mgconlan-1
"The Last Man on Earth" is the first of at least three film versions of Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend," a 1954 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel in which the entire human race is hit by an unstoppable plague which first kills its victims and then, if their bodies aren't burned first, turns them into vampire-like creatures. The movie rights were bought by Hammer Studios in 1957 and they attempted to make a version with Fritz Lang as director (now that would have been an impressive coup!) and one of a number of fine British actors (Stanley Baker, Paul Massie, Laurence Harvey and Kieron Moore) in the leading role of Robert Neville - called Robert Morgan in this version - the sole survivor of the plague who's carrying on a one-man war against the vampires. But Hammer placed the film in turnaround and their original U.S. distributor, Robert Lippert, picked it up and decided to make the movie as a U.S.-Italian co-production, filming it in Italy with two directors, Sidney Salkow and Ubaldo Ragona. He also hired Matheson to write the script, but then put so many other writers on it - including William Leicester, Furio Monetti and director Ragona - that Matheson had his name taken off the film and replaced by the pseudonym "Logan Swanson." To play Robert Morgan, Lippert hired Vincent Price, and though Matheson thought he was miscast (and Price's presence is a bit problematical if only because in 1963, when this film was made, he was far more identified with old-style Gothic horror than science fiction), Price responded to the rare challenge of a script that not only made sense but gave him a rich, multidimensional characterization in a serious story he didn't have to camp up to make entertaining. During his long reign as King of Horror Price mostly got silly scripts and got through them basically by winking at the audience, as if to say, "I don't take this crap seriously, and there's no reason why you should, either" -but occasionally he got a good script that gave him some real cinematic meat and allowed him to show off what a fine, rangy actor he could be: this film, Roger Corman's "Masque of the Red Death," Michael Reeves' "The Conqueror Worm" a.k.a. "Witchfinder General." I still regret that the finest performance Vincent Price ever gave is totally lost - his one-man show as Oscar Wilde, "Diversions and Delights," which fortunately enough I was able to see on stage in San Francisco in 1977 but, to the best of my knowledge, was never recorded or filmed. (It was also one of the few times Price got to play an actual historical person; others included his role as Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith in the 1940 biopic "Brigham Young" and the real-life "witchfinder general" Matthew Hopkins in "The Conqueror Worm.") Despite the multiple writers and directors - usually a bad sign for any movie - "The Last Man on Earth"is an excellent movie, with Price burning up the screen and avoiding most of his horror-schtick trademarks (though there are a couple of sequences when we hear Price's famous extended laugh, and they seem a bit out of place) in a movie that is effectively staged and edited by the directors. The plot features Price as a vampire hunter who uses the same armamentarium Van Helsing used against Dracula in the story that basically wrote the rules for the classic Gothic vampire genre - the vampires are repelled by mirrors (because they cast no reflection in them) and garlic, and they can be killed by driving wooden stakes through their hearts. He goes about doing this during daylight because the vampires are only active at night, and at night he has to barricade himself inside his home because a gang of vampires regularly attempt to break in and kill him each night. (The sequences of Price erecting the barricades inside his home to ward off the vampires are strongly reminiscent of "Night of the Living Dead," made four years later, and "Night of the Living Dead" director George Romero conceded that this film had influenced him.) Regardless of how it compares to the other versions of this story, including "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston and "I Am Legend" with Will Smith, on its own merits "The Last Man on Earth," despite its relatively crude production values and the problems with Vincent Price as a "type," is an excellent film that gave Price an acting challenge to which he rose magnificently. And the story's premise is so haunting and powerful it's no wonder so many filmmakers have returned to it since!
jacobjohntaylor1
This is a very bad movie. It has good actors in it. Vincent Price was a great actor he made good movies most of time. But this is not one of them. It has an awful story line. The ending is awful. The 1971 remake titled Omega Man is not very good and it is better then this. The 2007 remake I am Legend is a great movie. See that one. Do not see this. It is a horror movie and It is not scary.
qmtv
This is it. The Best. It has it all. Atmosphere, cinematography, acting (Vincent Price), the dubbing is a bit off but who cares.I've seen the move 4x now. I've seen the joke that is Omega Man, and I Am Will Smith CG Crap Garbage. I've read the book, and I've read all the reviews. This is the move to see. It may have some issues with the dubbing, and it is not exactly like the book, but it delivers.Vincent Price and his loneliness and madness, finally to find a dog and the little guy dies.This is not a happy movie. But if you want something to think about, here it is. Find it watch it. It is a piece of art.
StuOz
Vincent Price is the last man on earth.I have always liked Price as the campy figure seen in House Of Wax (1953) and the Adam West Batman (1966) series. I never totally warmed to him when he played it so straight as he does here. On top of that, I was a child of the 1970s so Chuck Heston in The Omega Man (1971) has always been my take on the-last-man-on-earth.But this 1964 Price movie is very watchable, with great suspense, outstanding location filming and fantastic B&W photography. The opening theme music is rather good as well.Go see it!
