'The Last Man on Earth' (1964), Adaptation of Matheson's Novel, "I Am Legend," Starring Vincent Price

A virus kills a majority of the world's population and turns the remaining people into slow-moving vampire-like creatures that only come out at night and abhor garlic and their own reflection. Due to the bite from a bat, Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) developed immunity to the virus and is the last man on Earth. He spends his days trying to develop a cure for the virus, trying to contact others survivors via radio, shopping for supplies and traveling around the city to find nests of the undead to kill them before nightfall when they, led by his past colleague, Ben Cortman (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart), attack his house.

"The Last Man on Earth" (1964) is the first film adaptation of Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend." It was also adapted into two other official film adaptations and one unofficial adaptation, each with different virus origins and different types of creatures. "The Last Man on Earth" has an unknown airborne virus and slow-moving, dumb creatures. "The Omega Man" (1971) is an action movie starring Charlton Heston with a biological warfare origin and organized, fast-moving mutants. "I Am Legend" (2007) stars Will Smith with a virus that began as a possible cure for cancer with fast-moving, unintelligent but somewhat organized creatures. "I Am Omega" (2007) is a low budget mockbuster about a genetic virus that turns people into a cannibalistic subspecies.

While "The Last Man on Earth" is not a scene for scene perfect adaptation of "I Am Legend," it still maintains many of the same concepts and scenes. It is the closest adaptation of the book to date. George Romero notes this version as influencing his 1968 zombie movie, "Night of the Living Dead."

Hammer Films was going to produce "The Last Man on Earth" but passed the script on to their U.S. associate, Robert L. Lippert, who produced the film in Italy. Richard Matheson was dissatisfied with the final copy of the screenplay and credited as Logan Swanson.

The story is simple but very effective in getting viewers to think about being alone in the world and feeling for the main character, who is neither a hero nor a villain but is just a lone survivor of a viral apocalypse. Viewers get a look into Morgan's memories that show glimpses of the past when the virus first broke out and the research he was doing with fellow scientists. He shows is anguish when his daughter, Kathy (Christi Courtland), and wife, Virg (Emma Danieli), become infected, the daughter burned and the wife staked the other through the heart. His solitary existence and fighting the creatures has taken its toll, resulting in depression, emotional turmoil, drinking and some loss of his humanity.

Morgan still retains some of his old ideals of society and seeks companionship. As in the novel, the main character is ecstatic when he comes across a dog on the street and takes him in only to later put him down after finding out he is infected. Later, he comes across a seemingly uninfected woman who later shows chilling treachery by preying on his need for companionship.

Richard Matheson wrote several episodes of the original 1960s "Twilight Zone" TV series and "The Last Man on Earth" has the look and feel of one of those episodes. Everything looks well enough but the budget was obviously very limited. This is not necessarily a bad thing but one that is readily noticeable.

"I Am Legend" offers a story that is original and considered by many to be the first modern vampire novel even though the creatures are not really vampires but more akin to zombies. It is worthy to note that in 1826 Mary Shelley published a less than well-known novel, "The Last Man," about a world's population killed by a plague and the last person alive.

Matheson thought Vincent Price miscast as Morgan but Price fits the part like a glove. Price is the master of the macabre, making this horror and sci-fi drama right up his alley. He plays the part straightforward with a sense of melancholy but without exaggerated outbursts of emotion, which Heston always does in his movies, like The Omega Man" (1971) -- Price portrays the character realistically as many of us would react in the same situation.

The rest of the cast is comprised of relative no-name actors, many from Italy where filming took place. Emma Danieli and Christi Courtland give brief but satisfactory performances as Morgan's wife, Virginia, and daughter, Kathy. Giacomo Rossi-Stuart pulls double duty as Ben Cortman, Morgan's fellow researcher when uninfected and later as his infected self out to kill Morgan -- he looks rather like Michael Landon. Franca Bettoia plays Ruth Collins, the infected sent to entice Morgan, has some of her dialogue dubbed.

The special effects are minimal. The infected mostly look like gaunt and blank-faced humans with very little makeup -- there are no fangs or monstrous guises. "The Last Man on Earth" has no gory effects and really does not need them as its focus is on the struggles Morgan faces each day being alone as the last man on Earth.

The movie was originally released in March 1964 and is somewhat dated by the technology of the day shown in the settings but not too far from the modern day world. It remains simplistic somewhat in part due to a small budget being the likely culprit and the special effects not being very advanced at the time.

"The Last Man on Earth" is not a masterpiece by far but it is entertaining albeit a little slow-paced at 86 minutes in length. It is a close adaptation of the original novel with a few differences -- newer versions are more exciting but change the story considerably. Vincent Price is the best aspect of this movie even if this is one of his more subtle and straightforward roles. It is definitely worth a view by horror and sci-fi aficionados as well as fans of Price.

Rating: 3/5

Quotes

Robert Morgan: They were afraid of me, they were afraid of me, they were afraid of me.

Ruth Collins: You can't join us. You're a monster to them. Why do you think I ran when I saw you, even though I was assigned to spy on you? Because I was so terrified, what I'd heard about you. You're a legend in the city. Moving by day, instead of night, leaving as evidence of your existence bloodless corpses. Many of the people you destroyed were still alive! Many of them were loved ones of the people in my group.
Robert Morgan: I didn't know.

Sources: Wikipedia