As far as he knows, Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only remaining human in a world destroyed by a plague of vampirism. Each night, a horde of the bloodsucking creatures gathers around his fortified house and cry out in hunger for the man inside. Morgan waits through the night and, when dawn comes, his daily routine begins.
He shops for canned goods at the empty grocery store. He selects a new car to replace the one damaged by the vampires. He broadcasts a plea for other human voices on a short-wave radio. He piles dead bodies into his station wagon and transports them to an open fire pit. Then, with his “chores” done, Morgan continues his systematic search of the city-- finding weakened vampires lurking in dark rooms and driving homemade stakes through their hearts.
This first adaptation of Richard Matheson’s terrifying 1954 novel I Am Legend was made in Italy on a shoestring budget. Price is the only English-language actor in the cast. But, despite its financial limitations, it remains an impressive work filled with compelling images. The scenes of the vampires pounding nightly on Morgan’s door foreshadow similar images in the better-known Night of the Living Dead (1968). There are also some genuinely frightening sequences, such as the one where Morgan falls asleep in a church, only to awake at sunset and struggle to reach the safety of his fortress home.
Some critics have carped that Price gives a hammy performance, but I don’t find that to be the case at all. In contrast, he comes across effectively as both driven and lonely. My favorite part of the film is the portrayal of Morgan’s daily routine, which Price describes in voiceover.Allegedly, Matheson was not pleased with this adaptation of his novel, even though he had a hand in the script (he had his screenplay credit changed to Logan Swanson). I think it’s easily the best version of his book, although two remakes were produced. In The Omega Man, Charlton Heston portrayed the last man on Earth, but he fights mutants created by biological warfare. After several failed attempts to produce a big-budget version in the 1990s (Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached at one time), Will Smith headlined 2007’s I Am Legend. It does retain some elements from the original, though the creatures are not technically vampires. For all its pricey special effects and action sequences, I don’t think it’s nearly as chilling as The Last Man on Earth.
I remember seeing this movie years ago when I lived at home in the basement. It was late -- about 3:00 a.m. or so -- and I thought it was an apocalyptic film about a man living alone, until Vincent was suddenly staking vampires. I love Richard Matheson's book, and I agree that this is the best adaptation of the three official ones. It's also further proof of Vincent Price's talent. He was a great and entertaining actor, and he's superb in this film. Thank you, Rick, for a terrific write-up on an equally terrific movie!
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing this as a kid. I remember the Garlic around the mirror. Scared me silly.
ReplyDeleteThe Omega Man,with Charlton Heston is one of my favorite movies. i have not seen Last Man on Earth..Vincent Price, is on of my favs. i will be looking for this movie. so, i can compare the two. Thank you for the wonderful review.
ReplyDeleteRick, this is an excellent film choice to kick off 31 Days of Halloween. It would be horrifying to be in the position that Morgan found himself, as the last man alive on Earth. The loneliness would be so hard to combat, much more so than the vampires. Vincent Price turned in yet another remarkable performance. Thank you for an exemplary entry for the Cafe. Well done!
ReplyDeleteYou know I love Vincent Price, and I agree that this was a wonderful performance. He got a lot of reviews that he was "hammy" and sometimes he did it on purpose, like in the Poe movies. However, I thought, like you, that he was excellent in his lonely, determined fight for survival. Great article!
ReplyDeleteIf anyone hasn't seen THE LAST MAN ON EARTH--and wants to--it's available for free viewing on Hulu at http://www.hulu.com/watch/46780/the-last-man-on-earth. The print is one of the better ones and it's even a widescreen version of the film.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rick! I have owned two DVDs of that film and rented a third and none of them looked as good as that. In fact, the two copies I owned were terrible, like videotapes that had been run through the washer and dryer, stepped on, thrown across the street, and then given the silent treatment. The Hulu version looks good. Everyone, check it out!
ReplyDeleteSark, I taped it off WGN many years ago and showed that version (commercials and all) to anyone who would watch it with me. BTW, I can remember the first time I saw this, too. My sister was sick with the flu and the two of us watched it on the late show, having no idea what it was about. It was so engrossing that I think she felt better for a little while. Dawn, the best part of OMEGA MAN, for me, was the versatile Anthony Zerbe as the baddie.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite part of OMEGA MAN is where he tries to maintain a normal life in his elegant, penthouse apartment, where he has hoarded food, liquor and fuel. Then spends the evening playing chess with the "General". I also thought it was interesting they picked the film WOODSTOCK to be playing at the theater.
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ReplyDeleteFYI. MGM HD is running this film on Friday from 3to 5 pm Pacific in 1080i HD widescreen It's on now and looks great.
ReplyDeleteRick, this is a great post because this is my favorite Vincent Price movie. I have read the novel by Richard Matheson and many works by him as well. This is a chilling, creepy movie and Morgan's character is so sad. Just when he finds out he can have other people to talk to, he is killed by them. I have never cared for Charlton's Omega Man movie, but I really like the updated Will Smith's movie, I Am Legend. It was a decent update of the story by Matheson. It is creepy also, but lacks the sad element of Morgan's character.
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