''Humanity Through the Ages'' (french: La Civilisation à travers les âges), released in the US initially as ''Humanity Through Ages'', is a 1908 historical drama film directed by Georges Méliès. The film, now presumed lost, is an episodic narrative displaying examples of humankind's brutality, from the story of Cain and Abel through the

Hague Convention of 1907 The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 are a series of international treaties and declarations negotiated at two international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands. Along with the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions were amo ...

Summary

The film's first ten episodes feature Cain and Abel, the Druids,

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

and

Locusta Locusta or Lucusta (died 69), was a notorious maker of poisons in the 1st-century Roman Empire, active in the final two reigns of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She supposedly took part in the assassinations of Claudius and Britannicus. She was a f ...

, the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, the

pillories The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stoc ...

of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the

Gibbet of Montfaucon The Gibbet of Montfaucon (french: Gibet de Montfaucon) was the main gallows and gibbet of the Kings of France until the time of Louis XIII of France. It was used to execute criminals, often traitors, by hanging and to display their dead bodies as ...

, torture processes in the Middle Ages,

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

, contemporary Parisian ''

apaches The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

'', and the

.Malthête & Mannoni, p. 229. The Hague scene ends with the convention collapsing into chaos, with the delegates, who had convened to limit the power of armies, directly attacking each other. The eleventh and final scene, titled "Triumph", shows an Angel of Destruction hovering over a battlefield covered with dead and wounded soldiers.

Production

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon - Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime

''Humanity Through the Ages'' was made in response to successful historical films such as ''

The Last Days of Pompeii ''The Last Days of Pompeii'' is a novel written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1834. The novel was inspired by the painting ''The Last Day of Pompeii'' by the Russian painter Karl Briullov, which Bulwer-Lytton had seen in Milan. It culminates in ...

'', and directed in a highly serious style contrasting sharply with most of Méliès's work. Méliès made two appearances in the film, as a druid and as a judge in the

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition ( es, Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition ( es, Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand ...

.Malthête & Mannoni, p. 228. The first scene includes a moment staged by Méliès to recreate

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (, 4 April 1758 – 16 February 16, 1823) was a French Romantic painter and draughtsman best known for his allegorical paintings and portraits such as ''Madame Georges Anthony and Her Two Sons'' (1796). He painted a portra ...

's 1808 painting ''Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime''. The Méliès scholars Paul Hammond and John Frazer have noted that the film's highly pessimistic tone is unusual among Méliès's work; both scholars have suggested that the pessimism derives from the intense commercial pressure Méliès felt from competitors during the making of the film.

Release and reception

The film was released by Méliès's Star Film Company as its first film of 1908Malthête & Mannoni, p. 31. and numbered 1050–1065 in its catalogs. It was registered for American copyright at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

on 7 February 1908. According to the film historian

Jay Leyda Jay Leyda (February 12, 1910 – February 15, 1988)David Stirk and Elena Pinto Simon in was an American avant-garde filmmaker and film historian, noted for his work on U.S, Soviet, and Chinese cinema, as well as his documentary compilations on ...

, the film created a sensation when it was released in Russia. Méliès's son, André Méliès, reported that ''Humanity Through the Ages'' was the film his father felt proudest of. It is now presumed

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

References

External links

* {{Georges Méliès 1900s historical drama films 1908 films Films directed by Georges Méliès French historical drama films French silent short films Lost French films Depictions of Nero on film Films set in the Roman Empire Cultural depictions of Louis XIII French black-and-white films Silent drama films