The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Director:

Ubaldo Ragona
(more)

Writers:

Richard Matheson (novel) and
William F. Leicester (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

8 March 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Drama

Tagline:

By night they leave their graves, crawling, shambling, through empty streets, whimpering, pleading, begging for his blood!

Plot:

Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the only survivor of a devastating world-wide plague due to a mysterious...

Plot Keywords:

Cemetery | Abandoned Store | Chase Scene | Night | Survivor

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Dr. Robert Morgan
Franca Bettoia	...	Ruth Collins
Emma Danieli	...	Virginia Morgan
Giacomo Rossi-Stuart	...	Ben Cortman
Umberto Raho	...	Dr. Mercer
Christi Courtland	...	Kathy Morgan
Antonio Corevi	...	Governor (as Tony Corevi)
Ettore Ribotta	...	TV Reporter (as Hector Ribotta)
Rolando De Rossi
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carolyn De Fonseca	...	Ruth Collins (voice) (uncredited)
Giuseppe Mattei	...	New People Leader (uncredited)

Directed by
Ubaldo Ragona		(Italian prints) (as Ubaldo B. Ragona)
Sidney Salkow		(uncredited in Italian prints)

Writing credits
Richard Matheson		(novel "I Am Legend")
William F. Leicester		writer
Richard Matheson		screenplay (as Logan Swanson)
Furio M. Monetti		screenplay
Ubaldo Ragona		screenplay (as Ubaldo B. Ragona)

Produced by
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer
Harold E. Knox	....	associate producer
Robert L. Lippert	....	producer

Original Music by
Paul Sawtell
Bert Shefter

Cinematography by
Franco Delli Colli

Film Editing by
Gene Ruggiero
Franca Silvi

Production Design by
Giorgio Giovannini

Set Decoration by
Brunello Serena Ulloa

Costume Design by
Angiolina Menichelli		(as Lilly Menichelli)

Makeup Department
Piero Mecacci	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lionello Meucci	....	assistant production manager
Vico Vaccaro	....	production manager
Luciano Volpato	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carlo Grandone	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Enzo Silvestri	....	sound engineer
Armando Timpani	....	sound recordist
Bruno Zanoli	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Alfonso Avincola	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Angelo Lannutti	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Alvaro Lanzoni	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Renato Pedrini	....	chief electrician (uncredited)
Federico Tocci	....	key grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carmen Frosali	....	wardrobe mistress (uncredited)

Music Department
Alfonso D'Artego	....	orchestrator
Norman B. Schwartz	....	music editor (as Norman Schwartz)

Other crew
Rita Agostini	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Franco Rispoli	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Ermete Santini	....	production secretary (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Associated Producers (API)
• Produzioni La Regina

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1964) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Astral Films (1964) (Canada) (theatrical)
• VCI Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Tapeworm Video Distributors (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Diamond Entertainment Group (DEG) (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• BFS Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• St. Clair Vision (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Clint Hickman Productions (2005-????) (worldwide) (all media) (3D version)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• American-International Television (AIP-TV) (????) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Epcott (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Forward (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Liberty Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Siren Visual Entertainment (2006) (New Zealand) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (199?) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Clint Hickman Productions  3D process

Also Known As:

Naked Terror
Night People
The Night Creatures
Ultimo uomo della terra, L' (Italy) (dubbed version)
Vento di morte
Wind of Death

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA | Italy

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (2007) | Canada:G (Quebec) | UK:X (1966) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, E.U.R., Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Associated Producers (API)

Trivia:

This film was originally going to be produced by Hammer Films of Great Britain. They decided not to make it and passed the script over to their U.S. associate, Robert L. Lippert, who produced the film in Italy.

Goofs:

Continuity: Morgan drops his bag of stakes on the driveway before loading the bodies into his car, then he gets directly into the car without picking up the stakes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Robert Morgan: Another day to live through. Better get started.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Silent Hill (2006)

Price gets apocalyptic in this extraordinary zombie flick!

Made four years before Night of the Living Dead, The Last Man on Earth tells a very similar story. Based on Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend", the film tells the tale of a terrible plague that has wiped out all of mankind and replaced them with vampire-zombie like creatures. Well, it's almost wiped mankind out - one man, Vincent Price, still remains. Now that he has inherited the Earth, the last surviving human has to hunt these creatures by day and then hole up in his house during the night. Vincent Price says most of dialogue in voice over, which gives this apocalyptic horror film a great element of pessimism, which is essential in order for the film to work. The way that Price reads his lines is done in such a way that it seems he has simply given up all hope, and this helps the tragic element of the movie, which is this film's main backbone. The dreary black and white cinematography helps this element of the film also, as it adds the degree of hopelessness and pessimism, which this story thrives on.

Quite how this film has reached the ripe old age of forty and still not garnered the praise and respect it deserves is beyond me. While Night of the Living Dead deserves the praise for 'really' creating the zombie movie that we all now know and love, this film got the theme first, and thus deserves it's place in the annals of film history. The story, even without the horror of the zombie creatures, still makes for fascinating food for thought. The idea of being left all alone on the Earth is simultaneously fascinating and horrifying, and by showing us the things that the protagonist has do every day to ward off the vampires (mirrors and garlic on the doors, hunting them by day), along with such quotes as "another day to live through" show the true horror of the idea behind the film. Of course, Vincent Price is one of the greatest actors of all time and his presence in the movie is easily one of the highlights. Price's great screen presence helps to offset the obvious low budget of the film and even during the slower moments, The Last Man on Earth still ensures that we are interested in what's going on, just by the fact that Price is there. On the whole, this is an extraordinarily brilliant film and one that deserves your viewing!