Humanity's Last Secrets: A Documentary To Discover On France 2
Twenty years after "The Odyssey of the Species," France 2 is airing a new documentary about our distant ancestors. The film "The Last Secrets of Humanity" revisits the most recent scientific discoveries regarding the first humans. An informative and moving program not to be missed!
A new collaboration between Yves Coppens and Jacques Malaterre.
Twenty years ago, the paleontologist Yves Coppens, who passed away in June 2022, and director Jacques Malaterre introduced "The Odyssey of the Species".
This film, which focuses on Lucy, the most famous of our ancestors, drew 8.7 million viewers on France 3 during its first broadcast on January 7, 2003. In total, this documentary has captivated more than 400 million viewers around the world.
More recently, Yves Coppens and Jacques Malaterre collaborated on a new documentary. This film, titled "The Last Secrets of Humanity", can be discovered tonight, Tuesday, April 16 at 9:10 PM on France 2.
A New Dive into Prehistory
In the documentary "The Last Secrets of Humanity," the paleontologist and director once again delved into the origins of the human species. This film, made in collaboration with paleoanthropologist Antoine Balzeau, is a Franco-Chinese co-production.
This journey back in time, to meet Homo erectus and Homo sapiens, takes place this time in the vast landscapes of Asia. Scientists have discovered that at least six human species coexisted on this continent, from the icy steppes to the tropical forests. Nowhere else on the planet has such richness been uncovered.
This 90-minute film takes the viewer from Mongolia to the edges of tropical China and unfolds a fresco that spans over a million years. You will discover in this fascinating documentary that Homo erectus and Homo sapiens made fundamental discoveries for our species.
The mastery of fire is a major discovery that we owe to our ancestors of the Homo erectus species. This film also illustrates a gradual awareness of death among our ancestors. These early humans not only discovered fire but also art and, on an emotional level, empathy and love. This documentary is moving because it ultimately traces the birth of our humanity.
An exciting subject
The history of early humans is a subject that has always fascinated researchers and the general public alike. It's no coincidence that "Quest for Fire," the film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, made such an impression when it was released in theaters in 1981. This film, which is an adaptation of the 1909 novel of the same name, won the César Awards for Best Film and Best Director, as well as the Oscar for Best Makeup.
The documentaries by Jacques Malaterre and Yves Coppens are in the same spirit, with an additional scientific endorsement. In "Homo Sapiens," the actor Charles Berling provided the narration. For the docu-fiction "The Last Secrets of Humanity," which is not a mere copy-paste of the previous film, the narration is provided by Nicolas Duvauchelle.
This film accurately popularizes the latest scientific discoveries about our ancestors. It skillfully blends documentary and fiction to further lift the veil on the lives of our forebears. These men, about whom we still know so little, continue to fascinate us.
If you want to expand your knowledge on the subject, you can read the book that Yves Coppens published a few months before his death in 2022. This book, titled "Memoirs of a Mammoth," combines paleontology with the personal memories of the author, co-discoverer of the famous Australopithecus Lucy. You can also listen to the podcast "Prehistor'hic," which tackles misconceptions about prehistory with a lot of educational value and helps to separate fact from fiction about this period.
