The Story of Mankind
The Story of Mankind

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- 48/100 based on 1,400 votes

The council of elders of outer space is deliberating on a very important subject: Must mankind be allowed to survive, or is it so esentially evil that it must be destroyed? A devil and an angel act as prosecutor and defense for the human race, and the movie presents in a very interesting way a series of episodes of the human history. What will be the final veredict? Innocent, or Guilty?... (Full plot summary below)

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Actors in The Story of Mankind:

Ronald Colman
Hedy Lamarr
Groucho Marx
Harpo Marx
Chico Marx
Virginia Mayo

Full Plot Details

The council of elders of outer space is deliberating on a very important subject: Must mankind be allowed to survive, or is it so esentially evil that it must be destroyed? A devil and an angel act as prosecutor and defense for the human race, and the movie presents in a very interesting way a series of episodes of the human history. What will be the final veredict? Innocent, or Guilty?

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Movie Reviews

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) - 3/10 by Ken HankeMind-curdling in its concentrated ghastliness.
User Review - 6/10 by Scott RIf you do not suffer religious pedantry lightly, you'll hate this film.
User Review - 6/10 by Paul DWOW......WOW.....WOW....WOW.....JUST SEEN THIS MOVIE 4 THE 1ST TIME N THINK THAT THIS IS A GOOD MOVIE 2 WATCH......its got a good cast of actors/actresses throughout this movie......I think that the director of this drama/sci-fi/fantasy movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie......WARNING THIS MOVIE CONTAINS STROBE LIGHTNING EFFECTS THROUGHOUT SOME SCENES THROUGHOUT THIS MOVIE....... the whole cast:: Cast Ronald 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 Marc Antony Edward Everett Horton as Sir Walter Raleigh Reginald Gardiner as William Shakespeare Marie Windsor as Joséphine 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 David Bond as Early Christian Nick Cravat as Devil's Assistant Dani Crayne as Helen of Troy Richard H. Cutting as Court Attendant Anthony Dexter as Christopher Columbus Toni Gerry as Wife Austin Green as Abraham Lincoln Eden Hartford as Laughing Water Alexander Lockwood as Promoter Melinda Marx as Early Christian Child Bart Mattson as Cleopatra's Brother Don Megowan as Early Man Marvin Miller as Armana Nancy Miller as Early Woman Leonard Mudie as Chief Inquisitor Burt Nelson as Second Early Man Tudor Owen as High Tribunal Clerk Ziva Rodann as Egyptian Concubine Harry Ruby as Indian Brave William Schallert as Earl of Warwick Reginald Sheffield as Julius Caesar Abraham Sofaer as Indian Chief Bobby Watson as Adolf Hitler Sam Harris as Nobleman in Queen Elizabeth's Court (uncredited) Angelo Rossitto as Dwarf in Nero's Court (uncredited) Paul Zastupnevich as Apprentice (uncredited) 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. Like Allen's previous two films, it features vast amounts of stock footage, in this case, battles and action scenes culled from previous Warner Bros. costume films, coupled with cheaply shot close-ups of actors on much smaller sets. This was the last film picture to feature the three Marx Brothers (and their only film in Technicolor), although they are seen in separate scenes rather than acting together. This was also the last film of star Ronald Colman, the last film of character actor Franklin Pangborn, and the last American film of Hedy Lamarr. Years later, The Story of Mankind was included as one of the choices in the 1978 book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time. it is nothing special 2 watch, it is really campy movie 2 watch but man it is such an entertaining movie 2 watch, I think that this is such an enjoyable movie 2 watch, its got such a great cast throughout this movie, but it is nothing special 2 watch, I think that both Vincent price, Ronald colman were absolutely brilliant throughout this movie.....I think that this is such an enjoyable movie 2 watch with a great cast throughout this movie.....
User Review - 6/10 by Greg WThis movie isn't as long as I had dreaded, so I was happy about that, but then on the other hand I was disappointed that we didn't get to see all of the great actors for very long. They all had short scenes, except for Price and Colman. I think maybe packing a film with so many stars wasn't such a great idea, although it does draw in more fans. This story has been seen before in many other more exciting movies too, so it doesn't even have that going for it. Overall, it was interesting to watch, and I loved Price and Colman, but it's not a great movie.
