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Spawn of FrankensteinMad scientists in the movies.

By Christopher FraylingUpdated Tuesday, May 9, 2006, at 2:10 PM ET

Click here to read a slide show about the depiction of scientists in the movies.

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Cinema was created by scientists conjuring apparitions from a cocktail of optics, chemicals, and celluloid. And yet, ever since its 1890s origins as a carnival sideshow, cinema has spent much of its history telling audiences that science is likely to be very bad for them. The mad scientist first appeared in film's earliest years and has been with us ever since. Click here for a slide show about the depiction of scientists in the movies.

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Christopher Frayling is rector of London's Royal College of Art and chairman of Arts Council England. He is the author of 16 books, including the recent Mad, Bad, and Dangerous: The Scientist and the Cinema, and is an award-winning broadcaster on British network television and radio.

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