The Last Man on Earth
Directed by Ubaldo Ragona (Italian prints) and Sidney Salkow (U.S. prints)
Written by William Leicester and Richard Matheson from Matheson’s novel “I Am Legend”
1964/USA/Italy
Associated Producers/Produzioni La Regina
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] [first lines] Robert Morgan: Another day to live through. Better get started.[/box]
The zombie apocalypse begins here …
Scientist Robert Morgan is the sole survivor of a 1965 plague that killed off the rest of humankind and left many corpses to resurrect as weak, slow-moving, but relentless vampires. He remembers the tragic fates of his family and colleagues via flashback.
Morgan has spent every day of the three years since in the struggle to protect himself from the nightly invasions of the undead. This he does by a combination of garlic and mirrors as well as by seeking out his foes during the daylight hours and killing them with stakes through the heart.
One day, Robert finally meets a woman who appears to be alive. Or is she? What is her secret?
I thoroughly enjoyed this film, which must have inspired George A. Romero when it came time to make Night of the Living Dead. The creatures obey vampire rules but are otherwise zombies to their bones. The feel is eerie, horrifying and fun simultaneously. Price gives one of his very best performances. Recommended.
The American version I watched on Amazon Instant was colorized. The complete film is currently available in black and white on YouTube. The same source novel was adapted as The Omega Man (1971) and I Am Legend (2007).
