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Mad Scientists
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly ambitious, taboo or hubristic nature of their experiments. As a motif in fiction, the mad scientist may be villainous (evil genius) or antagonistic, benign, or neutral; may be insane, eccentric, or clumsy; and often works with fictional technology or fails to recognise or value common human objections to attempting to play God. Some may have benevolent intentions, even if their actions are dangerous or questionable, which can make them accidental antagonists. History Prototypes The prototypical fictional mad scientist was Victor Frankenstein, creator of his eponymous monster, who made his first appearance in 1818, in the novel '' Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus'' by Mary Shelley. Though the novel's title character, Victor Franken ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mad Scientist
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly ambitious, taboo or hubristic nature of their experiments. As a motif (narrative), motif in fiction, the mad scientist may be villainous (evil genius) or antagonistic, benign, or neutral; may be psychosis, insane, eccentricity (behaviour), eccentric, or clumsy; and often works with fictional technology or fails to recognise or value common human objections to attempting to Playing God (ethics), play God. Some may have benevolent intentions, even if their actions are dangerous or questionable, which can make them accidental antagonists. History Prototypes The prototypical fictional mad scientist was Victor Frankenstein, creator of his Frankenstein's monster, eponymous monster, who made his first appearance in 1818, in the novel ''Fra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment that involved putting it together with different body parts. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18 and staying in Baden-Baden, Bath, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821. Shelley travelled through Europe in 1815, moving along the river Rhine in Germany, and stopping in Gernsheim, away from Frankenstein Castle, where, about a century earlier, Johann Konrad Dippel, an alchemist, had engaged in experiments. She then journeyed to the region of Geneva, Switzerland, where much of the story takes place. Galvanism and occult ideas were topics of convers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1927 In Film
The following is an overview of 1927 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1927 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January 10 – Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy ''Metropolis (1927 film), Metropolis'' premieres in Germany. The film receives its American premiere in New York City on March 6. *March 11 – World's largest movie theatre, the Roxy Theatre (New York City), Roxy Theatre, opens in New York City. *April 7 – Abel Gance's ''Napoléon (1927 film), Napoleon'' often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premieres (in a shortened version) at the Paris Opéra and demonstrates techniques and equipment that will not be revived for years to come, such as hand-held cameras, and what is often considered the first widescreen projection format Polyvision. *May 11 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is founded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metropolis (1927 Movie)
''Metropolis'' is a 1927 German expressionist science-fiction silent film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou in collaboration with Lang from von Harbou's 1925 novel of the same name (which was intentionally written as a treatment). It stars Gustav Fröhlich, Alfred Abel, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, and Brigitte Helm. Erich Pommer produced it in the Babelsberg Studio for Universum Film A.G. (UFA). ''Metropolis'' is regarded as a pioneering science-fiction film, being among the first feature-length ones of that genre. Filming took place over 17 months in 1925–26 at a cost of more than five million Reichsmarks, or the equivalent of about € million. Made in Germany during the Weimar period, ''Metropolis'' is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and follows the attempts of Freder, the wealthy son of the city master, and Maria, a saintly figure to the workers, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes in their city and bring the workers together with Joh Fred ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 63. One of the best-known ''émigrés'' from Germany's school of German expressionist cinema, Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute. He has been cited as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. Lang's work spans five decades, from the Expressionist silent films of his first German creative period to his short stay in Paris and his work as a Hollywood director to his last three films made in Germany. Lang's most celebrated films include the futuristic science-fiction film ''Metropolis (1927 film), Metropolis'' (1927) and the influential ''M (1931 film), M'' (1931), a film noir precursor. His 1929 film ''Woman in the Moon'' showcased the use of a mult ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Professor Dowell's Head
