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IMDbPro

The Ascent of Man

  • TV Mini Series
  • 19731973
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
8.8/10
826
YOUR RATING
The Ascent of Man (1973)
DocumentaryHistory
An account of man's development through his scientific and technological achievements.An account of man's development through his scientific and technological achievements.An account of man's development through his scientific and technological achievements.
IMDb RATING
8.8/10
826
YOUR RATING
  • Stars
    • Jacob Bronowski
    • Joss Ackland
    • Roy Dotrice
  • Stars
    • Jacob Bronowski
    • Joss Ackland
    • Roy Dotrice
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

    Episodes13

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season
    1975

    Photos141

    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)
    The Ascent of Man (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jacob Bronowski
    • Self - Presenter
    Joss Ackland
    Joss Ackland
    • Quotations…
    Roy Dotrice
    Roy Dotrice
    • Quotations
    Stefan Bor-Grajewicz
    • Self
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For the initial broadcast of the program, each segment had an epilogue by a very young Anthony Hopkins, who once was a student of Dr. Bronowski's.
    • Connections
      Featured in Television: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Careful with that Axe Eugene
      Written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and David Gilmour

      Performed by Pink Floyd

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    One of the most remarkable achievements in television history
    This extraordinary series, thirteen fifty-minute episodes, is one of television's highest achievements; nearly forty years after its completion, it has lost little of its luster.

    A mathematician whose professional journey included work on the Manhattan Project, later at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, as well as an editor and scholar of the works of William Blake, Dr. Jacob Bronowski was one of the last true Renaissance men.

    Presented here is a veritable smörgåsbord of human history cast against scientific advancements and technological innovations that take the viewer around the world, from the dawn of Man to the then-present of 1972. Along the way, Dr. Bronowski stops to examine some of humanity's greatest accomplishments - and lowest depths. One outstanding quality of this remarkable series is that he speaks to the viewer directly and very personally through the lens of the camera; the book of the same name is a virtual transcript of his remarks.

    Not simply lectures (nor read from a script), these extemporaneous essays offer Bronowski's "personal view" on a wide range of human, scientific and technological history, presented in both a dramatic and memorable fashion. For example, the episodes are sprinkled with delightful (and sometimes moving) anecdotes of various people, some of whom Bronowski knew and worked with - such as Leo Szilard (who first conceived the concept of sustained nuclear fission - even coining the term "chain reaction" - and who subsequently wrote the letter which Einstein signed that was sent to FDR, bringing about the Manhattan Project) and John von Neumann (one of the great mathematicians of the twentieth century and the "Father of Electronic Computing").

    Anyone with even a passing interest in the history of our species and its place amongst the stars, or of science in general, will be astonished, delighted, deeply moved and profoundly affected by "The Ascent of Man." The production value is of the highest order throughout (and, now in its second DVD incarnation, the sound, which was always somewhat problematic, has been greatly improved, matching the often stunning visuals).

    (NOTE: Viewers who enjoy this series will also enjoy both the seven-part BBC miniseries "Oppenheimer" (1980) and their production of Michael Frayen's play "Copenhagen" (2002), both available on DVD.)

    Highest possible recommendation.
    helpful•51
    1
    • ajaverett
    • May 15, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 7, 1975 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, USA
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • Time-Life Television Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 50 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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