☰
Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Homo Sapiens 1900

Play trailer Poster for Homo Sapiens 1900 Released Mar 3, 2000 1h 28m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 2 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
When those who are fit to breed reproduce, the end results benefit society, while the breeding of inferior beings endangers all. This is the backbone of eugenics, a scientific belief that managed to become widespread during the 20th century. This documentary explores its rise in Europe, most notably in Nazi Germany and Sweden, which sought to keep their bloodlines pure. However, there was also a pro-eugenics movement in America that came to target both immigrants and minority groups.

Critics Reviews

View More (2)
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Oct 11, 2005 Full Review Daniel Eagan Film Journal International Grim, earnest, and at times not entirely credible. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (8)
Audience Member A great presentation--that show how a scientifically true thing can be abused and distorted by ideologues--and,JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, shows how false science (Lamarkism) can be used to buttress a false political and economic ideology like Marxism. Unfortunately, the horrors of the 20th century ideologues persists cloaked in different forms in the 21st---doomed for the same destructive, horrific consequences. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member An exceptionally succinct and penetrating examination eugenics and its relationship to ideology and art. Accessible without being overly simplified nor overtly biased. Chilling as well as provocative, it is both a cause for introspection and definitely worth watching. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member so nice I watched it twice. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Shot entirely in black and white and using footage from Eugenics films of the time, this movie is visually strong and high on visceral impact. It's not really a historical documentary about the Eugenics movement though, more a kind of philosophical meditation. Because of this, it falls down badly on presenting the scientific case against Eugenics - the argument is made solely on moral grounds. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Still not sure about this doc. Disturbing visuals, not the kind of Disturbing that is alright to watch, the kind of disturbing similar to hearing your grandparents making sweet sweet love. The direction and the transitions are horrible, and i'm not really all that sure if this film is AGAINST Eugenics. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Nice documental research, interesting concept of long fade outs. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Homo Sapiens 1900

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Peter Cohen

Director

Jan Holmquist

Narrator

Stephen Rappaport

Narrator

Peter Cohen

Writer

Peter Cohen

Producer

Peter Cohen

Film Editing
View All

Homo Sapiens 1900

Homo Sapiens 1900 (1998) Homo Sapiens 1900 (2000) Homo Sapiens 1900 (1998) Homo Sapiens 1900 (1998) Homo Sapiens 1900 (2000) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When those who are fit to breed reproduce, the end results benefit society, while the breeding of inferior beings endangers all. This is the backbone of eugenics, a scientific belief that managed to become widespread during the 20th century. This documentary explores its rise in Europe, most notably in Nazi Germany and Sweden, which sought to keep their bloodlines pure. However, there was also a pro-eugenics movement in America that came to target both immigrants and minority groups.
Director
Peter Cohen
Producer
Peter Cohen
Screenwriter
Peter Cohen
Distributor
First Run
Production Co
Arte Factum, Svenska Filminstitutet, Sveriges Television
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 3, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.3K
Runtime
1h 28m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)