fbpx
Wikipedia

The Story of Mankind (film)

December 15, 2023

The Story of Mankind is a 1957 American dark fantasy film loosely based on the nonfiction book The Story of Mankind (1921) by Hendrik Willem van Loon.[1] The film was directed and coproduced by Irwin Allen and released by Warner Bros.[2]

The Story of Mankind
1957 U.S. theatrical poster
Directed byIrwin Allen
Screenplay by
Based onThe Story of Mankind
1921 novel
by Hendrik Willem van Loon
Produced by
  • Irwin Allen
  • George E. Swink
Starring
CinematographyNicholas Musuraca
Edited by
Music byPaul Sawtell
Production
company
Cambridge Productions
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • November 8, 1957 (1957-11-08)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot edit

Scientists have developed a weapon called the Super H-bomb that can exterminate the human race. A high tribunal in the Great Court of Outer Space is convened to decide whether divine intervention should be allowed to stop the bomb's detonation. The devil, who goes by the name of Mr. Scratch, prosecutes mankind while the Spirit of Man defends it.

Scratch and the Spirit of Man are allowed to take the tribunal to any period of time to present evidence for mankind's salvation or damnation. They take the tribunal from prehistory through Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment and modern times, looking at historical figures.

Ultimately the tribunal is asked to rule. The high judge, facing Mr. Scratch and the Spirit with a large assemblage of peoples in their native costumes behind them, declares that the good and evil of mankind are too finely balanced. A decision is suspended until they return. When they return, they expect to see a resolution of humanity's age-old struggle with itself.

Cast edit

Production edit

The film was former publicist Irwin Allen's first attempt at directing live actors after his award-winning documentaries The Sea Around Us and The Animal World. In May 1955, Allen announced he would write, produce and direct a film based on the book,[3] and Warner Bros. agreed to distribute the film.[4] Jack Warner announced that 42 nations would be represented.[5] Allen said securing the rights was "very complicated."[6]

In March 1956, Allen said the film had been in preproduction for a year and that filming would start in June. The original intention was for only two actors to appear in the film, a man and a woman representing mankind through the ages. The film would take over two years to shoot in 18 countries, and Warner Bros. invited several prominent theologians, historians and philosophers to an advisory board for the production.[7] This plan was soon jettisoned. Allen finished a script with Charles Bennett by August 1956.

Casting edit

Allen wanted an all-star cast to play various people in history. This casting strategy had recently proved very popular in Around the World in 80 Days.[8]

"Where we can't do justice to a time and place we won't just brush them off summarily," said Allen, "We just won't use them. There have been 400 or more giants of history in all our fields. Our big problem has been to bring them down to about 50, asking about each: was what he or she did lasting - and how long did it last? Telling history on the screen can be like telling a bad joke twice. You first have to find a handle, a gimmick."[6]

The first four names cast were Vincent Price, Cedric Hardwicke, Diana Lynn (as Joan of Arc) and Peter Lorre.[9] Next were Ronald Colman, Yvonne de Carlo (as Cleopatra), Charles Coburn and Hedy Lamarr, who replaced Lynn as Joan of Arc.[10] Groucho Marx and Cesar Romero joined.[11] Virginia Mayo would eventually replace de Carlo.[12]

Screenwriter Charles Bennett recalled that Allen paid each of the stars $2,000, though Greer Garson turned down the role of Queen Elizabeth I.[13]

Shooting edit

Filming started on November 12, 1956. As with Allen's two previous films, The Story of Mankind features vast amounts of stock footage. Battle and action scenes culled from previous Warner Bros. costume films (such as Howard Hawks' 1955 epic Land of the Pharaohs) were coupled with cheaply shot closeups of actors on much smaller sets.

This was the last film to feature the three Marx Brothers, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx and Chico Marx (and their only film in Technicolor), although they appear in separate scenes and do not act together. Chico became ill and later died on October 11, 1961,[14] this was also the last film of star Ronald Colman and character actor Franklin Pangborn, and the last American film of Hedy Lamarr.