''Professor Dowell's Head'' () is a 1925 science fiction and horror story (and later novel) by Russian author Alexander Belyaev. The story follows the work of a doctor who has secretly revived his old boss's head, who now guides him through new experiments. Plot Professor Dowell and his assistant surgeon Dr. Kern are working on medical problems including life support in separated body parts. Dr. Kern kills Dowell (in a set up car / asthma accident). Professor Dowell's head is now kept alive and used by Dr. Kern for extraction of scientific secrets; however, his new assistant, the medically trained Marie Loren, discovers the ploy and is dismayed; to keep her from exposing him, Kern eventually gets her imprisoned in a false lunatic asylum for undesirables. Continuing his experiments, Dr. Kern transplants the head of a young woman to a new body. That body belongs to the girlfriend of a friend of Dowell's son, who recognizes her body when the young woman flees Dr. Kern's labora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Belyaev
Alexander Romanovich Belyaev (, ; – 6 January 1942) was a Soviet Russian writer of science fiction. His works from the 1920s and 1930s made him a highly regarded figure in Russian science fiction, often referred to as "Russia's Jules Verne". Belyaev's best known novels include ''Professor Dowell's Head'', '' Amphibian Man'', ''Ariel'', and '' The Air Seller''. Biography Alexander Belyaev was born in Smolensk in the family of an Orthodox priest. His father, after losing two other children (Alexander's sister Nina died at childhood from sarcoma and his brother Vasiliy, a veterinary student, drowned during a boat trip), wanted him to continue the family tradition and enrolled Alexander into Smolensk seminary. Belyaev, on the other hand, didn't feel particularly religious and even became an atheist in seminary. After graduating he didn't take his vows and enrolled into a law school. While he studied law his father died and he had to support his mother and other family by givin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uplift (science Fiction)
In science fiction, uplift is the intervention in the evolution of species of low-intelligence or even non sentient species in order to increase their intelligence. This is usually accomplished by cultural, technological, or evolutionary interventions such as genetic engineering. The earliest appearance of the concept is in H. G. Wells's 1896 novel ''The Island of Doctor Moreau''. The term was popularized by David Brin in his ''Uplift'' series in the 1980s. History The concept of uplift can be traced to H. G. Wells's 1896 novel ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'', in which the titular scientist transforms animals into horrifying parodies of humans through surgery and psychological torment. The resulting animal-people obsessively recite the Law, a series of prohibitions against a reversion to animal behaviors, with the haunting refrain of "Are we not men?". Wells's novel reflects Victorian concerns about vivisection and of the power of unrestrained scientific experimentation to do te ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vivisection
Vivisection () is surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The word is, more broadly, used as a pejorative catch-all term for Animal testing#Definitions, experimentation on live animalsTansey, E.MReview of ''Vivisection in Historical Perspective'' by Nicholaas A. Rupke, book reviews, National Center for Biotechnology Information, p. 226. by organizations opposed to animal experimentation,Yarri, Donna''The Ethics of Animal Experimentation: A Critical Analysis and Constructive Christian Proposal'', Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 163. but the term is rarely used by practicing scientists. Human vivisection, such as live organ procurement, organ harvesting, has been perpetrated as a form of torture. Animal vivisection Regulations and laws Research requiring vivisection techniques that cannot be met through other means is often subject to an external ethics review in con ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Island Of Doctor Moreau
''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells. It was published on 1 January 1896. The novel is set between 1 February 1887 and 5 January 1888. The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection. The novel deals with a number of themes, including pain and cruelty, moral responsibility, human identity, human interference with nature, and the effects of trauma. Wells described it as "an exercise in youthful blasphemy." ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is a classic work of early science fiction and remains one of Wells's best-known books. The novel is the earliest depiction of the science fiction motif " uplift" in which a more advanced race intervenes in the evolution of an animal species to bring the latter to a higher level of intelligence. It has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gothic Fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean medieval and barbaric, which itself originated from Gothic architecture and in turn the Goths. The first work to be labelled as Gothic was Horace Walpole's 1764 novel ''The Castle of Otranto'', later subtitled ''A Gothic Story''. Subsequent 18th-century contributors included Clara Reeve, Ann Radcliffe, William Beckford (novelist), William Thomas Beckford, and Matthew Gregory Lewis, Matthew Lewis. The Gothic influence continued into the early 19th century, with Romantic works by poets, like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lord Byron. Novelists such as Mary Shelley, Charles Maturin, Walter Scott and E. T. A. Hoffmann frequently drew upon gothic motifs in their works as well. Gothic aesthetics continued to be used throughout the early Victorian li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
