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The Story of Mankind

  • 1957
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
1.4K
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, box office & company info
    • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    1.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Irwin Allen
    • Writers
      • Irwin Allen
      • Charles Bennett
      • Henrik Van Loon
    • Stars
      • Ronald Colman
      • Hedy Lamarr
      • Groucho Marx
    • 43User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro

    • Photos27

    "The Story Of Mankind," Vincent Price and Ronald Colman. 1957 Warner Bros.
    "The Story Of Mankind," Vincent Price and Ronald Colman. 1957 Warner Bros.
    "The Story Of Mankind," Ronald Colman and Vincent Price. 1957 Warner Bros.
    Francis X. Bushman in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Agnes Moorehead in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Vincent Price in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Vincent Price and Ronald Colman in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Vincent Price in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Vincent Price and Nick Cravat in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Reginald Gardiner in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Agnes Moorehead in The Story of Mankind (1957)
    Henry Daniell in The Story of Mankind (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    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 - The Devil
    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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    Tension
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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 produced anachronisms left and right. 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 Frankenstein's laboratory. The "Indian" who sells Manhattan sits in front of a Plains tribe tepee and wears a full Western war bonnet.
    • Quotes

      The Devil: 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 reviews43

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Time Tunnel Meets Adam West Batman
    Oddball movie, where major events in history are looked at from above.

    Well it might be the campiest movie ever made (so bad it is good) but this is NOT the worst movie ever made as many have said. But my IMDb review history/bio history reveals a love of Irwin Allen so perhaps I just dish up anything this guy makes?

    The Story Of Mankind takes us on a Vincent Price (Egghead in Batman) tour of history and many of the events showcased also turned up in Allen's 30 episode TV series The Time Tunnel (1966-67). But Tunnel took itself all so very seriously...unlike this movie!

    Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Grouch Marx turn out brilliant performances!

    The general look of the film is grand and colourful.

    I would call the film good fun rather than a classic, but not anywhere near as bad as many have said over the years.
    helpful•3
    0
    • StuOz
    • Jan 11, 2017

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    FAQ1

    • Is this film available on DVD or Video?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 8, 1957 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • 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

    Technical specs

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

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