Reception and legacy edit

According to The New York Times, The Story of Mankind was "a protracted and tedious lesson in history that is lacking in punch, sophistication and a consistent point of view."[15] The film was listed in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.[16]

Home media edit

Warner Home Video released the film as part of its Warner Archive made-to-order DVD line on July 20, 2009 in the United States.

Comic book adaptation edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ van Loon, Hendrik Willem (2006). The Story of Mankind (Reissue ed.). New York City: Cosimo Classics. ISBN 978-1-5960-5956-6.
  2. ^ "The Story of Mankind". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Van Loon for Screen". The Christian Science Monitor. 14 May 1955. p. 10.
  4. ^ "Warner Bros. to Launch Spring Picture Releases: Exhibitors and Representatives of Press to View First Films in Special Showing". Los Angeles Times. 12 March 1956. p. 38.
  5. ^ Schallert, Edwin (21 March 1956). "Drama: 'Story of Mankind' Put on Full-Scale Footing; Big Civil War Epic Set". Los Angeles Times. p. 27.
  6. ^ a b Scheuer, Philip K. (18 November 1956). "A Town Called Hollywood: 'Mankind' to Tour History of Humans in Three Hours". Los Angeles Times. p. E2.
  7. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. (21 March 1956). "Jack Benny Gets Film Role Offer: Comedian Sought as Star of 'The Phony' – Producer and Writer Is Charles Martin". The New York Times. p. 34. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  8. ^ Schallert, Edwin (29 August 1956). "Gene Barry Gets Top '27th Day' Billing; Lunt, Fontanne Deal Hinted". Los Angeles Times. p. A11.
  9. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. (17 October 1956). "4 Signed for Film of Van Loon Book: Hardwicke and Price Among Many Stars to Appear in 'The Story of Mankind' Health Cultists in Film". The New York Times. p. 41. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  10. ^ Pryor, Thomas M. (26 October 1956). "German Outlines Film Censorship: Director of Industry Agency Says 45% of All Movies Are Barred to Children Consists of Three Boards Of Local Origin". The New York Times. p. 33.
  11. ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (9 November 1956). "Groucho, Cesar Romero Aid 'Story of Mankind;' Machiko Kyo Recalled". Los Angeles Times. p. B7.
  12. ^ Hopper, Hedda (12 November 1956). "Palance to Be Twins in 'House of Numbers'". Los Angeles Times. p. C14.
  13. ^ p. 17 Charles Bennett Interview in Words into Images: Screenwriters on the Studio System Univ. Press of Mississippi
  14. ^ Deming, Mark. "The Story of Mankind (1957) - Irwin Allen - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  15. ^ "'Story of Mankind' Unravels at Paramount". The New York Times. 9 November 1957. Page 0, columns 2-3. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  16. ^ Medved, Harry; Dreyfuss, Randy (1978). The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (And How They Got That Way) (Paperback ed.). New York City: Popular Library. ISBN 978-7-0273-5805-5.
  17. ^ "Dell Four Color #851". Grand Comics Database.
  18. ^ at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

