise, it won’t light well. You don’t want to be sucking on that pipe all through the speech. You’ve got to have it lit by a certain time and then you’ve got to smoke it.” He laughs. “It sounds simple enough, but that’s the stuff that’s challenging.”
[source: How Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson’s contrasting acting styles powered ‘The Lighthouse’ - https://www.screendaily.com/features/how-willem-dafoe-and-robert-pattinsons-contrasting-acting-styles-powered-the-lighthouse/5145355.article ]
This NPR interview is also good, though it only mentions the pipe cursorily: Actor Willem Dafoe Reflects On A Career Of Being A 'Good Bad Guy' - https://www.npr.org/2019/11/13/778818012/actor-willem-dafoe-reflects-on-a-career-of-being-a-good-bad-guy
As a sidenote, I've always wondered how sailors (and lighthouse keepers) kept their pipes lit -- surely there were/are myriad techniques. I doubt many of them had wind-caps. When I smoke in a strong wind -- I live within a perpetual strong wind -- burning embers get tossed everywhere. Wouldn't want those landing on a tar-covered ship's deck. Fortunately my embers generally land on snow or a wet pile of cowshit.

 

[Rebub24]

There are three things which I use to keep a pipe going the whole time. 1) Making sure the tobacco is completely dry before packing and lighting. 2) Tamp the ash down regularly during your smoke (excess ash can put out a burning ember from lack of oxygen). 3) Breathe slightly and slowly back into the pipe to stoke the ember

 

[BROBS]

well about the embers I would guess that the whole ship deck would be awfully wet so probably little chance of a fire.

 

[bullet08]

keep the bottom of the chamber wide open and no restriction on the draw. it will keep the ember going longer. works great for me with breath smoking. also, if there's some breeze/wind, pipe smokes by itself.

 

[greeneyes]

I saw this movie recently. It was interesting at first and quickly became a surreal descent into madness. I won't spoil it for anyone by providing details, but it was certainly the type of film that requires you to be "flexible" in terms of expecting to understand clearly just what the hell is going on. And there are many questions that remain unanswered (though that's likely by design).