Written by Linda
March 04, 2009
Homo Sapiens 1900 reminded me of the documentaries that you would have to see in high school. A monotone male voice talks slowly and deliberately, with long pauses between topics, lulling the audience into a stupor no matter how interesting the topic. Exacerbating this overall feeling was the fact that the balcony of the theater was full of students on an educational field trip who hooted and snickered whenever there was a naked person on screen. *Sigh.*
The topic of Homo Sapiens 1900 is as fascinating as it is disturbing. Not to mention timely. The Eugenics movement began around the turn of the 20th century. The theory was that the human race could be improved and bred to perfection, like a good crop of corn, if scientists just knew what too look for. People with the best genes would be the only ones allowed to reproduce - meaning forced sterilizations on people deemed not fit to reproduce. You would think that this was only a phenomenon in places like the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, but in 1907 over 20 U.S. states had enacted compulsory sterilization laws. This in itself is shocking.
One of the most disturbing pieces of footage in the film is one of a very old film reel of an extended family waiting to have their group photo taken. It is probably the 1920s; the men are well-dressed, their moustaches twirled; the women are conservative and smiling meekly. But amongst the 20 or so family members is a middle-aged woman sitting front and to the side. She is twitching and gnawing, squirming and talking to herself as her body writhes uncontrollably. The segment goes on for at least a couple of minutes, the family members looking uncomfortable, waiting impatiently for the photographer to take the picture. The narrator of the documentary drones on about mandatory sterilizations, and without any mention of the woman in the film, you just know that she is the obvious target: deemed unfit to reproduce.
However, Homo Sapiens 1900 didn't delve deeply enough to be fully satisfying. It ended with a quick brush-over mention of Nazi genetic experimentation, as if to say that topic was best left for another film. It was very slowly paced, with extended black-screen transitions with dramatic music, lasting way too long. The film itself made me restless, feeling like I could go to a library and find more information twice as fast. This is unfortunate, because I DO want to know more.
