Man's Genesis

Last updated
Man's Genesis
Scene from Man's Genesis.png
Scene from Man's Genesis
Directed by D. W. Griffith
Starring Mae Marsh
Robert Harron
W. Chrystie Miller
Wilfred Lucas
Charles Hill Mailes
Production
company
Release date
  • July 11, 1912 (1912-July-11)(United States)

Man's Genesis is a short 1912 silent American film [1] starring Robert Harron and Mae Marsh. It was directed by D. W. Griffith for the Biograph Company and survives from an era from which many films are now lost. The movie's plot involves a grandfather recounting a story about cavemen fighting over a woman to his squabbling grandchildren. [2] The work was described as being the first "primitive man" film ever made [3] and, at the time, as the "greatest photoplay of its kind ever made". [4] It is credited as being responsible for creating the pre-historic film boom that occurred in the following years. [5] The film was re-issued alongside other Biograph films on July 23, 1915. [6]

Contents

Cast

Plot

The film begins with two children in a disagreement that they decide to fix by physically harming each other. The fight is stopped by their grandfather and, as a method to teach them that physical violence is wrong, he tells them a story about Early Man and the conflicts and murders that occurred when strong young cavemen became involved in fistfights. The character Weakhands is, in accordance with his name, unable to win any fights involving his fists and thus is not popular and is unable to win any of the suitor battles. The cavewoman he is attracted to, Lilywhite, is required to go and find a husband after the death of her mother and she finds herself in love with Weakhands because of his nice and gentle nature. However Bruteforce, a violent bully of the tribe, fights off Weakhands and kidnaps Lilywhite to be his wife. After repeated attempts and failures by Weakhands to rescue her, he accidentally comes across the idea of combining a stick and stone into a club-like weapon, thus creating the first true weapon ever made. With this weapon, he is able to defeat Bruteforce and the other men of the tribe and regain Lilywhite as his wife. [7]

Critical reception

A review in The Nebraska State Journal described the film as "marvelous" for being able to combine the themes of "love and hate" and the conflict between weakness and intelligence against brutish strength. It also criticized the "lamentable lack of vision and imagination" of other filmmakers, in a comparison between their works and Man's Genesis. [8] The Fresno Morning Republican called the film a "powerful conception - a real Darwinian thought" and said that it was "marvelously executed". [9] Detailed as "splendidly portrayed" in the Harrisburg Daily Independent , the film was considered to be a "distinct departure" from the other usual films produced in the era, and the newspaper said that it dealt with a "theory of grave importance", Darwin's theory of evolution. [10] Including a description of the plot, The Moving Picture World concluded that the film "enthralls" and that the "illusion is complete" in presenting a realistic world of Early Man. [11] In a review on the 1915 re-issue in The Moving Picture World, the educational content of the film and the use of accurate location filming were praised, with the conclusion that the film had a "tone of individuality which stamps it as a credit to any program". [12] Vachel Lindsay in his 1915 book The Art of the Moving Picture said the film was a "Griffith masterpiece" and considered how the American fascination with automobile tinkering and other mechanical activities reflects on the film's initial creation of tools. [13]

Large amounts of commentary were made, both positive and negative, after a showing of the film in Fresno, California on August 29, 1912, with some audience members criticizing the idea that humans came from ape-like origins as shown in the film. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biograph Studios</span> Former film studio and laboratory complex in the United States

Biograph Studios was an early film studio and laboratory complex, built in 1912 by the Biograph Company at 807 East 175th Street, in The Bronx, New York City, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biograph Company</span> Defunct American film studio

The Biograph Company, also known as the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, was a motion picture company founded in 1895 and active until 1916. It was the first company in the United States devoted entirely to film production and exhibition, and for two decades was one of the most prolific, releasing over 3000 short films and 12 feature films. During the height of silent film as a medium, Biograph was U.S. most prominent film studio and one of the most respected and influential studios worldwide, only rivaled by Germany's UFA, Sweden's Svensk Filmindustri and France's Pathé. The company was home to pioneering director D. W. Griffith and such actors as Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and Lionel Barrymore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mae Marsh</span> American actress

Mae Marsh was an American film actress whose career spanned over 50 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Harron</span> American actor

Robert Emmett Harron was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in over 200 films, he is possibly best recalled for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed films The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916).

<i>Judith of Bethulia</i> 1914 film

Judith of Bethulia (1914) is an American film starring Blanche Sweet and Henry B. Walthall, and produced and directed by D. W. Griffith, based on the play "Judith and the Holofernes" (1896) by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, which itself was an adaptation of the Book of Judith. The film was the first feature-length film made by pioneering film company Biograph, although the second that Biograph released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry B. Walthall</span> American actor (1878–1936)

Henry Brazeale Walthall was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915).

<i>The New York Hat</i> 1912 film

The New York Hat is a silent short film which was released in 1912, directed by D. W. Griffith from a screenplay by Anita Loos, and starring Mary Pickford, Lionel Barrymore, and Lillian Gish.

Brute Force is a 1914 short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, and starring Robert Harron and Mae Marsh. The film was shot in Chatsworth Park, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. It is a story of cavemen and dinosaurs, and perhaps the first live-action dinosaur film. It is a sequel to Griffith's earlier film, "Man's Genesis" (1912).

<i>A Drunkards Reformation</i> 1909 film

A Drunkard's Reformation is a 1909 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Prints of the film survive in the film archive of the Library of Congress. The American Mutoscope and Biograph Company advertised the feature as "The most powerful temperance lecture ever depicted".

