- The Omega Man
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For the coin counterfeiter, see The Omega Man (counterfeiter). For the manga and anime character, see Omegaman.
The Omega Man 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Boris Sagal Produced by Walter Seltzer Screenplay by John William Corrington
Joyce H. CorringtonBased on I Am Legend by
Richard MathesonStarring Charlton Heston
Anthony Zerbe
Paul Koslo
Rosalind Cash
Eric LaneuvilleMusic by Ron Grainer Cinematography Russell Metty Distributed by Warner Bros. Release date(s) August 1, 1971 Running time 98 minutes Country United States Language English The Omega Man is a 1971 American science fiction film directed by Boris Sagal and starring Charlton Heston. It is based on the novel I Am Legend (1954) by American writer Richard Matheson.[1] The screenplay is by John William Corrington and Joyce Corrington, and it was filmed in Technicolor with monaural sound, with a running time of 98 minutes.[2] Its producer is Walter Seltzer, who also produced Heston in the 1973 science fiction film, Soylent Green.[3]
The story was first filmed as The Last Man on Earth (1964) featuring Vincent Price. A third adaptation of the novel, I Am Legend featuring Will Smith, was released in 2007; and an unofficial fourth, I Am Omega, featuring Mark Dacascos, was also released in 2007 (though neither Matheson's name or novel were credited as source material for this version).
As multiple reviewers have noted,[4][5] the film differs from its source in several ways including the basic premise. In the novel the cause of the demise of humanity is a plague spread by mosquitoes, whereas in the film human biological warfare is the cause. One reviewer speculated this may have been due to one of the screenwriters having a doctorate in chemistry.[6]
Contents
Plot
In March 1975, biological warfare between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union kills most of the world's population. U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Robert Neville, M.D. (Charlton Heston), a scientist based in Los Angeles, California, begins to succumb to the plague but injects himself with an experimental vaccine just in time, rendering himself immune. The plague's surviving victims, meanwhile, join together as "The Family," a cult of nocturnal albino mutants who seek to destroy all technology.
Two years later, Neville believes he is the plague's only survivor, struggling to maintain his sanity. He spends his days hunting and destroying members of The Family. At night, living atop a fortified apartment building equipped with an arsenal of automatic firearms (such as a Smith & Wesson M76 submachine gun and an infrared sight-equipped Browning Automatic Rifle), and explosives (such as satchel charges), he is a prisoner in his own home. The Family wants to destroy him, believing him to be a last remnant of the old culture.
One day, The Family captures Neville in a wine cellar. After a summary trial he is found guilty of heresy by Jonathan Matthias (Anthony Zerbe), a former news anchor who is now leader of The Family. Neville is sentenced to death and nearly burned at the stake in the center of Dodger Stadium. He is rescued by Lisa (Rosalind Cash), a woman he had earlier seen while on patrol, and Dutch (Paul Koslo), a former medical student familiar with Neville's work.
Lisa and Dutch are part of a group of unmutated survivors; although infected, their youth has given them some resistance to the disease and its symptoms are slow to manifest. Nevertheless, given enough time, they will succumb to mutation and become new members in The Family. Neville is amazed to find that some of the survivors include very young children. Neville later has a brief romance with Lisa.
Neville realizes that even if it is possible to duplicate the original vaccine, it would take years to salvage humanity. However, he believes it may be possible to extend his immunity to others by creating a serum from his blood. If the serum works, Neville and Lisa plan to leave the ravaged city with the rest of the survivors and start a new life in the wilderness, leaving The Family behind to die.
Neville is successful in creating the serum and administers it to Lisa's teenage brother Richie (Eric Laneuville), who is on the verge of the advanced mutant stage of the plague. Once cured, Richie (insisting that members of The Family are also human) goes to The Family to try to convince them to take the serum. Matthias refuses to believe that Neville would try to help them, accuses Richie of being sent by Neville to harm them and has Richie executed. Neville discovers Richie’s body strung up and left as bait to draw Neville outside after dark. Enraged, Neville fights off The Family after they force his car off the road.
Meanwhile, Lisa unexpectedly changes into a nocturnal albino mutant and betrays Neville by giving The Family access to his bunker. Returning home, Neville is confronted by Matthias, who forces him to watch as The Family sets his home on fire. Neville breaks free and, once outside with Lisa, he turns and raises his sub-machine gun to shoot Matthias, who is looking down from the balcony. The gun jams, giving Matthias enough time to hurl a spear at Neville, mortally wounding him. It is assumed that Matthias and The Family choose to stay inside Neville's home as it continues to burn. Lisa claims to be part of The Family, but stays by the fountain with Neville until dawn.
The final scene shows the human survivors, led by Dutch, departing in a Land Rover. They discover a dying Neville, who hands Dutch a flask of blood serum, presumably with which to restore humanity. Shortly after handing over the serum Neville dies in a fountain, symbolically posed in the traditional position of the crucified Christ. Dutch takes Lisa and the survivors away as they leave the city for good, leaving the Family to die, as Neville planned.
