Friday 8 February 2002 at 11.15 - 12.45 Venue: 8W 3.22

Professor Sir Christopher Frayling
Rector, Royal College of Art

Most scientists in the movies have been presented as mad, bad and dangerous to know - from Rotwang in Metropolis to Strangelove, from Frankenstein to Jurassic Park.

Some real-life scientists, on the other hand, have been presented as both saintly and unwordly - from Louis Pasteur to Madame Curie via Tom Edison.

Recently, some scientists have become fictional heroes - but only so long as they are new agey and anti-establishment.

Professor Frayling will address these questions:

• Why have the movies adopted these scenarios?
• What agendas of anxiety underpin these images of scientists?

Professor Frayling is a well-known cultural historian and film critic who has presented a number of television series on film. Prior to moving to the RCA, he lectured on history for the BSc in Social Sciences programme at the University of Bath.

For further details, please contact Prof Gooding