The Seed of Man

Original title: Il seme dell'uomo

1969
1h 53m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

A young couple argue about having a child in the days after a global plague wipes out most of Earth's population.A young couple argue about having a child in the days after a global plague wipes out most of Earth's population.A young couple argue about having a child in the days after a global plague wipes out most of Earth's population.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

569

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Photos8

+ 3

Top cast15

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Anne Wiazemsky

Dora

Marzio Margine

Cino
(as Marco Margine)

Rada Rassimov

Blonde girl from Major De Votis's squad

Maria Teresa Piaggio

Priest

Milvia Deanna Frosini

Armed girl from Major De Votis's squad
(as Milvia Frosini)

Angela Pagano

Annie Girardot

The Foreigner Woman

Adriano Aprà

TV Journalist
(uncredited)

Vittorio Armentano

Mario Bagnato

Gioia Benelli

TV announcer
(uncredited)

Marco Ferreri

Beach House Owner
(uncredited)

Sergio Giussani

Luciano Odorisio

Mario Vulpiani

Major Vulpiani
(uncredited)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The surreal symbolic red gun with the bright spots on it can also be seen in other Marco Ferreri films, Dillinger Is Dead (1969) and Don't Touch the White Woman! (1974).

Goofs
When Cino and Dora stumble upon the beach house, director Ferreri doubles as the deceased owner, lying in his porch chair dead. The scene is in long shot and the supposedly dead Ferreri's head can be seen to move slightly as he gives actor Marco Margine a piece of direction.

Quotes
Cino: You know the world. You're a very experienced woman. So is it right to want a child?
The Foreigner Woman: Not only is it right. It is a duty.

Connections
Referenced in Sois belle et tais-toi! (1981)

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

8/10

could come true

Marco Ferreri's surreal film "Il seme dell'uomo" ("The Seed of Man" in English) looks more plausible today than it probably did when it first came out. The movie portrays a young man and woman who, after learning of a plague ravaging the populace, take refuge in a house on the coast and turn it into a miniature museum displaying cultural relics from the days before the plague. But that's not the end...

An interesting point is that the movie never identifies what the plague in question is specifically. It could be any scourge. Certainly plenty of bad things have afflicted the planet recently - the combination of global warming and the financial crisis constitutes a perfect storm - to the point that the events portrayed in this movie look as though they could come true. I bet that Marco Ferreri never realized what a prescient movie he was making!

So, I recommend this. Not just as a warning about what the world could turn into, but as a look at Italy's changing cinema in the late '60s (in which Ferreri played a major role). Definitely worth seeing.