As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Session: It's Dystopia, Mom! (Week 1)
Movie: The Last Man On Earth (1964)
Directed by Ubaldo Ragona
After a pandemic has devastated the world, one man tries to put everything back together. Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
Early on, I mentioned to Keith that this bore some similarities to The Omega Man, which starred Charlton Heston. Keith pointed out that that later film was based on the same short story. I probably should have been aware.
So, that said, I may as well start by comparing the two. Last Man is a much more somber movie than Omega Man, which plays like an action flick. Charlton Heston's character seemed to almost have fun in Omega. In Last Man, Vincent Price's Dr. Morgan is just weary. Weary enough that I kept asking why he didn't just kill himself and end the whole ordeal.
In some ways this felt like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone -- especially when Ruth showed up. That part particularly reminded me of the TZ episode, "Two," which starred Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson.
I particularly enjoyed the early narration, which serves as a method to deliver the necessary exposition. As I noted above, Vincent price seems weary.
It was also particularly interesting to see the similarities between this and Night of the Living Dead, which we saw in class some years ago. It did almost seem as if George Romero (who would direct the latter film) had been watching Last Man and taking notes.
Of course, it also didn't escape notice that we were watching this post-pandemic movie just as the world is trying to put COVID behind us. Not that that really affected the grade I gave it, but still.
I wouldn;t really call this a great film, but it was near-great.
Ratings
Me: 9
Bob-O: 9.7
Christina: 9.8
Dave: 9.8
Ethan: 9
Joe: 10
Sharon's reaction to the trailer: "But he's not the last man!"
Cats: No cat, dog. Poor doggie.
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