User Review - 4/10 by Allan CMan is as evil as he is good. The human race has created the h-bomb and is on the verge of destroying existence. The creators of the human race meet in space to discuss mankind and determine if they should do the race a favor and eliminate them before they do it to themselves. The devil appears and agrees with eliminating the human race. The first man, Adam, appears and pleads to save the human race. The two will have to make their case in front of the creators. "A man is only as good as his fellow man will allow." Irwin Allen, director of The Big Circus, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Lost World, Five Weeks in a Balloon, City beneath the Sea, The Swarm, and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure, delivers The Story of Mankind. The storyline for this picture is below average and fairly disappointing. The settings and scenes were cool, but it didn't really come together well. The acting was fairly good and the cast includes Vincent Price, Ronald Colman, Peter Lorre, Charles Coburn, John Carradine, Dennis Hopper, and Cesar Romero. "Let the wine flow!" I DVR'd this picture because it starred the legendary Vincent Price and has an all star cast. Unfortunately, this film is a bit bland and disappointing. I didn't think the stories and cases that made up the great subplots made for an interesting primary storyline (conceptually, the film just didn't work for me). Overall, I'd recommend skipping this film. "Love and hate are really the same." Grade: C-
User Review - 4/10 by jay nOn the plus side, "The Story of Mankind" might mark the apotheosis of Vincent Price's one-dimensional but endlessly entertaining template for the hammy horror villain. It's hard to think of another picture in which Price seems to having such a gleefully macabre time -- and that allure is often the definitive feature of the genre pictures Price often took part in. The downside: The rest of the movie is incompetently, indifferently made. Most of the movie takes place on a crude soundstage supposed to resemble heaven, where the idealist Spirit of Man (an able if uninteresting Ronald Colman) must defend the human race from the prosecuting Mr. Scratch (Price), who maintains human beings have been weak, violent and self-interested since time immemorial and their selfishness and eagerness to destroy is about to culminate in the development of the "Super-H Bomb." Colman must prove otherwise, lest the divine arbitrators (led by a bored Sir Cedric Hardwicke) choose not to intervene. Outside of heaven the film moves through gossamer-thin vignettes exploring Western civilization, each trip intended to prove mankind's goodness or wickedness. This represents director Irwin Allen's chance to do what he does best: wrangle talent. He always was a consummate producer, if not a filmmaker. So we get weird sequences where John Carradine plays a corrupt Egyptian pharaoh, Peter Lorre channel Nero and -- most peculiarly -- Groucho Marx playing a lecherous, musically inclined variant of Peter Minuit, the man who obtained Manhattan via underhanded means. To say the production values on these marginal scenes are cut-rate is an understatement. If you're lucky you'll get an actual set from an earlier, presumably better Warner Bros. historical epic. The most rushed sequences take place in front of green screens, with Allen doing nothing to disguise how little effort he put into continuity; witness the scene where the English capture a bewildered Jean D'Arc (Hedy Lamarr), who seemingly didn't notice the two knights sneaking up on her from behind the blue curtain at her back. There's nothing to glean from "Mankind" you couldn't find in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," or any movie that meaningfully explored the duality of man and the consequences therefrom. The only unique feature of this movie is how hamfisted it is in communicating the message, although it's funny how extensively the creators seem to agree with Mr. Scratch about mankind's brutality. Chalk it up perhaps to Price doing what he does best the best he's ever done, but the demonic accuser makes most of the valid, memorable points, and leaves a much more impactful impression than the Spirit of Man ever manages to muster.
User Review - 4/10 by Jennifer KI watched some of this on TCM. Check out the cast, I love Vincent Price as the old school sinister villain. The arguments for and against mankind are of course matched (people are good sometimes/ways and bad sometimes/ways) but the movie obviously favors the good side. To its credit, the movie manages to NOT come off as ultra-Christian, despite it being a story all about judging the morality of people's actions, complete with the devil as the bad guy. What really interested me about this film was the similarities to Defending Your Life (one of my faves!) Albert Brooks must have seen this. I'm a little disappointed to think of my fave afterlife courtroom depiction as being inspired by a concept already imagined in the 50s!

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