| La Civilisation à travers les âges | |
|---|---|
 Promotional still of the film, showing the story ofCain and Abel | |
| Directed by | Georges Méliès |
| Written by | Georges Méliès |
| Produced by | Georges Méliès |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 320 meters[1] |
| Country | France |
| Language | Silent |
Humanity Through the Ages (French:La Civilisation à travers les âges), released in the US initially asHumanity Through Ages,[1] is a 1908historical drama film directed byGeorges Méliès. The film, now presumed lost, is an episodic narrative displaying examples of humankind's brutality, from the story ofCain and Abel through theHague Convention of 1907.[2]
The film's first ten episodes featureCain and Abel, theDruids,Nero andLocusta, thepersecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, thepillories of theMiddle Ages, theGibbet of Montfaucon, torture processes in the Middle Ages,Louis XIII, contemporary Parisianapaches, and theHague Convention of 1907.[3] 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.[4]
Humanity Through the Ages was made in response to successful historical films such asThe Last Days of Pompeii, and directed in a highly serious style contrasting sharply with most of Méliès's work.[2] Méliès made two appearances in the film, as adruid and as a judge in theSpanish Inquisition.[5] The first scene includes a moment staged by Méliès to recreatePierre-Paul Prud'hon's 1808 paintingJustice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime.[5]
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.[2][4]
The film was released by Méliès'sStar Film Company as its first film of 1908[6] and numbered 1050–1065 in its catalogs.[1] It was registered for American copyright at theLibrary of Congress on 7 February 1908.[1] According to the film historianJay Leyda, the film created a sensation when it was released in Russia.[2]
Méliès's son, André Méliès, reported thatHumanity Through the Ages was the film his father felt proudest of.[5] It is now presumedlost.[5]
Media related toHumanity Through the Ages at Wikimedia Commons