History of mankind in just 12 hours

(Published Nov. 12, PDI-Entertainment)

By Oliver M. Pulumbarit

Contributor

“It was an enormous challenge to undertake such a bold idea, to tell the entire story of humanity within 12 hours,” said History vice president for programming and development Julian Hobbs in an exclusive phone interview with Inquirer Entertainment.

Hobbs, executive producer of the ambitious 12-part “Mankind: The Story of All of Us,” admitted to some inevitable oversights, but insisted that certain exclusions were justified. “We focused on shared tipping points, key moments in which humanity unlocked certain powers that made us what we are today,” he said.

Among these “shared” moments are key inventions and transformations that affected humanity, like the harnessing of fire and the introduction of agriculture. Narrated by actor Josh Brolin, “Mankind” required an “enormous” amount of research.

“Before we started filming, we spent a year consulting dozens of leading historians around the world to come up with this list of key moments,” Hobbs elaborated. “We filmed in China, Africa, the United Kingdom—it literally was a global production.”

Historical consultants were present during filming to ensure accuracy.

Hobbs wanted the docu-drama series to appeal to all, not just to history buffs: “We worked to create a very populist form of telling history. To make history come alive for people, you must re-create those moments and immerse the viewer in the excitement, the dangers and the stakes!”

“Mankind” premieres November 14 at 9 p.m. on History.

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On CinemaWorld this month are “A View of Love,” starring Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin, and “Chocolate Kisses,” starring Luca Argentero of “Eat, Pray, Love.”

CinemaWorld is available on Cable Link, and through the a la carte subscription or the HD Movie Package of SkyCable.