Last Woman on Earth (1960)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Robert Towne (screenplay)

Release Date:

September 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They fought for the Ultimate Prize!

Plot:

Ev; her husband, Harold; and their lawyer friend, Martin, are skindiving while on vacation in Puerto Rico...

Plot Keywords:

Puerto Rico | Cockfight | Blindness | Manta | Jungle

Cast

Betsy Jones-Moreland	...	Evelyn Gern (as Betsy Jones Moreland)
Antony Carbone	...	Harold Gern
Robert Towne	...	Martin Joyce (as Edward Wain)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Trivia:

Screenwriter Robert Towne didn't have the completed script finished on time. Rather than paying to have both an actor and a screenwriter on location, Roger Corman saved money by drafting Towne to act in the movie as lawyer Martin Joyce (under the name Edward Wain).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The streets, and everything else, are much too clean.

Quotes:

Martin Joyce: You mean you'd exile one-third of the human race?

Movie Connections:

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Under-appreciated little gem

This is a fine film that does much with almost nothing; shot on location in Puerto Rico without a finished script, 'The Last Woman on Earth' is a lean, mean post apocalyptic drama machine. Despite the poor print(s) the DVD was assembled from, Roger Corman's minor directorial genius shines through, especially in shots like the one where Harold, Martin and Ev all confront each other after coming back from the beach. Narratively efficient, suspenseful and even kind of thought-provoking, this film is a well-crafted low budget classic. Contrary to other comments here, the ending is great, especially considering how lame it could have been; at no point is the outcome certain in the way that predictable yawner 'Six String Samurai' was. And the fact that the poster is nothing like the actual film is a good thing, unless you're looking for Italian sexploitation trash. For a more reasoned assessment, check out Kim Newman's book 'Apocalypse Movies,' but if you're looking up this film you probably already know that one backwards and forwards. If you want an interesting and engaging vision of what the world might be like after it ends, you won't be disappointed here.