The Last Man on Earth (1964): The Loneliness of Vincent Price
1964 • Ubaldo Ragona & Sidney Salkow • 2.35:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓
No matter how closely they adhere to the original text, all of the film adaptations of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend have one distinctive feature. They all offer a terrifying vision of abandonment. Cities are empty and symbols of capitalist society are left abandoned. There is just one man left, alone, contemplating the last remnants of civilisation… until vile creatures attack him.
This is true of both The Omega Man (1971) and I Am Legend (2007), but what sets The Last Man on Earth (1964) apart, besides being a co-production between the United States and Italy filmed on location in Rome, is that legendary actor Vincent Price plays the survivor.
Although Matheson was dissatisfied with the final product, even asking to be credited under the name ‘Logan Swanson’, you can’t deny that the empty Italian sets create an eerie atmosphere, and Price’s physical performance makes the film visually striking. It was also a good idea for a film from that era to use high-contrast black-and-white cinematography, which made this low-budget production feel stuck in time.
Technical Specs:
- The Story: A mysterious plague transforms the population into vampiric creatures, leaving a lone scientist to spend his days hunting the infected and his nights barricaded in isolation, clinging to a routine that keeps him from succumbing to despair.
- Actors: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi Stuart.
- Director: Ubaldo Ragona & Sidney Salkow
- Year: 1964
- Cinematographer: Franco Delli Colli
- Origin: Italian and American Cinema
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Genre: Sci-Fi / Horror
