“A timely and insightful book.”--Publishers Weekly
— Publishers Weekly
"An adroit review of past studies of images of science combined with his own reading of films, with contributions from a radio series. . . . Pretty comprehensive."
— Jon Turney, The Independent
"Entertaining and illuminating."
— Financial Times Magazine
"Splendidly impartial account of how scientists have been portrayed, and he must have spent many days watching films of all kinds. . . . This most entertaining book has wide appeal. The illustrations have been carefully selected, and there is a long list of references. Above all it has been meticulously researched."
— Patrick Moore, The Times Higher Education Supplement
"He covers films from the first half of the twentieth century rigorously, detailing lost or forgotten reels with the precision and loving hand of a devoted film historian. . . . Frayling has certainly done his homework, and Mad, Bad and Dangerous is bulging with factoids."
— Adam Rutherford, Nature
"Certainly rings true. . . . Generally lively and entertaining writing style. . .Frayling gives us valuable insights about a very real problem."
— Jay A. Labinger, Science
"Fascinating book."
— Rosie Taylor, The Lancet
"Thorough and interesting . . . points to the importance of educating viewers to recognize the manipulation inherent in any movie."
— Lucy Dickinson, MaterialsToday
"Insightful, reasonably comprehensive."
— Roz Kaveney, Times Literary Supplement
"The portrayal of the scientist has been a particularly potent one in cinema, from Fritz Lang’s wild haired Rotwang in Metropolis to the evil Dr Strangelove. . . . Frayling ponders the influence of this belligerence in the real world in this excellent and witty analysis."
— Martin Tierney, Glasgow Herald
"Charming and fun to read. . . . Frayling writes from an erudite, but lively, historical perspective, focusing on the first half of hte 20th century."
— Dave Pieri, Physics Today
"Frayling's great strengths as a cultural historians are inclusivity and wry wit. He retains a schoolboy enthusiasm for stinks and whizz-bangs and bug-eyed monsters, but knows exactly where these tropes come from and is willing to consider all their uses and meanings."
— Kim Newman, Sight & Sound
“Funny, insightful, and a delight to read, Christopher Frayling’s Mad, Bad, and Dangerous? is a fascinating examination of society’s changing view of science and scientists through popular culture. . . . This book illustrates our own forever evolving view of progress.”--John Landis
— John Landis