Batman & Robin

SCIENCE. ART. FILM.

Thursday, 08 November 2023 at 6:00 PM
Arc Cinema
Allocated Seating, please register in advance
 

ABOUT

Science, art and film are among the most powerful cultural institutions we have developed to understand, shape and envision our world.  

Screening monthly for FREE at Arc Cinema, SCIENCE. ART. FILM. is a series that uncovers wacky, weird and wonderful facets of science and art in films. 

Films are screened in discussion with artists and ANU scholars from different disciplines.  
 

The DC universe is populated with scientists. From Harley Quinn to Swamp Thing, scientists appear as troubled and troubling vaude-villains, as suspicious Frankensteinian creature-creators and enigmatic alchemists engaging in violent delights. 

Joel Schumacher’s 1997 American superhero film Batman & Robin features two spectacular examples: Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) and Mr Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) – and thus science galore! 

This evening is not only about the biologist behind Poison Ivy and the cryogenicist behind Freeze, but also about why they are so insanely, deliciously ridiculous and (thus) worth a closer look from both a science and humour perspective. 

The introduction to the film will discuss the research on science in comics and popular film being undertaken at the ANU and take you on a journey through the mesmerising scientist narratives of the DC universe. 

After the screening, there will be plenty of time for your thoughts, comments and questions about the film. There is good reason to expect a wildly entertaining and amusing film night and discussion!


SPEAKERS 

Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens is a Lecturer in Popular Entertainment Studies at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and the Head of the Popsicule – ANU’s Science in Popular Culture and Entertainment Hub. Her research explores the cultural meanings of science. 

Isabel Richards is a Science Communication graduate and Research Officer at the Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics. She studies science in popular fiction, the cultural meanings of science and the relationships between humans, the environment and emerging technologies. 

Ella McCarthy recently graduated with a double Bachelor of Arts/Science with majors in Science Communication, Biological Anthropology, English and Digital Humanities. She is Operational Lead at ANU Solar Racing and currently completing her Honours year in science communication.

Two more to be confirmed. 

This screening is part of the SCIENCE. ART. FILM. series presented by the National Film and Sound Archive, Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science and ANU Humanities Research Centre.