December 31 movie: The Last Man on Earth. This was the first adaptation of the book I Am Legend. The second being The Omega Man, and the third being I Am Legend, starring Will Smith and set to come out later this year. (And let's not forget the Treehouse of Horror episode "The Homega Man." Perhaps that's adaptation number 2.5.)
The Last Man on Earth starred Vincent Price. Who, I firmly believe, is one of America's most underrated actors. The movie kind of fell apart at the end, but for the first half hour I thought it was the best movie I had seen in ages. It's very thoughtful and internal, focusing more on Price's attempts to cope with loneliness and guilt than with his battle against the vampires. The vampires, by the way, kind of act more like zombies. They do show some vampire-like behavior: crave blood, allergic to garlic, can't stand sunlight, and an aversion to crosses is implied but never stated outright. But they move like zombies: shuffle, moan, attack clumsily. Plus there are some novelties: they can see themselves in mirrors but can't stand the sight of their reflection.
I read that besides the direct adaptations, the book I Am Legend was also a major inspiration for the Living Dead zombie movies. I also read an interview with the author of I Am Legend, who comes off like kind of a cranky jerk. He hates all adaptations of his work and wouldn't elaborate except to diss Vincent Price. I suppose I shouldn't fault him for being unhappy with the movie versions of his book. Even in the best of circumstances, a book can never be translated perfectly to film. An author often has a huge emotional investment in his or her work, and may find it hard to accept the compromises that have to be made. And these circumstances are hardly the best. I read an early draft of the upcoming I Am Legend and it was atrocious.
3 Comments
Matheson has a long history of working in television--both original works and adaptations; he was one of the major writers of The Twilight Zone. You would think that he was used to other people butchering his works for the screen.
I didn't know he was a TV writer. Let me correct my statement to "he hates all adaptations of I Am Legend."
I love Omega Man, saw it when I was a Kid, saw it again this past summer. I didn't know that movie had been done before. Vincent Price is pretty damn cool, I will add this to my netflix list. Probably skip the new one though. "Starring Will Smith" tells me pretty much all I need to know about it.