Neville watches Woodstock
The Omega Man features a scene in which Neville fires up a generator in an abandoned movie theater and passes the time watching the documentary concert film,Woodstock. While watching the film Neville mouths the words, and then remarks, "Nope, they sure don't make pictures like that anymore."[7] The actor, Paul Koslo, who plays the character of Dutch stated in 2003 that this is his favorite scene of the film.[8] .
Interracial kiss
Screen shot of actors Charlton Heston and Rosalind Cash about to kiss in a scene from The Omega Man
Whoopi Goldberg has remarked that the kiss between the characters played by Charlton Heston and Rosalind Cash was one of the first interracial kisses to appear in a movie.[9][10] Subsequently in 1992 when Goldberg had her own network interview talk show, she invited Charlton Heston to be a guest and asked him about the kiss in The Omega Man. Heston stated that he received a lot of hassle for it at the time because it was considered controversial. When Goldberg asked him what it was like to kiss Rosalind Cash, Heston leaned forward and demonstrated on the unsuspecting Goldberg. The unscripted moment took everyone off guard, particularly Goldberg, who reverted back to as if she were a "16 year old" since she had grown up watching Heston and viewed him as a screen legend.[11] (Heston's roles included playing Moses in 1956's The Ten Commandments, and as the lead in 1959's Ben-Hur, among other prominent roles before entering into science fiction with 1968's Planet of the Apes ).
Screenwriter Joyce H. Corrington stated that in developing the script for The Omega Man, the character of Lisa, played by Rosalind Cash, was created to have the style of the Black Power movement, which had its prominence in American culture when the film was made.[12] She goes on to remark that this created an effective and interesting dynamic between the characters of Lisa and Neville.
Heston wrote in his autobiography, In the Arena, that The Omega Man was the first leading role in a film for actress Rosalind Cash, and that she was understandably "a little edgy" about doing a love scene with Heston. Heston explained, "It was in the seventies that I realized a generation of actors had grown up who saw me in terms of the iconic roles they remembered from their childhoods. 'It's a spooky feeling,' she told me, 'to screw Moses.'"[13]
Reception
The film review website Rotten Tomatoes lists The Omega Man as having mixed reviews, with a score of 59%.[14] For example, Howard Thompson gave a mostly negative review in The New York Times, saying "the climax is as florid and phony as it can be."[15] While the staff of Variety (magazine) described the film as "an extremely literate science fiction drama."[16]
Director Tim Burton said in an interview for his 2009 MoMA exhibit that “If I was alone on a desert island I’d probably pick something that I could relate to - probably The Omega Man with Charlton Heston. I don’t know why that is one of my favorite movies, but it is.”[17] In another interview, with ACMI, Burton remarked that no matter how many times he has seen it, if it is on television he will stop to watch it. He said that when he originally saw The Omega Man, it was the first instance that he recalls seeing the use of certain types of "cheesy one-liners" in film. (The film is full of irony-tinged one-liners that are spoken in a manner to elicit a comic response. Burton compares these to the famous one-liners in Arnold Schwarzenegger's film career, such as "I'll be back."[18] An example of this is a scene in which Neville visits a car dealership in order to get a car to replace the one that he had just wrecked. While pretending to speak to an imaginary car salesman, Neville replies, "Uh huh, alright, how much will you give me in trade for my Ford? Oh really? Thanks a lot you cheating bastard!" At that point, Neville peels out, driving through what remains of the dealership front entrance.[19][20]
Deleted scene
The script for The Omega Man contains a scene where Lisa goes to visit her parents grave. Unknown to Neville, Lisa is pregnant and she goes to seek comfort from her deceased parents before they leave the city forever. While Lisa is talking to her parents grave she hears a sound and investigates a crypt, in it she spots a female Family member depositing a dead new born mutant baby. Lisa can see the mother's grief and empathizes with the woman's loss despite them being on different sides. Lisa believes that all children, including her unborn baby, will suffer the same fate. Later, Lisa returns to Neville and tells him of the woman in the crypt. Neville asks Lisa if she "took care" of things and Lisa responds that since she may be a grieving parent in a few months, she will not kill a grief-stricken mother. Neville is shocked at first but then embraces Lisa.
While the scene was cut from the final film, the credit for "Woman in Cemetery Crypt" remained.
