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The Story of Mankind

  • 1957
  • Approved
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
The Story of Mankind (1957)
DramaFantasySci-Fi

The Devil and the Spirit of Man argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.The Devil and the Spirit of Man argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.The Devil and the Spirit of Man argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.

  • Director
    • Irwin Allen
  • Writers
    • Irwin Allen
    • Charles Bennett
    • Henrik Van Loon
  • Stars
    • Ronald Colman
    • Hedy Lamarr
    • Groucho Marx
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    1.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Irwin Allen
    • Writers
      • Irwin Allen
      • Charles Bennett
      • Henrik Van Loon
    • Stars
      • Ronald Colman
      • Hedy Lamarr
      • Groucho Marx
    • 45User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro

    • Photos27

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    Top cast58

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    Ronald Colman
    Ronald Colman
    • The Spirit of Man
    Hedy Lamarr
    Hedy Lamarr
    • Joan of Arc
    Groucho Marx
    Groucho Marx
    • Peter Minuit
    Harpo Marx
    Harpo Marx
    • Sir Isaac Newton
    Chico Marx
    Chico Marx
    • Monk
    Virginia Mayo
    Virginia Mayo
    • Cleopatra
    Agnes Moorehead
    Agnes Moorehead
    • Queen Elizabeth I
    Vincent Price
    Vincent Price
    • Mr. Scratch
    Peter Lorre
    Peter Lorre
    • Nero
    Charles Coburn
    Charles Coburn
    • Hippocrates
    Cedric Hardwicke
    Cedric Hardwicke
    • High Judge
    Cesar Romero
    Cesar Romero
    • Spanish Envoy
    John Carradine
    John Carradine
    • Pharaoh Khufu
    Dennis Hopper
    Dennis Hopper
    • Napoleon Bonaparte
    Marie Wilson
    Marie Wilson
    • Marie Antoinette
    Helmut Dantine
    Helmut Dantine
    • Marc Antony
    Edward Everett Horton
    Edward Everett Horton
    • Sir Walter Raleigh
    Reginald Gardiner
    Reginald Gardiner
    • William Shakespeare
    • Director
      • Irwin Allen
    • Writers
      • Irwin Allen
      • Charles Bennett
      • Henrik Van Loon
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Irwin Allen managed to assemble his all-star cast by promising them they would only be filming for one day and that they would get paid $25,000 for doing so.
    • Goofs
      The cheap production values of this film resulted in many anachronisms. Some of the most obvious include: In ancient Greece, the hand of Plato is shown writing in cursive with a stylus, but he has no inkwell, and his shirtsleeve (on a toga?) looks more medieval or renaissance. In the next shot, Aristotle is surrounded by bubbling glass beakers filled with colored liquids, a la Victor Frankenstein's laboratory. The Indian who sells Manhattan sits in front of a Plains tribe tepee and wears a full Western war bonnet.
    • Quotes

      Mr. Scratch: Then, came the red man, fighting for his very survival and the white man determined to take away this so-called god-given heritage, used the foulest of methods. Rather confusing, don't you think?

    • Connections
      Edited from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

    User reviews45

    Review
    Review
    Featured review

    A proud mantlepiece of my video collection!

    THE STORY OF MANKIND (1957) is a very elusive all-star misfire about a heavenly debate over should earth survive or be wiped out. For the defense, you have the Spirit of Man (Ronald Colman), for the prosecution, you have Satan (Vincent Price having a ball!) They each call examples of humanity by showing famous good and evil people. We see little skits involving Nero (Peter Lorre making googly-eyes at members of an orgy!) Napoleon (22 year old Dennis Hopper playing the part like a naughty frat boy!) Christopher Columbus (miscast Chico Marx), Issac Newton (even more miscast Harpo Marx!) The cast gets stranger and stranger. Aging Hedy Lamarr as Joan of Arc? Where was everybodies agent? The end result looks like the biggest celebrities in Hollywood are doing a 5th graders' play! An amazing film, a tape I treasure!
    • boris-26
    • Nov 21, 2001
    • Permalink

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    FAQ15

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • November 8, 1957 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • La historia de la humanidad
    • Filming locations
      • Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Cambridge Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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