Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend was an innovative, genre-defining masterpiece – a book which rejuvenated horror and science fiction writing of the time, and made popular and exciting the (then) relatively new idea of post-apocalyptic fiction. This Italian dramatisation of the book is a worthwhile film, with an enthralling performance by Vincent Price as the lone survivor of a worldwide pandemic. Price seems an improbable candidate for the role – when reading the book, he's not at all the kind of actor you'd envisage if you had to cast for the character. And yet Price really holds this film together, delivering a subtle and intelligent interpretation in one of the high-points of his long and illustrious career. That's not to say The Last Man On Earth doesn't have its negatives; it isn't perfect by a long shot. But it is a commendable attempt to film Matheson's prescient futuristic story.
Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) believes he is the last remaining human on Earth. A virulent plague has wiped out mankind, leaving millions dead. Some of the dead have been reanimated as vampires. They stalk the streets at night and sleep through the day. Morgan spends the daylight hours hunting and destroying them, taking their staked corpses to a nearby pit where he burns their remains. Morgan's life has become a long and tedious cycle – by day he kills his sleeping enemies; scavenges for supplies of food, drink and garlic; and repairs his house. By night he barricades himself in while the vampires taunt him from outside and occasionally try to smash their way in. Then one day Morgan discovers a woman (Franca Bettoia) walking in broad daylight, apparently unaffected by the sunlight, apparently not a vampire, apparently a 'normal' human being like himself. But when he discovers that she is, in fact, one of a number of plague-sufferers who have managed to create a serum which controls the vampirism to a certain degree, he is devastated. He realises that the vampires are not the freaks any more – they are the "norm". Morgan himself is the freak, the last remaining example of a bygone legend called "man".
The Last Man On Earth is filmed in a subdued black-and-white hue which enhances its atmosphere of hopelessness and isolation. As mentioned, Price gives a strong performance as the lone vampire-killer who has somehow survived longer than nature intended him to. It's a little disappointing that the vampire characters are shown to be so slow and clumsy and, frankly, stupid-looking. In the book they were more nimble and physical and posed a greater threat to Morgan's safety. Here, he is able to single-handedly shove whole gangs of them away from his car or doorstep without much difficulty. They don't come across as formidable adversaries, and this loses the film some potential suspense. Also, Bettoia's character is sadly under-developed. Her appearance in the story has huge implications to the plot and to Morgan's eventual fate, yet she has barely any screen time and isn't built up properly at all. Nonetheless The Last Man On Earth stands as a worthwhile adaptation of a significant and thought-provoking sci-fi book. For its despairing atmosphere, not to mention Price's tour-de-force performance, it should be sought out and seen at least once.
Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) believes he is the last remaining human on Earth. A virulent plague has wiped out mankind, leaving millions dead. Some of the dead have been reanimated as vampires. They stalk the streets at night and sleep through the day. Morgan spends the daylight hours hunting and destroying them, taking their staked corpses to a nearby pit where he burns their remains. Morgan's life has become a long and tedious cycle – by day he kills his sleeping enemies; scavenges for supplies of food, drink and garlic; and repairs his house. By night he barricades himself in while the vampires taunt him from outside and occasionally try to smash their way in. Then one day Morgan discovers a woman (Franca Bettoia) walking in broad daylight, apparently unaffected by the sunlight, apparently not a vampire, apparently a 'normal' human being like himself. But when he discovers that she is, in fact, one of a number of plague-sufferers who have managed to create a serum which controls the vampirism to a certain degree, he is devastated. He realises that the vampires are not the freaks any more – they are the "norm". Morgan himself is the freak, the last remaining example of a bygone legend called "man".
The Last Man On Earth is filmed in a subdued black-and-white hue which enhances its atmosphere of hopelessness and isolation. As mentioned, Price gives a strong performance as the lone vampire-killer who has somehow survived longer than nature intended him to. It's a little disappointing that the vampire characters are shown to be so slow and clumsy and, frankly, stupid-looking. In the book they were more nimble and physical and posed a greater threat to Morgan's safety. Here, he is able to single-handedly shove whole gangs of them away from his car or doorstep without much difficulty. They don't come across as formidable adversaries, and this loses the film some potential suspense. Also, Bettoia's character is sadly under-developed. Her appearance in the story has huge implications to the plot and to Morgan's eventual fate, yet she has barely any screen time and isn't built up properly at all. Nonetheless The Last Man On Earth stands as a worthwhile adaptation of a significant and thought-provoking sci-fi book. For its despairing atmosphere, not to mention Price's tour-de-force performance, it should be sought out and seen at least once.