The Athena Cinema will be screening the forgotten cult classic ‘The Wages of Fear’ along with a presentation by the revered professor emeritus Dr. Kenneth L. Brown on the physiology of fear.
Students will have the chance to put themselves into the shoes of workers who know what it is like to risk their lives for their jobs.
The Athena Cinema will take part in the National Evening of Science on Screen on Tuesday for the third year in a row. There will be a lecture followed by a movie, titled The Wages of Fear.
Kenneth L. Brown, a professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry at Ohio University, will speak about the biochemistry involved behind fear.
The Wages of Fear, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, is a 1953 French-Italian thriller. The story revolves around a group of men stuck in a decrepit South American oil town. The prospect of achievement there is fairly low, and it impels four men to take a job that might just change their lives forever.
The National Evening of Science on Screen is an initiative forwarded by the Science on Screen organization. Under this initiative, 19 independent theaters in cities across the country will participate in the program simultaneously. The free Science on Screen events aim to promote general science literacy in a fun and engaging manner.
“I saw (The Wages of Fear) on DVD. I am really anxious to see it on a big screen because this French director, Clouzot, really was a master of using image to create tension in the movie,” he said. “The suspense is all from pictures and not from words.”
Brown plans to discuss the physiology of fear with the fight or flight response and the parasympathetic nervous system in a presentation. He will delve into the benefits of such research through therapeutic and other services.
Brown said the movie is “a thriller more along the lines of (Alfred) Hitchcock” rather than a movie that uses violence as a way to ignite terror in the audience. In its essence, it is a psychological thriller.
Stacy Neal, a junior studying retail merchandising and fashion product development, said she sees another benefit besides entertainment for Brown’s presentation.
“There has been a recent surge in rape and violent incidents in campus,” Neal said. “Learning about fear and therapeutic services to cope with it will be immensely helpful for college students.”
Eric Keep, a junior studying computer science, said he sees the interest and appeal for the program and says it is enlightening to learn new processes about the human body and mind.
“(The Athena Cinema) is just a real gem,” Brown said. “There are a lot of people around who are curious about science, a lot of people around who are big film fans, the Athena helps them a lot through all the great films.”
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