The Last Man On Earth (1964)

 

Date Of Release: 8th March 1964

Director: Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow

Producer: Robert L Lippet, Samuel Z Arkoff, Harold E Knox

Starring: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Daniell, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart

Running Time: 86 minutes

Distributor: American International Pictures (USA), 20th Century Fox (International)



Review

This film was based on Richard Mathesons 1954 novel "I Am Legend". Matheson actually part wrote the script but he was so unsatisfied with the result, he credited himself as Logan Swanson. Considering that the film is supposed to be set in suburban America, it was actually shot in Rome, Italy, with a huge part of its extras and crew being Italian. This was essentially done so that they could save money. On its release, it was not considered a success, however, today it is considered as a classic within the genre. Many reviews stated that it was very low budget with an amateurish feel and poor dubbing. Even Matheson himself felt that Vincent Price was miscast.

As with most people, I have read the book first and I absolutely loved it. It was something that was before my time and yet felt like it had just been created. When I heard about the film and the fact that Vincent Price was in it, I just had too see it. Unfortunately, I have to agree with most of the critics bad reviews. There is nothing worse than a poorly dubbed film, I just cannot stand it. The story, as much as it pretty much follows the book, feels slightly detached. The vampires from the book are very smart, able to climb walls and can run very fast. The vampires in the film however, are almost zombie like, giving the film a much slower place.



The one scene that really sticks with me is the part were they do the mass burials. By all means, it is in no way a scene that is that big of a deal, but watching it at a young age, it just really stuck with me. In some way, it just seemed quite close to a lot of dictatorships that are around even now. The part where Morgans house is infiltrated is quite interesting to. He feels that he is helping by killing the vampires yet he is actually killing ones that are being treated, causing them to hunt him down. Quite a nice little twist I think.

Despite the bad critique that the film had received, I still love this film and I myself, still consider it to be a classic. It may not be quite what I hoped for, bearing in mind that I had read the novel, but it is a lot better than the remakes that followed it. The production value could have been better and I think that the crew could have taken a bit more care to make it even more like the novel, giving it the respect that it very much deserves. On the whole, if you love some horror tinged with a slight bit of drama then this is for you.

Rating: 6/10 - Don't be the last man on earth to see this!