References
- ^ The Ωmega Man FAQ from the Internet Movie Database
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/combined
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0783561/
- ^ "The Science-Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review". Moria. http://www.moria.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2786Itemid=0. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ "Movie Review - Omega Man, The". eFilmCritic. http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=6432&reviewer=402&printer=1. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ "The Omega Man". The Terror Trap. 2008-04-05. http://www.terrortrap.com/undead/omegaman/. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ "Charlton Heston - Omega Man- Woodstock". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nye0Q-XSJGM. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ The Omega Man Special Feature: ““Introduction by Joyce H. Corrington (Screenwriter), Paul Koslo (“Dutch”), and Eric Laneuville (“Richie”)” 2003. Warner Brothers Letterbox DVD 2007
- ^ "Goldberg Discussing Interview with Heston". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7vrj5VBNY&feature=related. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ "Whoopi Goldberg Remembers Charlton Heston; Plants One on Joy|". Huffington Post. 2008-4-7. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/whoopi-goldberg-remembers_n_95411.html. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ "Staying Cool at Whoopi's Talk Show". New York Times. 1992-11-29. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/29/arts/television-staying-cool-at-whoopi-s-talk-show.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
- ^ The Omega Man Special Feature: ““Introduction by Joyce H. Corrington (Screenwriter), Paul Koslo (“Dutch”), and Eric Laneuville (“Richie”)” 2003. Warner Brothers Letterbox DVD 2007.
- ^ Charlton Heston. In the Arena. Simon and Schuster. p. 443. ISBN 0-68480394-1.
- ^ "The Omega Man". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/omega_man/. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ Movie Review: The Omega Man New York Times, August 14, 1971
- ^ "Variety Reviews - The Omega Man - Film Reviews - - Review by Variety Staff". Variety.com. 1970-12-31. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117793691?refcatid=31. Retrieved 2011-9-5.
- ^ "See minute mark 4:33". Museum of Modern Art interview with director, Tim Burton. 2009-11-9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mANsedYvsBs&list=FLoWgxb9B9KXZiGP3EUQoScA&index=7. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
- ^ ACMI interviews Tim Burton, discusses The Omega Man on YouTube
- ^ "Charlton Heston - Omega Man - Thanks a lot". YouTube. 2010-03-02. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc2Nd0y5J-Q&feature=channel_video_title. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ (Memorable Quotes for The Omega Man (1971) IMDb)
External links
- The Ωmega Man at the Internet Movie Database
- The Ωmega Man at AllRovi
Film adaptations Richard Matheson Novels I Am Legend (1954) • The Shrinking Man (1956) • A Stir of Echoes (1958) • The Beardless Warriors (1960) • Hell House (1971) • Bid Time Return (1975) • What Dreams May Come (1978)Short stories "Born of Man and Woman" (1950) • "Blood Son" (1951) • "Button, Button" (1970)Screenplays The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) • House of Usher (1960) • "The Last Flight" (1960) • "Nick of Time" (1960) • "A World of Difference" (1960) • "A World of His Own" (1960) • Master of the World (1961) • The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) • "The Invaders" (1961) • "Once Upon a Time" (1961) • Night of the Eagle (1962) • Tales of Terror (1962) • "Little Girl Lost" (1962) • "Young Man's Fancy" (1962) • The Raven (1963) • "Death Ship" (1963) • "Mute" (1963) • "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1963) • "Steel" (1963) • The Comedy of Terrors (1964) • The Last Man on Earth (1964) • "Night Call" (1964) • "Spur of the Moment" (1964) • Fanatic (1965) • The Young Warriors (1966) • "The Enemy Within" (1966) • The Devil Rides Out (1968) • De Sade (1969) • Duel (1971) • The Night Stalker (1972) • The Night Strangler (1973) • The Legend of Hell House (1973) • Dracula (1973) • The Morning After (1974) • Trilogy of Terror (1975) • The Martian Chronicles Mini-Series (1980) • Somewhere in Time (1980) • Jaws 3-D (1983) • Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) • "Button, Button" (1986) • Loose Cannons (1990) • The Dreamer of Oz (1990) • Rod Serling's Lost Classics (1994) • Trilogy of Terror II (1996)Adaptations
by others"And When the Sky Was Opened" (1959) • "Third from the Sun" (1960) • Cold Sweat (1970) • The Omega Man (1971) • The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981) • What Dreams May Come (1998) • Stir of Echoes (1999) • "Dance of the Dead" (2005) • "My Ambition" (2006) • I Am Legend (2007) • I Am Omega (2007) • The Box (2009) • "The Splendid Source" (2010) • Real Steel (2011)Films directed by Boris Sagal 1960s The Crimebusters (1961) · Dime with a Halo (1963) · Twilight of Honor (1963) · Guns of Diablo (1964) · Girl Happy (1965) · Made in Paris (1966) · The Helicopter Spies (1968) · Mosquito Squadron (1969) · The Thousand Plane Raid (1969)1970s Hauser's Memory (1970) · The Omega Man (1971) · A Case of Rape (1974) · Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976) · Angela (1978)1980s The Diary of Anne Frank (1980) · When the Circus Came to Town (1981)Categories:- 1971 films
- American films
- English-language films
- 1970s action films
- 1970s science fiction films
- 1970s horror films
- American disaster films
- American science fiction action films
- American science fiction horror films
- Dystopian films
- Films based on works by Richard Matheson
- Films based on science fiction novels
- Films based on thriller novels
- Films directed by Boris Sagal
- Films set in 1975
- Films set in 1977
- Films set in Los Angeles, California
- Films set in the future
- Post-apocalyptic films
- Vampires in film and television
- Films about infectious diseases
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