Directed by:
Irwin AllenCinematography:
Nicholas MusuracaComposer:
Paul SawtellCast:
Ronald Colman, Hedy Lamarr, Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Virginia Mayo, Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Charles Coburn, Cedric Hardwicke (more)Plots(1)
A Celestial Tribunal has been convened to decide the fate of the Earth after the invention of nuclear weapons, with The Devil (Vincent Price) and The Spirit of Man (Ronald Colman) debating if humankind should be allowed to continue or be exterminated once and for all. Both men present examples of human behavior at its best and worst. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
Hedy Lamarr for the fourth and last time in color. You've never seen a Joan like this before. ;) "The Story of Mankind" (1921), the award-winning young adult literature by Hendrik Willem van Loon, is a truly remarkable choice as an idea for a single film. The text of the book summarizes the development of humanity from the beginning to the present, focusing on interesting partitions and parallels. However, Hollywood especially liked the idea of a film with a maximum number of stars, as in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), so the stage was set for a walk through the notorious chapters in the history of the human race.
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