The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Director:

Ubaldo Ragona
(more)

Writers:

William F. Leicester (screenplay) and
Richard Matheson (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 March 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

By night they leave their graves, crawling, shambling, through empty streets, whimpering, pleading, begging for his blood!

Plot:

When a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.

Plot Keywords:

Plague | Disease | Survivor | Night | Last Man On Earth

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Dr. Robert Morgan
Franca Bettoia	...	Ruth Collins
Emma Danieli	...	Virginia Morgan
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	...	Ben Cortman
Umberto Raho	...	Dr. Mercer (as Umberto Rau)
Christi Courtland	...	Kathy Morgan
Antonio Corevi	...	Governor (as Tony Corevi)
Ettore Ribotta	...	TV Reporter (as Hector Ribotta)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carolyn De Fonseca	...	Ruth Collins (voice) (uncredited)
Rolando De Rossi	...	(uncredited)
Giuseppe Mattei	...	New People Leader (uncredited)

Directed by
Ubaldo Ragona		(Italian prints) (as Ubaldo B. Ragona)
Sidney Salkow		(uncredited in Italian prints)

Writing credits
William F. Leicester		(screenplay) and
Richard Matheson		(screenplay) (as Logan Swanson)
Richard Matheson		(novel "I Am Legend")
Furio M. Monetti		screenplay
Ubaldo Ragona		screenplay (as Ubaldo B. Ragona)

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Harold E. Knox	....	associate producer
Robert L. Lippert	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Sawtell
Bert Shefter

Cinematography by
Franco Delli Colli

Film Editing by
Gene Ruggiero
Franca Silvi

Production Design by
Giorgio Giovannini

Set Decoration by
Brunello Serena Ulloa

Costume Design by
Angiolina Menichelli		(as Lilly Menichelli)

Makeup Department
Piero Mecacci	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lionello Meucci	....	assistant production manager
Vico Vaccaro	....	production manager
Luciano Volpato	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carlo Grandone	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Enzo Silvestri	....	sound engineer
Armando Timpani	....	sound recordist
Bruno Zanoli	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Alfonso Avincola	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Angelo Lannutti	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Alvaro Lanzoni	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Renato Pedrini	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Federico Tocci	....	key grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carmen Frosali	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Music Department
Alfonso D'Artega	....	orchestrator
Norman B. Schwartz	....	music editor (as Norman Schwartz)

Other crew
Rita Agostini	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Franco Rispoli	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Ermete Santini	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Produzioni La Regina
• Associated Producers (API) (co-production)

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1964) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1964) (Canada) (theatrical)
• VCI Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Tapeworm Video Distributors (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Sinister Cinema (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• BFS Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• St. Clair Vision (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Clint Hickman Productions (2005-????) (worldwide) (all media) (3D version)
• Epcott (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Forward (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Legend Films (2008) (worldwide) (DVD)
• Ripley's Home Video (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• American-International Television (AIP-TV) (????) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Liberty Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (199?) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Clint Hickman Productions  3D process
• Legend Films  colorization
• Legend Films  restoration
• Screen Time Images  audio restoration
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

"The Damned Walk at Midnight" - USA (alternative title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (2007) | UK:X (1966) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-18 (self applied) (2007) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

E.U.R., Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Produzioni La Regina

Trivia:

Established by many reviewers (including director George A. Romero himself) as a graphic blueprint for Night of the Living Dead (1968).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In one of the first shots of the deserted city at the beginning of the film, chimney smoke from a house can be seen, suggesting that somebody lives there.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Robert Morgan:Another day to live through. Better get started.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #7.171" (2009)

Your new society sounds charming

Why haven't I heard about this film. Matheson's "I am legend" comes to life in this truly scary film. I have never wanted such small bits of happiness to occur in my life. I found myself cheering for a wormy poodle for damn's sake, that is how much this movie has gotten to me. Price once again shows he belongs with the masters. Everybody is comparing this to NOTLD and Omega man. This movie is in a separate league, even if based of the same story. The latter 2 go for the 30 second attention span of todays movie watchers, while Last Man gets you really thinking about how to go on if you were the last man, looking for simple joys such as watching home movies, and finding frustration to the point where you can't help but laugh to keep from crying.

Not that this movie is not without faults. Apparently once you become infected you lose all body mass and a person can tuck a full grown man under his arm and throw him into a station wagon. Also the infected citizens could have been a little more convincing. I realize this is a spaghetti horror film but come on, it is easy to see how Price can sleep at nights. Finally as with most movies like this they apparently were running out of film so somebody hollered " wrap it up" and plop - there is the ending - ruining an expertly filmed first 2/3 of this movie.