Review of Man's Genesis

An old man climbs a hill with two children, a boy and a girl. The boy attempts to strike the girl. The old man sits down with the children and tells them a story. The title describes it as a psychological comedy founded upon the Darwinian theory of the origin of man. The light fades on the peaceful, fertile countryside, dotted with homes. It reappears on a rocky waste. Weakhands crawls out of his cave. When he goes as a suitor for a woman he is driven away by Bruteforce, as big and powerful as Weakhands is frail and anemic. Lilywhite, through the death of her mother, is forced to go out of her cave. She meets Weakhands, hiding from Bruteforce. Weakhands rushes for her and lays hands on her. She goes with him, willingly. While out of her cave the leering Bruteforce takes Lilywhite, and when Weakhands, with a courage not justified by his strength, interferes, he is pushed down the hill and injured. He crawls back to his cave, from which he can see Lilywhite bemoaning her fate. Weakhands, in his cave, picks up a stick and absently fits it into a rounded stone. The stone falls off and hurts his leg. He puts the stone on again and tries the weapon lightly against his head. It hurts. Over the expressionless, almost beast- like, face of Weakhands there flashes a look of intelligence. It is the birth of an idea. Securely fastening the stone to the stick, he sets out for the cave of Bruteforce, where he finds Lilywhite, and beckons her to come to him. She holds back through fear. Bruteforce rushes at Weakhands, his fist in the air. The rapidly descending club collides with his wrist. In dumb mystified fashion Bruteforce looks at his limp hand and raises the other. The club gets that, too, and it is useless. The battle goes on all over the hillside. Finally a blow on the top of Bruteforce's head ends the struggle. The amazed clan of Bruteforce assail Weakhands, but the club stops them. Weakhands leads away his companion. Night slowly settles down. The jagged rocks at the crest of the hill are outlined against the sky; all is dark. Day breaks across the beautiful valley. The old man arises from the rock with the children. The boy shakes the girl's hand. The work of Weakhands, Bruteforce and Lilywhite enthralls. The illusion is complete. - The Moving Picture World, July 27, 1912