`Essential James Bond` author to teach at NYU

Lee Pfeiffer, co-author (with Dave Worrall) of the best-selling book The Essential James Bond will be teaching a course at New York University commencing February 2006. Titled Cold War Cinema, the three-hour course will be taught every Wednesday morning through May at the University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies on 42nd Street, one block from the center of Times Square. Pfeiffer, whose interest in espionage films dates back to his childhood in the early 1960s, developed the concept for the course. He explains, “The Cold War is one of the most fascinating periods of history and how it was presented in the cinema is no less intriguing. This course will combine film criticism with spirited debate and discussion of geopolitical issues.” The course will entail a screening of a film pertaining to the Cold War period, followed by discussion and occasional Q&A session with guest speakers. “If there are two things New Yorkers are opinionated about it’s films and politics”, says Pfeiffer. I’m not worried about a lack of class participation.”

Cold War Cinema will trace the evolution of East/West relations from the WWII period through the fall of the Iron Curtain. “The Western democracies and the Soviet block had a rather schizophrenic relationship”, says Pfeiffer. “When Stalin signed the alliance with Germany, he was our mortal enemy and was understandably demonized in the West. When Hitler betrayed him and invaded the Soviet Union, America and the Allies had to do an abrupt about-face to lionize Stalin, who was now our reluctant friend. The Hollywood studios were virtually ordered by the American government to turn out propaganda films to soften the Soviet image. Thus, we saw absurdities like MGM’s Song of Russia that attempted to paint the Soviet Union as a worker’s paradise even while millions of people were being killed in the Nazi siege and by Stalin himself. As soon as the war was over, another about-face was ordered and Hollywood complied by reverting to vilifying the Communists.”

The course will include screenings of such classics as Fail Safe, On the Beach, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and Dr. Strangelove, for which Pfeiffer wrote Sony’s DVD special edition documentary. Will James Bond be present during the seminars? “Of course”, says Pfeiffer. “We’ll be screening From Russia With Love, which is the only Bond film that addresses the Cold War in a serious way. What is interesting is that Broccoli and Saltzman foresaw the era of Glasnost even at the height of the Cold War. Whereas Fleming overtly made the Soviets the villains, the Bond producers generally had the East and West being used as pawns against each other by a third party- in this case SPECTRE. It may be they were trying to promote harmony between the political factions, but more than likely they were insuring that they would not alienate the potential audience in the Soviet block countries if and when the Iron Curtain were ever raised. As usual, their instincts proved to be correct.”

How does Pfeiffer feel about teaching at NYU? “It’s certainly an indescribable honor to be asked to teach at one of the world’s greatest universities. In my own university days, I thought the only film I might be capable of eventually speaking knowledgably about was Animal House!” Pfeiffer, a member of The Author’s Guild and The American Society of Journalists and Authors, will be teaching the course whilst working on a new film-related book for Penguin. He will also continue as Editor-in-Chief of Cinema Retro magazine which he publishes with Dave Worrall.

NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers courses to both undergraduates and those who seek to attend classes for life enrichment purposes. To find out more, visit the official web site at : http://www.scps.nyu.edu/

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