The Story of Mankind is a noble attempt to argue the case of humanity, whether he is inherently good or evil, as he has just developed the "super H bomb." Vincent Price is at his best as the Devil arguing against humanity. It was a poor choice in general to reconstruct so many scenes of human history, especially since the screenwriter(s) changed the events so much as to make them unrecognizable. The casting is very odd and distracting in these sequences, too. The film is chock full of once-brilliant character actors like Agnes Moorhead, who embarrasses herself as Queen Elizabeth, and especially the Marx Brothers. I guess one of the biggest reasons you might want to see this is to see what Groucho, Harpo, and Chico looked like in technicolor (which, if you remember Groucho in The Big Store, was too expensive for their earlier vehicles). They among the numerous actors retain their vaudville characters in this film. Groucho plays Peter Minuit, the man who fleeced Indians out of Manhattan island. He makes suggestive comments towards the chief's daughter, but none of them are funny. Chico is on screen for 30 seconds as a priest arguing about the shape of the world with Columbus (he is the only one to retain his dignity in this movie; at least his character was Italian). Harpo plays Isaac Newton in a particularly pathetic sequence. He starts to play his harp, and apples drop onto his head. Then he mugs for the camera. No Brother fell further from grace than Harpo.
Basically, The Story of Mankind forgets its purpose, worrying too much about the elaborate recreations than the philosophical argument. This plot could have made a good film, I think. Its ending is one of ambiguity, which is where it should be. It tells us that the filmmakers did intend to make a serious film. I say that this is worth ignoring. For a better film with the same message, we all have and still love to watch The Day the Earth Stood Still. 5/10.
Basically, The Story of Mankind forgets its purpose, worrying too much about the elaborate recreations than the philosophical argument. This plot could have made a good film, I think. Its ending is one of ambiguity, which is where it should be. It tells us that the filmmakers did intend to make a serious film. I say that this is worth ignoring. For a better film with the same message, we all have and still love to watch The Day the Earth Stood Still. 5/10.