The Last Man on Earth (1964)

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

Directors:

Ubaldo Ragona (as Ubaldo B. Ragona), Sidney Salkow

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay) (as Logan Swanson), William F. Leicester (screenplay)

Stars:

Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Price	...	Dr. Robert Morgan
Franca Bettoia	...	Ruth Collins
Emma Danieli	...	Virginia Morgan
Giacomo Rossi Stuart	...	Ben Cortman (as Giacomo Rossi-Stuart)
Umberto Raho	...	Dr. Mercer (as Umberto Rau)
Christi Courtland	...	Kathy Morgan
Antonio Corevi	...	Governor (as Tony Corevi)
Ettore Ribotta	...	TV Reporter (as Hector Ribotta)

Storyline

When a plague devastated life on Earth, the population died or became a sort of zombie living in the dark. Dr. Robert Morgan is the unique healthy survivor on the planet, having a routine life for his own survival: he kills the night creatures along the day and maintains the safety of his house, to be protected along the night. He misses his beloved wife and daughter, consumed by the outbreak, and he fights against his loneliness to maintain mentally sane. When Dr. Morgan finds the contaminated Ruth Collins, he uses his blood to heal her and he becomes the last hope on Earth to help the other contaminated survivors. But the order of this new society is scary.

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Plot Keywords:

post apocalypse | vampire | zombie apocalypse | mutant | virus | 

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Taglines:

Do you dare to imagine what it would be like to be... the last man on earth... or the last woman?

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Matheson originally wrote the script in 1957, at which point it was to have been produced by "Hammer" films with Fritz Lang slated to direct.

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Goofs

When we see Morgan drive with his wife's corpse, it changes position between the shots that we see the car form outside and the shots where we see it from the inside. In the first, it leans on the window, in the second it's closer to Morgan.

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Quotes

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

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Alternate Versions

MGM's 2005 DVD release does not contain the copyright obstruction found in most prints' opening titles. It reads: "COPYRIGHT 1963 BY ASSOCIATED PRODUCERS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED." It also contains the complete ending sequence, including the dialog with the baby, that is missing from most prints. This release is also digitally cleaned up, presented in wide screen format, features an interview with Richard Matheson, one of the writers, and is paired with the film Panic In Year Zero. It is missing one element common from other prints. The American International Television title card and theme music that starts off most prints is replaced with an inserted sequence of MGM's famous lion roar trademark and the MGM website address. This DVD was initially problematic on its release because of Sony's then recent purchase of MGM. Sony had canceled the entire Midnite Movies line, and, though the DVD was already set to be released, Sony had initial reservations on releasing it at all. Copies managed to accidentally get shipped to some stores, such as Best Buy, in the US and Canada, where they were immediately flagged as "recalled." Most were, either immediately returned by the stores or pulled by cashiers who should have refused the purchases. Some were still sold, regardless, in early May 2005, before they should have been. By September 2005, Sony released the DVD properly into the wide market.

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Connections

Featured in Circus Envy Presents: The Last Man on Earth (2011)

User Reviews

An under-appreciated classic

This one seems to be less well known than others in Vincent Price's filmography -- possibly because the title makes it sound more like a romantic comedy.

In this first filmed version of Richard Matheson's superb short novel "I Am Legend", though, Price really shines in one of the best performances of his career. Far superior to its 1971 remake "The Omega Man" -- as if we needed yet another "Charlton Heston vs. the subhuman hordes" outing after "Khartoum" and "55 Days In Peking" -- the script follows Matheson's book almost scene-for-scene, but then, I think the author always wrote with one eye on the movie or TV rights.

Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only survivor of a worldwide plague that kills its victims, only to resurrect them as zombie vampires. (His own immunity was conferred by the bite of a vampire bat infected with a weaker version of the virus, when he was doing research in South America.) By day, he systematically searches out the plague victims and destroys them in the traditional Van Helsing manner, retreating to his fortified house when darkness falls and the vampires come out to play. Worst of all, his best friend Ben -- now a vampire -- is part of the crowd that nightly besieges his house, thirsting for his blood.

Unlike "The Omega Man", very little of this film is devoted to Morgan's one-man war against the vampires, who as others have noted have a kind of "Night Of The Living Dead" ambiance, minus the gore. Instead it focuses on his utter isolation, both physical and spiritual, his mission as an exterminating angel the only purpose now left to his life.

A large part of the movie is taken up by a flashback to three years previous, to the beginning of the plague, as his friend Ben arrives at a birthday party for Morgan's daughter bearing an armful of presents. Against the background of the children's shouts and laughter the adults worriedly discuss the appearance of a new virus. The world then proceeds to fall apart in a quietly terrifying re-enactment of the Black Death, complete with National Guard "bring out your dead" units and a 24/7 immolation pit for the anonymous, canvas-wrapped corpses. Morgan's wife and daughter succumb to the virus in a sequence that is quite stunning in its low-key, almost clinical lack of the standard histrionics.

The black-and-white cinematography is as stark and minimalistic as the story (and, admittedly, the budget). The exterior scenes set in a deserted Los Angeles -- well, actually Rome, shot in the early morning -- are often quite effective in mirroring his internal desolation. Cast and crew alike do an excellent job with the material, despite the monetary constraints. Unlike so many in our current "bash you over the head" school of film-making, the real horror of the situation is allowed to speak eloquently for itself.

If you're expecting the high camp of one of Price's Roger Corman flicks, you'll probably be bored stiff by this movie. If instead you're looking for a surprisingly good adaptation of a great story, you can't do much better than "Last Man On Earth".

Details

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

6 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Damned Walk at Midnight

Filming Locations:

Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated Producers (API), Produzioni La Regina

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1