The devil and the spirit of mankind argue as to whether or not humanity is ultimately good or evil.
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Title: The Story of Mankind (1957)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ronald Colman | ... | The Spirit of Man | |
| Hedy Lamarr | ... | Joan of Arc | |
| Groucho Marx | ... | Peter Minuit | |
| Harpo Marx | ... | Sir Isaac Newton | |
| Chico Marx | ... | Monk | |
| Virginia Mayo | ... | Cleopatra | |
| Agnes Moorehead | ... | Queen Elizabeth I | |
| Vincent Price | ... | Mr. Scratch - The Devil | |
| Peter Lorre | ... | Nero | |
| Charles Coburn | ... | Hippocrates | |
| Cedric Hardwicke | ... | High Judge | |
| Cesar Romero | ... | Spanish Envoy | |
| John Carradine | ... | Pharaoh Khufu | |
| Dennis Hopper | ... | Napoleon Bonaparte | |
| Marie Wilson | ... | Marie Antoinette | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
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? Written by Jose Beltran-Escavy <pepe@prince.pe.u-tokyo.ac.jp>
Plot Keywords:
doomsday | doomsday weapon | super weapon | saving the world | end of the world |Taglines:
The Story of Men and Their Women From the Beginning of Creation! See more »Certificate:
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
8 November 1957 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
La historia de la humanidad See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1
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Indian Chief: 26 dollars. Not cent less, for island of Manhattan.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
When asked if the film was based on a book, Ronald Colman replied, "Yes. But they are using only the notes on the dust jacket." See more »Goofs
Sir Isaac Newton published his famous paper outlining the law of gravity in 1666, but in the sequence in which Harpo Marx plays Newton he performs on the harp Stephen Foster's song "Beautiful Dreamer," written in 1864 -- almost two centuries later. See more »Quotes
Peter Minuit: I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll raise my offer to 22 dollars.Indian Chief: 26 dollars. Not cent less, for island of Manhattan.
See more »
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Unlike most people, I really enjoyed this film. Not only was it unintentionally funny, but it had all the elements that would later be associated with many of Irwin Allen's latter works (stock footage and an all-star cast). Vincent Price is at his sinister best playing Mr. Scratch, the devil, and Ronald Colman is wonderful as the spirit of mankind. Too bad this film isn't on video or DVD because it truly is a cult classic that is an acquired taste.