James Bond symposium at Hofstra University, Long Island this week

05-Nov-2007 • Event

He's British - or maybe Scottish - he likes his martinis shaken, his cars fast, and his women with hilariously naughty-sounding names, reports Newsday.

And for two days this week one of Long Island's most esteemed institutes of higher education will focus, laserlike, on a man who doesn't really exist. That's Bond ... James Bond. After a screening tomorrow night of two Bond flicks, "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) and "Golden Eye" (1995), the two-day Hofstra University Symposium, "Bond, James Bond: The World of 007," will kick off officially on Wednesday when a group of writers, academics and experts gathers to discuss the suave secret agent.

The Hempstead symposium will dissect nearly every aspect of Bond's literary and cinematic life, from his gadgets to his gals, employing the occasionally counterintuitive approach. (One presentation is subtitled "Sex, Abortion and Birth Control in the World of James Bond.") On-screen Bond enemy, bad-guy Franz Sanchez, played by actor and Hofstra alumnus Robert Davi, will be among the speakers, as will Raymond Benson, who wrote "The James Bond Bedside Companion."

Lee Pfeiffer, editor of Cinema Retro magazine in New Jersey and a speaker at the symposium, said, "No matter when you were born in the last 50 years, you can look back on the James Bond films of your youth. Each generation seems to find the Bond who's best suited for that era."

TOMORROW: "Bond, James Bond: The World of 007" begins at 6:30 p.m. with free screenings of "The Man With the Golden Gun" and "GoldenEye."

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY: Panel discussions, screenings and book signings. Symposium admission is $65.

FRIDAY: A post-symposium party, "License to Swing: The Music of James Bond," will feature pianist Ted Howe and his quartet. Tickets are $18.

WHEN & WHERE All events take place at Hofstra University, Hempstead; hofstra.edu or call 516-463-5669.