<i>The Escape</i> (1914 film) 1914 film

The Escape was a 1914 American silent drama film written and directed by D. W. Griffith and starred Donald Crisp. The film is based on the play of the same name by Paul Armstrong who also wrote the screenplay. It is now considered lost. The master negative of the production was destroyed in the disastrous 1914 Lubin vault fire in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<i>The Call of the Wild</i> (1908 film) 1908 film

The Call of the Wild is a 1908 American short silent Western film directed by D. W. Griffith and produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. The short, a "one-reeler", stars Charles Inslee, Harry Solter and Florence Lawrence. Its interior scenes were shot at Biograph's studio facilities in New York City, and its exteriors were filmed on location in Coytesville, today one of the oldest communities in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

<i>A Wreath in Time</i> 1909 film

A Wreath in Time is a 1909 American silent comedy film written and directed by D. W. Griffith, produced by the Biograph Company of New York City, and co-starring Mack Sennett and Florence Lawrence. At its release in February 1909, the short was distributed to theaters on a "split reel", which was a single reel that accommodated more than one film. A Wreath in Time shared its reel with another Biograph short also directed by Griffith, the drama Edgar Allen Poe [sic]. Original paper rolls of contact prints of both motion pictures, as well as safety-stock copies of the two films, are preserved in the Library of Congress.

<i>A Beast at Bay</i> 1912 American film

A Beast at Bay is a 1912 silent short film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was produced and distributed by the Biograph Company. Preserved in paper print form at the Library of Congress.

The Sands of Dee is a 1912 silent short film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Mae Marsh and Robert Harron. It was produced and distributed by the Biograph Company.

The Great Leap; Until Death Do Us Part is a 1914 silent American drama film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, and Ralph Lewis, and was released on March 26, 1914.

The Little Tease is a 1913 silent black and white film directed by D. W. Griffith, produced by Biograph Company and starring Henry B. Walthall and Mae Marsh.

Just Like a Woman is a 1912 silent short film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Mary Pickford. It was produced by the Biograph Company and distributed by General Film Company.

<i>A Sound Sleeper</i> 1909 American film

A Sound Sleeper is a 1909 American comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith and produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company. The short was filmed in one day in the Coytesville borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey, which at the time was a popular filming location for many early motion-picture studios in the northeastern United States. Due to the brief running time of this comedy, it was originally distributed in April 1909 on a split reel with another Biograph release, a longer dramatic film titled The Winning Coat.

<i>Trying to Get Arrested</i> 1909 American comedy short film

Trying to Get Arrested is a 1909 American comedy short film directed by D. W. Griffith, produced by the Biograph Company of New York City, and starring John R. Cumpson. Filmed in two days in early 1909 at Palisades Park, New Jersey, it was released in April that year and distributed to theaters on a "split reel", which was a single film reel that included more than one motion picture. The other picture that accompanied this comedy was the Biograph "dramedy" The Road to the Heart.

<i>Jones and the Lady Book Agent</i> 1909 Biograph comedy film

Jones and the Lady Book Agent is a 1909 American silent comedy film written by Frank E. Woods and directed by D. W. Griffith. Produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in New York City, the short stars John R. Cumpson, Florence Lawrence, and Flora Finch as the "lady book agent". It is one film in a series of 1908 and 1909 Biograph pictures in which Cumpson and Lawrence performed together as the married couple Mr. and Mrs. Jones. When this comedy was released in May 1909, it was distributed to theaters on a "split reel", which was a single projection reel that accommodated more than one motion picture. It shared its reel with another Biograph comedy short directed by Griffith, The French Duel. The film was released on May 10, 1909 by Biograph Company and was met by positive viewers. The film is presumed lost.

References

  1. ↑ "Man's Genesis (1912)". BFI.
  2. ↑ Man's genesis. Blackhawk Films. November 16, 1912. OCLC   173697053 – via Open WorldCat.
  3. ↑ "Robert Harron and Mae Marsh, Isis Tomorrow". Pensacola News Journal . August 27, 1916. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Amusements - The Penn". Intelligencer Journal . August 30, 1915. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Denig, Lynde (June 26, 1915). ""Man's Genesis" and "The Battle of Elderbush Gulch" Included in Second Installment of Notable Biograph Re-issues". Moving Picture World . p. 2110. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Biograph Re-Issues Six More Griffith Pictures". Motion Picture News . Vol. 11, no. 25. June 26, 1915. p. 63. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Man's Genesis Is Based on the Darwinian Theory of Evolution". The Montgomery Advertiser . September 12, 1915. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "At The Theatre". The Nebraska State Journal . August 11, 1912. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ ""Rip Van Winkle" and "Man's Genesis"". The Fresno Morning Republican . September 26, 1912. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Man's Genesis". Harrisburg Daily Independent . July 31, 1912. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Comments On The Films". The Moving Picture World . July–September 1912. p. 343. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ ""Man's Genesis": Unusual One-Reel Biograph Re-Issue Directed by D.W. Griffith". The Moving Picture World . July 17, 1915. p. 514. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  13. ↑ Lindsay, Vachel (1915). The Art of the Moving Picture. Macmillan Inc. pp. 9–10.
  14. ↑ "Were Men Ape-Like In The Dark Ages?". The Fresno Morning Republican . August 30, 1912. Retrieved December 25, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.