The Surgeon in Action: Representations of Neurosurgery in Movies from the Frères Lumière to Today

In this review, we examine the portrayal of neurosurgery and neurosurgeons in 61 movies produced from the beginnings of cinema from the Lumière brothers (1895) to 2017, across 4 continents and covering 10 cinematic genres. We find that these movies tend to shape most beliefs and stereotypes about neurosurgery. However, we notice that there is a trend to describe neurosurgery and neurosurgical disorders with more accuracy as we progress in time. Although it is not for the medical profession to dictate or censor fictional content, a keen eye on these depictions will help us to understand, and perhaps combat, some of the stereotypes and myths that continue to surround neurosurgery in the twenty-first century. •We examine the portrayal of neurosurgery in 61 movies produced from the beginnings of cinema to 2017.•22 neurosurgeons were represented in films (14 films from Crisis,29 1950 to Get Out,27 2017).•Characters with neurosurgical disorders were far more common in dramas than in any other film genre.•We noticed that there is a trend to depict neurosurgery and neurosurgical disorders with more accuracy as we progress in time.•An eye on these depictions will help us to understand and combat some of the myths that surround neurosurgery.