Panic in Year Zero/The Last Man on Earth
by Ubaldo Ragona
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Antonio Corevi, Carolyn De Fonseca, Christi Courtland, Emma Danieli, Franca BettoiaDirector: Ubaldo Ragona
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 179 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-20
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: American International Pictures (AIP)
Movie Reviews of Panic in Year Zero/The Last Man on Earth
Movie Review: TWO TERRIFIC RESTORATIONS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally, courtesy of the MGM Midnite Movie series, we have a premium transfer of both these fine old films in true Widescreen format. Did I mention, the price is incredibly reasonable?
REVIEW FOR: PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO
For me, "PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO" was the "reel find" on this DVD. For years it had been available only on a rather shoddy "pan and scan" VHS that, since going out of print, had risen to almost $50 on the used video market.
IN A NUTSHELL - WHAT IS "PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO"?
Really, this film is all about how a relatively-normal, middle-class, Southern California family reacts to the sudden stark and bleak reality of a nuclear attack. The point is subtle, but this could be happening to us, literally any of us.
WHAT IT IS:
Ray Milland (who stars and directs) is Harry Baldwin, husband and father. He is about to be handed the biggest possible surprise an hour after embarking on a family vacation with his wife, Ann [Jean Hagen], and his teenage kids, Rick [Frankie Avalon] and Karen [Mary Mitchell]. Behind their 1962 Mercury Monterrey, they towed a travel trailer. They were all set to go fishing and they were on their way ---- UNTIL!!!!
When the bombs go off, the film's saga takes off and their family outing, not unlike one any of us might undertake, takes a decided detour into the twilight zone. Everything about Harry Baldwin stays on the same even keel, but his actions are incredibly responsive to the fast-changing societal conditions. While all his actions, though increasingly drastic and ever more overtly violent, may seem justified based on what he was facing at the moment, the easy way this otherwise-decent family man descended to address the jungle in which he was being steeped was frightening. Could this happen to us as well?
REVIEW FOR: "The Last Man on Earth"
My low expectations for this dystopian yarn were far exceeded by this seemingly half-baked, Italian-made "B" flick. Titled "L'Ultimo Uomo della Terra" [same meaning] where it was made in Italy, this film is initially powered by Vincent Price's soliloquy to get the narration going as this film creeps along. Largely due to Vincent Price's efforts, SOMEHOW THIS FILM WORKS!
We hear and see how in a post-epidemic Earth, scientist Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) is the one man immune to a plague that has transformed all of humankind that survived (the others died) into vampire-like creatures. Morgan becomes a vampire hunter while the few remaining half-alive mutant vampires live in fear of him. He is alone. In his despair, we see through his eyes how the plague developed just 3 years earlier and how his best friend became one of the monsters that now stalks him by night. The flashback ends with Morgan recalling how his wife returned from the grave after he had just buried her, calling him by name as she menacingly approached him. This was creepy stuff.
At this point, now back to the present, Morgan finds a puppy. After adopting the dog as his own, Morgan finds that he too is a plague victim. After the dog's hair begins falling out, we move on to the next scene which shows Morgan burying the puppy covered with a white sheet with a stake through it. I admit it was pretty obvious, but effectively pathetic nonetheless. Then Morgan has a real break and meets one of the human "survivors". He actually cures this zombie, Ruth (Franca Bettoja), with a transfusion of his blood. For the first time in over three years there seems to be hope.
This story is based on Richard Matheson's dark novel "I Am Legend". In 1971, this story was remade as "The Omega Man" with Charlton Heston in the Vincent Price role. "The Omega Man" seems over-the-top compared to this more modest effort and Price does an excellent job of making the bleakness look real and appropriate.
DVD WIDESCREEN EDITION: "MGM Midnite Movies"
This MGM Midnite Movie edition lacks features but has a terrific transfer which for both films is widescreen and is a major improvement over the VHS releases in both sound and video quality. I bought this without worry since "Reptilicus" is also an MGM Midnite Movie, and its transfer quality is literally unreal.
Summary of Panic in Year Zero/The Last Man on Earth
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