External links edit

December 15, 2023
story, mankind, film, story, mankind, 1957, american, dark, fantasy, film, loosely, based, nonfiction, book, story, mankind, 1921, hendrik, willem, loon, film, directed, coproduced, irwin, allen, released, warner, bros, story, mankind1957, theatrical, posterdi. The Story of Mankind is a 1957 American dark fantasy film loosely based on the nonfiction book The Story of Mankind 1921 by Hendrik Willem van Loon 1 The film was directed and coproduced by Irwin Allen and released by Warner Bros 2 The Story of Mankind1957 U S theatrical posterDirected byIrwin AllenScreenplay byIrwin Allen Charles BennettBased onThe Story of Mankind1921 novelby Hendrik Willem van LoonProduced byIrwin Allen George E SwinkStarringRonald Colman Vincent PriceCinematographyNicholas MusuracaEdited byRoland Gross Gene PalmerMusic byPaul SawtellProductioncompanyCambridge ProductionsDistributed byWarner Bros Release dateNovember 8 1957 1957 11 08 Running time100 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Casting 3 2 Shooting 4 Reception and legacy 5 Home media 6 Comic book adaptation 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksPlot editScientists have developed a weapon called the Super H bomb that can exterminate the human race A high tribunal in the Great Court of Outer Space is convened to decide whether divine intervention should be allowed to stop the bomb s detonation The devil who goes by the name of Mr Scratch prosecutes mankind while the Spirit of Man defends it Scratch and the Spirit of Man are allowed to take the tribunal to any period of time to present evidence for mankind s salvation or damnation They take the tribunal from prehistory through Egyptian Greco Roman Medieval Renaissance Enlightenment and modern times looking at historical figures Ultimately the tribunal is asked to rule The high judge facing Mr Scratch and the Spirit with a large assemblage of peoples in their native costumes behind them declares that the good and evil of mankind are too finely balanced A decision is suspended until they return When they return they expect to see a resolution of humanity s age old struggle with itself Cast editRonald Colman as The Spirit of Man Vincent Price as Mr Scratch Hedy Lamarr as Joan of Arc Groucho Marx as Peter Minuit Harpo Marx as Sir Isaac Newton Chico Marx as Monk Virginia Mayo as Cleopatra Agnes Moorehead as Queen Elizabeth I Peter Lorre as Nero Charles Coburn as Hippocrates Sir Cedric Hardwicke as High Judge Cesar Romero as Spanish Envoy John Carradine as Khufu Dennis Hopper as Napoleon Bonaparte Marie Wilson as Marie Antoinette Helmut Dantine as Mark Antony Edward Everett Horton as Sir Walter Raleigh Reginald Gardiner as William Shakespeare Marie Windsor as Josephine de Beauharnais George E Stone as Waiter Cathy O Donnell as Early Christian Woman Franklin Pangborn as Marquis de Varennes Melville Cooper as Major Domo Henry Daniell as Bishop Cauchon Francis X Bushman as Moses Jim Ameche as Alexander Graham Bell Austin Green as Abraham Lincoln Bobby Watson as Adolf HitlerProduction editThe film was former publicist Irwin Allen s first attempt at directing live actors after his award winning documentaries The Sea Around Us and The Animal World In May 1955 Allen announced he would write produce and direct a film based on the book 3 and Warner Bros agreed to distribute the film 4 Jack Warner announced that 42 nations would be represented 5 Allen said securing the rights was very complicated 6 In March 1956 Allen said the film had been in preproduction for a year and that filming would start in June The original intention was for only two actors to appear in the film a man and a woman representing mankind through the ages The film would take over two years to shoot in 18 countries and Warner Bros invited several prominent theologians historians and philosophers to an advisory board for the production 7 This plan was soon jettisoned Allen finished a script with Charles Bennett by August 1956 Casting edit Allen wanted an all star cast to play various people in history This casting strategy had recently proved very popular in Around the World in 80 Days 8 Where we can t do justice to a time and place we won t just brush them off summarily said Allen We just won t use them There have been 400 or more giants of history in all our fields Our big problem has been to bring them down to about 50 asking about each was what he or she did lasting and how long did it last Telling history on