UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Hitchcock and the Cold War

Alfred Hitchcock acknowledged the politics of the Cold War in several of his spy films such as 'Torn Curtain' and 'North by Northwest'. Was this simply a dramatic device, or did he have a hidden agenda? This interesting question, and the representation of the former Soviet Union in Hitchcock's films, will be explored by Professor Mikhail Ryklin at the Watershed on Monday March 18.

Professor Ryklin is from the Institute of Philosophy at Moscow's Academy of Sciences and is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol. His work on Russian cultural history is recognised internationally.

Next Monday's event at the Watershed has been organised by Dr Birgit Beumers who recently established a centre at the University for the interdisciplinary study of Russian and East European culture. Dr Beumers said: "This is only one of many exciting events, such as composers' workshops, film weeks and international conferences, that the Centre has organised in collaboration with Watershed."

The Centre brings together expertise from a variety of departments at the University of Bristol, especially Russian, Music and History of Art. It has the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture - which assists with events involving speakers from Russia - as well as the Institute for Advanced Studies and the Alumni Foundation of the University of Bristol.

A recent government assessment of the research being done in British universities gave Bristol's Russian department a '5 star', the highest grade possible and one of only three in the country.

Monday evening will start with a screening of Hitchcock's 'Torn Curtain' at 5 pm and will be followed by Professor Ryklin's talk at 7 pm. For tickets and further information call 0117 925 3845.

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Email: public-relations@bristol.ac.uk
Copyright: 2001 The University of Bristol, UK
Updated: Thursday, 14-Mar-2002 16:56:15 GMT