Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Nat'l Geographic Vid
• VHS Release Date: July 8, 1997
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304475365
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,248 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Uncover fascinating clues to the origins of the human race. The narrator of Mysteries of Mankind points out that human evolution is like a giant puzzle with most of the pieces missing. Anthropological science is just a little more than 100 years old, and only recently have tools been developed to help reconstruct our ancient past. The cradle of humankind, even at the turn of the century, was believed to be in Asia, and it wasn't until the 1930s that fossils were discovered to support the theory that Africa, in fact, is the place of our origins. Even with growing proof, there are still those who dispute that we are all Africans. Various theories, or pieces of the puzzle, are presented. Louis and Mary Leakey, their son Richard, and Jane Goodall, among important others, are included in this ambitious video that is just 60 minutes long. The video's story line is clear, but even still the concepts are obviously very difficult to fully comprehend. What exactly is the definition of man and how old are we? Which species are our closest relations? You might be surprised by what you learn. --Cristina Del Sesto

Product Description

Who are we, and where did we come from? Follow an eerie trail of ash-entombed footprints...hold the razor-sharp stone tools of our ancient ancestors...unearth fossilized skeletons dated at a millions years and more. These are some of the fascinating clues in one of the greatest mysteries of all time: The origins of the human race. Join scientists as they reveal new facts about human evolution and probe ever deeper into the compelling MYSTERIES OF MANKIND.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best caving video documentary ever! Needs DVD version!, February 20, 2004

By 

CALLAHAN "HARRY" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic's Mysteries Underground [VHS] (VHS Tape)

By far the most outstanding caving documentary ever filmed.The photography is the best I've ever seen from any National Geo special.The pictures and colors of various caves and their formations are shot and seen in a spectacular beauty that has to be seen to be believed.The special explorations of Lechaguea Cave in New Mexico are outstanding. Te cave is not a show cave or a tourable cave for the general public. After witnessing the camera work and explorations into this unknown (less popular) cavern, I was estatic that one HUGE cavern system could have such beauty and abundance of formations. The depth in which the director/producers took into the extensiveness of filming and story telling of caves throughout the world is outstanding alone. From the beginning of caving to the research involed, and the history of caving, and to the amazing "connection" story of how Mammoth Cave became the world's lagest cavern system by cavers connecting (at the time) two seperate cave systems.This is by far the best of any National Geo sspecials ever produced and THIS MUST GET ON DVD!!!It must get om DVD just for the sheer beauty filmed in this documentary.This is a film that deserves the best attention to transfer to dvd if they ever do. In a High Definition quality or seen in Hi-Def would be ideal. Only then would this do the film makers justice.The video quality on VHS is fine yet it is still just seen on a VHS film element that desperatly needs to be digitally reproduced onto dvd.I am waiting patiently for National Geo to get this on DVD and do it right in all it's splendor.For now, the price on VHS is worth it just to see this outstanding (if not the very best ever) caving documentary.Imax films a few years back did a caving movie called "Journey To Amazing Caves" and it totally fails in comparrision to this outstanding film.Although Imax's "Journey Through Amazing Caves" was a horrible production (not really much to do about caves at all, very dissapointing), the picture quality put into the Imax DVD was done excellent. That is what National Geo needs to do with this 1992 documentary.Either way buy this just to see it. Especailly if your a caver or a fan of caving doucmentries where your looking for suspence excitment, and through information. This has more than you could ever want in a caving film. At an hour long it covers much ground on the subject. So good it left me wanting more. Don't miss it!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Educational Tool!, April 23, 2008

By 

J. Croston - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic's Mysteries of Mankind [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I recommend this for anyone doing evolution in their classroom. It is inexpensive and was in great condition. My students really enjoyed this VHS.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Questionable Content, May 12, 2009

By 

GeoGuy "Bill" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: National Geographic's Mysteries Underground [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I really enjoyed the video & aggree with CALLAHAN. But there's some questionable content that I feel worth bringing up. First off, the video shows a bat that fell onto the guano below where I bunch of insects were feeding off of it. Then it showed the insects eating the bat too!

Also, there is a pool in Lechuguilla Cave where cavers need to wade through it to get to the other side. But they're worried about getting the water dirty so two men go into the water naked! They only show the back side of one of them, but I just felt worth bringing this up.

I had the intentions of converting the VHS tape to DVD with a USB video capture devise. So when I had the video on the computer, I edited out the bad parts before putting it on the DVD.