The Last Man on Earth

"Do you dare imagine what it would be like to be...The last man on earth...Or the last woman."

1964 1h 27m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 505

Science FictionDramaHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a disease turns all of humanity into the living dead, the last man on earth becomes a reluctant vampire hunter.

“Do you dare imagine what it would be like to be...The last man on earth...Or the last woman.”

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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
Ettore Ribotta
TV Reporter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ubaldo Ragona
Writers: Ubaldo Ragona, Richard Matheson, Furio M. Monetti
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

62 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ubaldo Ragona, shot by Franco Delli Colli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paul Sawtell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gene Ruggiero shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ubaldo Ragona directs. Franco Delli Colli behind the camera. Paul Sawtell scores. Gene Ruggiero cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, Italy. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
362 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Italy.
6Directed by Ubaldo Ragona, shot by Franco Delli Colli. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Paul Sawtell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Gene Ruggiero shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Vincent Price and Franca Bettoia and Emma Danieli carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Do you dare imagine what it would be like to be...The last man on earth...Or the last woman.".
11IMDB entry: tt0058700 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 20 themes, including "vampire", "cigarette", "post-apocalyptic future", "end of the world".

The technical file

Cinematography: Franco Delli Colli
Original score: Paul Sawtell
Editing: Gene Ruggiero
Costume design: Angiolina Menichelli
Makeup / hair: Pierantonio Mecacci
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $300,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Also by

Ubaldo Ragona

The Amorous Virgin
1966 · ★ 4.0

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-06-07
★ 7.5/10
They are coming to get you Morgan. Vincent Price stars as Dr. Robert Morgan, the apparent sole survivor on Earth after a lethal virus has wiped out mankind. His only company is a plague of vampire like zombies thirsting for his blood each and every night. Tiring of the constant fights and desperate in his loneliness, Morgan is at the end of his tether, until... The source story from which this film is adapted, "I Am Legend" written by Richard Matheson, is rightly or wrongly considered to be something of a sci-fi classic. This explains why in three different decades the film has been adapted to the big screen. Following on from this first attempt we have been offered up The Omega Man in 1971 and I Am Legend in 2007, all three big screen outings are of differing quality and separated by their respective approaches to the subject. The Last Man On Earth is to me the best of the three films to date. Having horror legend Vincent Price play the main character automatically lends people to think that this picture is primarily a horror film. Something that may explain why it's been largely ignored outside of those who have a penchant for Matheson and Price's respective work. Tho proudly containing (justly) horror elements (George Romero was clearly watching with interest) Ubaldo Ragona's film perfectly portrays the agony of Morgan's solitude, it's not merely about his battle with virally challenged zombies. Morgan's battle is chiefly with himself (wonderfully realised by an undervalued Price performance) he may have inherited the Earth, but his function has been reduced to being nothing more than an assassin of the night creatures. His existence is growing grim by the year, until he makes an amazing discovery, and it's one that swerves the film into its final quarter. Where to me at least, the film achieves what the other adaptations failed to do, namely no swagger involved, no cop outs and pandering to the norm, it's a highly fitting finale that is in keeping with the story's heart. Tho based as if in an American city, it's actually shot on location in Rome, Italy. With the whole cast other than Price himself, being Italian. Low on budget, The Last Man On Earth is unable to break free of its B movie sheen, yet this aids the structure of the picture. Grainy black and white shots of derelict streets are boosting the apocalyptic essence, this is a depressing time, not only for Morgan, but for us the viewers as well. We are not meant to jump out of our seats with fright, or to whoop and holler as Morgan lays waste to another creature of the night. We are asked to imagine what it would be like to be the last human on Earth, and if indeed we could quite simply cope with the isolation and dreams of a life long since past. Fine and intelligent picture 7.5/10
tubbs2020-06-09
★ 6/10
The first hour was very good - that he could have been the last man on Earth wasn't so hard to believe. However, the closing scenes were a bit routine and disappointing.