Professor David Peimer
‘55 Days at Peking’: Colonialism, Controversy, Contemporary?
Summary
55 Days at Peking is an epic and controversial 1963 historical film starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven that focuses on the siege of foreign legations in Beijing (then called Peking) during the Boxer Uprising. In this presentation we will look at how colonialism, rebellion, the clash of East and West, political intrigue, and the role of religion are portrayed in the film.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a Professor of Literature, Film and Theatre in the UK. He has worked for the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, New York University (Global Division) and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing in New York, UK, Berlin, EU Parliament (Brussels), Athens, Budapest, Zululand and more. He has most recently directed Dame Janet Suzman in his own play, Joanna’s Story, at London Jewish Book Week. He has published widely with books including: Armed Response: Plays from South Africa, the digital book, Theatre in the Camps. He is on the board of the Pinter Centre (London), and has been involved with the Mandela Foundation, Vaclav Havel Foundation and directed a range of plays at Mr Havel’s Prague theatre.