IMDb > The Omega Man (1971)
The Omega Man
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The Omega Man (1971) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   9,517 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Boris Sagal
Writers:
John William Corrington (screenplay) and
Joyce Hooper Corrington (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Omega Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 August 1971 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller more
Tagline:
Pray for the last man alive. Because he's not alone. more
Plot:
Robert Neville, a doctor, due to an experimental vaccine, is the only survivor of an apocalyptic war waged with biological weapons... more | full synopsis
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
10 Most Fascinating 'End of the World' Movies
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 8 November 2009, 4:59 AM, PST)

10 Most Fascinating 'End of the World' Movies
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 8 November 2009, 4:59 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Sci Fi Action At Its Explosive Best! more (166 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Charlton Heston ... Robert Neville
Anthony Zerbe ... Jonathan Matthias
Rosalind Cash ... Lisa

Paul Koslo ... Dutch
Eric Laneuville ... Richie

Lincoln Kilpatrick ... Zachary
Jill Giraldi ... Little Girl
Anna Aries ... Woman in Cemetery Crypt

Brian Tochi ... Tommy
DeVeren Bookwalter ... Family Member
John Dierkes ... Family Member
Monika Henreid ... Family Member

Linda Redfearn ... Family Member
Forrest Wood ... Family Member
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Directed by
Boris Sagal 
 
Writing credits
John William Corrington (screenplay) and
Joyce Hooper Corrington (screenplay) (as Joyce H. Corrington)

Richard Matheson (novel "I Am Legend")

Produced by
Walter Seltzer .... producer
 
Original Music by
Ron Grainer 
 
Cinematography by
Russell Metty 
 
Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler  (as William Ziegler)
 
Art Direction by
Art Loel  (as Arthur Loel)
Walter M. Simonds 
 
Set Decoration by
William L. Kuehl 
 
Makeup Department
Gordon Bau .... makeup supervisor
Jean Burt Reilly .... supervising hair stylist
 
Production Management
Frank Baur .... unit production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Donald Roberts .... assistant director
Ted Swanson .... second assistant director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Robert Martin .... sound (as Bob Martin)
 
Stunts
Joe Canutt .... action coordinator
Wanda Ann Yates .... stunt double
Denny Arnold .... stunts (uncredited)
Fred Brookfield .... stunts (uncredited)
Joe Canutt .... stunts (uncredited)
Tap Canutt .... stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney .... stunts (uncredited)
Larry Duran .... stunts (uncredited)
Gary Epper .... stunts (uncredited)
Tony Epper .... stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth .... stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Joe Hooker .... stunts (uncredited)
Whitey Hughes .... stunts (uncredited)
Harold Jones .... stunts (uncredited)
Kim Kahana .... stunts (uncredited)
Henry Kingi .... stunts (uncredited)
Wayne King Sr. .... stunts (uncredited)
Glenn Randall Jr. .... stunts (uncredited)
Roy N. Sickner .... stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Bernie Abramson .... still photographer (uncredited)
Lydia Clarke .... still photographer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Margo Baxley .... costume supervisor
Bucky Rous .... costume supervisor
 
Music Department
Ron Grainer .... conductor
Dan Wallin .... score mixer
 
Other crew
Shirley Cohen .... production assistant
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Runtime:
98 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie was the inspiration for two CBC Radio comedy series, "Steve the First" and "Steve the Second", starring Matt Watts and Mark McKinney. Each series was about a slacker (the second the son of the first), called upon to save the world after a disaster. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: As Neville drives through the deserted city in the opening scenes past the "Tishman" building a person can clearly be scene walking back up the footpath on the right hand side more
Quotes:
[first lines]
[the last man on earth wrecks his car]
Robert Neville: There's never a cop around when you need one.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Watchmen/Shuttle/12 (#1.2)" (2009) more
Soundtrack:
'Round Midnight more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
What happens to Lisa?
Was Matthias in the I am Legend novel?
more
62 out of 73 people found the following comment useful.
Sci Fi Action At Its Explosive Best!, 24 May 2005
9/10
Author: Dan1863Sickles from Troy, NY

This action packed and thought-provoking sci-fi drama has been one of my personal favorites for over 30 years. Charlton Heston found his definitive role here, as the last man on earth, a scientist fighting a single handed battle against hundreds of mutant creatures of the night.

On the basic level, this movie has some of the most explosive action I have ever seen. Heston is at his best as a bloodless technocrat, a stone killer, "exterminating" mutants with machine guns, pistols, grenades, and his bare hands, all the time giving off an icy air of detachment. Put Chuck up against Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson and he definitely holds his own purely as a Seventies action hero.

On the other hand, this is also Chuck's best performance as an actor. The fact that he literally has the screen to himself for the first half hour allows him to do things he never did in his "epic star" mode. Watch him buy that used car, making small talk with a rotted corpse. Chuck puts across so much loneliness and yet entirely avoids self-pity, as in "thanks a lot, you cheating bastard." It's a scream to watch the bigger than life Moses dealing with life's everyday hassles, not in reality but in wistful fantasy.

Then watch the WOODSTOCK scene in the movie theater. Here's right wing idealist Charlton Heston watching left-wing hippies dance and frolic. Here's the last man on earth watching huge mobs of people crowd up the world that is now empty. The ironies are razor sharp, and Heston just lies back and lets the dialog work for him. "Just to see, just to really realize, that if you have to be afraid to smile at someone, if you have to be afraid to walk down the street, what kind of world is that? Right?" Note well the master's restraint. He doesn't sneer, he puts much more sadness into the lip-reading bit, with a little self-loathing on the side. The dialog and situation are tailor-made for Heston's cold decisive vocal style. It's not hammy stuff, it's Heston giving you the same kind of chill Deniro achieved in TAXI DRIVER. It's the paranoid loner as tragic hero. This cold withdrawn stuff is right down his power alley, and Chuck sends this scene into the upper decks.

Once the movie gets started, Heston gets superb assistance from Anthony Zerbe as the religious fanatic Brother Matthias. Zerbe is superb and the commentary on religious fanaticism is even more relevant today than it was thirty years ago. Then there's the sizzling racial subplot, the kill-whitey fanaticism of Brother Zachary striking far too close to home in 1973 but remaining as provocative as ever today. It's disturbing indeed to note the subliminal message of the inter-racial love affair -- the nice white man is happy to take care of the black woman and her children, but only after the assertive black man is dead. A movie that provokes, entertains, and combines scorching social issues with rip-roaring adventure, THE OMEGA MAN is Heston's best.

"Nope -- they sure don't make pictures like that any more."

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Wierd weapons in film. savagesteve13
Is Anthony Zerbe really Anthony Hopkins? Mr_Cryptic
o.k. for kids? ettully
Filming Location water22boy
Nope, they sure don't make pictures like this anymore... Darbacour
Omega Man theme = The Prisoner theme? roximunro
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