Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend has been adapted into three different films, The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man, and I Am Legend. Each one different enough they hardly seem to have sprung from the same source material. I never figured the 1960s original starring Vincent Price, would be the best version of this story (aside from reading the novel itself). Matheson was against the casting of Price, who was considered too theatrical and given too much room to ham since he doesn’t have to share scenes with others.
With that said, Price’s performance conveys the drudgery of his existence, and he occasionally bursts with a sad resignation rarely seen in his other films. Despite its deliberately slow pace the film is compelling as it shows us the details of Price’s daily routine of making wooden spikes, gathering corpses to a burn pit and scouring sections of the city in search of life. You feel the crush of this being his lifetime job, much like anyone else trapped in a small office for the rest of their career.
The creature makeup is effectively zombie-like, similar to Night of the Living Dead and the widescreen lensing by Franco Delli Colli is wonderfully gothic and glossy. There is a growing realization that the creatures are developing into a more organized society. One thing this film gets right above all other adaptations is the sense that Price is the real monster here. He isn’t just the minority but the serial killer who must be destroyed in order for life in its current evolved form to move forward.
Leave A Comment