the screen can be like telling a bad joke twice You first have to find a handle a gimmick 6 The first four names cast were Vincent Price Cedric Hardwicke Diana Lynn as Joan of Arc and Peter Lorre 9 Next were Ronald Colman Yvonne de Carlo as Cleopatra Charles Coburn and Hedy Lamarr who replaced Lynn as Joan of Arc 10 Groucho Marx and Cesar Romero joined 11 Virginia Mayo would eventually replace de Carlo 12 Screenwriter Charles Bennett recalled that Allen paid each of the stars 2 000 though Greer Garson turned down the role of Queen Elizabeth I 13 Shooting edit Filming started on November 12 1956 As with Allen s two previous films The Story of Mankind features vast amounts of stock footage Battle and action scenes culled from previous Warner Bros costume films such as Howard Hawks 1955 epic Land of the Pharaohs were coupled with cheaply shot closeups of actors on much smaller sets This was the last film to feature the three Marx Brothers Groucho Marx Harpo Marx and Chico Marx and their only film in Technicolor although they appear in separate scenes and do not act together Chico became ill and later died on October 11 1961 14 this was also the last film of star Ronald Colman and character actor Franklin Pangborn and the last American film of Hedy Lamarr Reception and legacy editAccording to The New York Times The Story of Mankind was a protracted and tedious lesson in history that is lacking in punch sophistication and a consistent point of view 15 The film was listed in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time 16 Home media editWarner Home Video released the film as part of its Warner Archive made to order DVD line on July 20 2009 in the United States Comic book adaptation editDell Four Color 851 January 1958 17 18 See also editList of American films of 1957 The Tragedy of Man a Hungarian play from 1861 with a similar premiseReferences edit van Loon Hendrik Willem 2006 The Story of Mankind Reissue ed New York City Cosimo Classics ISBN 978 1 5960 5956 6 The Story of Mankind Turner Classic Movies Retrieved September 8 2016 Van Loon for Screen The Christian Science Monitor 14 May 1955 p 10 Warner Bros to Launch Spring Picture Releases Exhibitors and Representatives of Press to View First Films in Special Showing Los Angeles Times 12 March 1956 p 38 Schallert Edwin 21 March 1956 Drama Story of Mankind Put on Full Scale Footing Big Civil War Epic Set Los Angeles Times p 27 a b Scheuer Philip K 18 November 1956 A Town Called Hollywood Mankind to Tour History of Humans in Three Hours Los Angeles Times p E2 Pryor Thomas M 21 March 1956 Jack Benny Gets Film Role Offer Comedian Sought as Star of The Phony Producer and Writer Is Charles Martin The New York Times p 34 Retrieved August 31 2019 Schallert Edwin 29 August 1956 Gene Barry Gets Top 27th Day Billing Lunt Fontanne Deal Hinted Los Angeles Times p A11 Pryor Thomas M 17 October 1956 4 Signed for Film of Van Loon Book Hardwicke and Price Among Many Stars to Appear in The Story of Mankind Health Cultists in Film The New York Times p 41 Retrieved August 31 2019 Pryor Thomas M 26 October 1956 German Outlines Film Censorship Director of Industry Agency Says 45 of All Movies Are Barred to Children Consists of Three Boards Of Local Origin The New York Times p 33 Scheuer Philip K 9 November 1956 Groucho Cesar Romero Aid Story of Mankind Machiko Kyo Recalled Los Angeles Times p B7 Hopper Hedda 12 November 1956 Palance to Be Twins in House of Numbers Los Angeles Times p C14 p 17 Charles Bennett Interview in Words into Images Screenwriters on the Studio System Univ Press of Mississippi Deming Mark The Story of Mankind 1957 Irwin Allen Synopsis Characteristics Moods Themes and Related AllMovie Retrieved 6 September 2015 Story of Mankind Unravels at Paramount The New York Times 9 November 1957 Page 0 columns 2 3 Retrieved 14 May 2023 Medved Harry Dreyfuss Randy 1978 The Fifty Worst Films of All Time And How They Got That Way Paperback ed New York City Popular Library ISBN 978 7 0273 5805 5 Dell Four Color 851 Grand Comics Database Dell Four Color 851 at the Comic Book DB archived from the original External links editThe Story of Mankind at IMDb The Story of Mankind at AllMovie The Story of Mankind at the TCM Movie Database The Story of Mankind at the American Film Institute Catalog The Story of Mankind at Rotten Tomatoes Excerpt Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Story of Mankind film amp oldid 1178230775, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.