The Omega Man (1971)

Lone survivor, doctor Robert Neville, struggles to create a cure for the plague that wiped out most of the human race while fighting The Family, a savage luddite death cult formed by the zombie-like infected to erase the past.

Director:

Boris Sagal

Writers:

John William Corrington (screenplay), Joyce Hooper Corrington (screenplay) (as Joyce H. Corrington)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charlton Heston	...	Neville
Anthony Zerbe	...	Matthias
Rosalind Cash	...	Lisa
Paul Koslo	...	Dutch
Eric Laneuville	...	Richie
Lincoln Kilpatrick	...	Zachary
Jill Giraldi	...	Little Girl
Anna Aries	...	Woman in Cemetery Crypt
Brian Tochi	...	Tommy
DeVeren Bookwalter	...	Family Member (as De Veren Bookwalter)
John Dierkes	...	Family Member
Monika Henreid	...	Family Member
Linda Redfearn	...	Family Member
Forrest Wood	...	Family Member

Storyline

Due to an experimental vaccine, Dr. Robert Neville is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war waged with biological weapons. The plague caused by the war has killed everyone else except for a few hundred deformed, nocturnal people calling themselves "The Family". The plague has caused them to become sensitive to light, as well as homicidally psychotic. They believe science and technology to be the cause of the war and their punishment, and Neville, as the last symbol of science, the old world, and a "user of the wheel", must die. Neville, using electricity, machinery, and science attempts to hold them at bay.

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Plot Keywords:

plague | antidote | albino | post apocalypse | dystopia | 

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Taglines:

The World Is Dead. One Survivor. Then The Others. Crawling In Darkness. The Strangest Sect Of All. *Hunting The Last Man On Earth.*

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 August 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Am Legend

Filming Locations:

South Flower Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$8,720,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walter Seltzer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Judy Pace was considered for the role of survivor Lisa that went to Rosalind Cash.

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Goofs

In a city supposedly laid waste, Neville has to resort to running a generator any time he requires electricity. He does so to power his apartment; he does so to power up the projector inside the cinema when he goes to watch the film. But this city with no surviving infrastructure (in the opening scenes, as he's driving around in the red convertible), all the traffic lights are powered up.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[the last man on earth wrecks his car]
Neville: There's never a cop around when you need one.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits feature the credit "Based on a book by Richard Matheson", and does not give the title of the actual book, I Am Legend.

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Alternate Versions

In the common version of this film, the scene where Richie tells Neville that he should either kill the Family or cure them takes place inside Neville's apartment. In an alternate version, the scene takes place on the rooftop, where Neville has a large water tank and a .50 caliber machine gun.

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Connections

Edited into The Unauthorized Hagiography of Vincent Price (2014)

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Soundtracks

All Through The Night
Written by Cole Porter

User Reviews

Now playing: "The Night Creatures"

One of these days soon we will see another remake of Richard Matheson's seminal Horror novella. If we do, I hope the marquee will read: "I Am Legend." This should be done for no other reason than to make it easier for Sci-Fi nerds to argue and champion their personal favorite. But I have this feeling the producers will take the easy way out.

Boris Sagal, the veteran television director, who died under the most grisly of circumstances--he walked into a helicopter blade--helms a brilliant adaptation of the book. Sure, they changed the vampires into psychotic albinos. And they also injected a heavy dose of the Seventies counter-culture. But the essential themes resist the tampering by the new screenwriters and remain solid story chestnuts. No one handles a weapon with such verve as Mr. Heston. He fires at random and generally hits something. Always a good approach in this type of movie. I enjoy his conversations with Caesar's bust in his "Honky paradise". The sculptures and paintings on the walls are actual reproductions of the immortals they represent. Also, check out the art work on the back of "Dutch's" jacket. It packs a wallop. Ron Grainer's score is legendary and has a elegiac feel punctuated by strange sounds from obscure instruments. The action scenes rival the best. Catch Heston's despair and loneliness when he jogs by a large office building along side a reflecting pool. Every scene is chock full of memorable lines and quirky bits of business. The bodies of the dead pop up randomly with a wild note on the soundtrack. There is a brief nude scene that for once fits into the plot. A standing ovation is in order for anyone left alive.