This is a Comparative Study of
- A 1954 novel written by Richard Matheson
- A 1964 movie starring Boris Karof ; written by William F. Leicester, with screenplay by Richard Matheson (as Logan Swanson), Furio M. Monetti, and Ubaldo B. Ragona
- A 1971 movie starring Charlton Heston; Screenplay by John William Corrington & Joyce Hooper Corrington, based on the novel by Richard Matheson.
- A 2007 movie starring Will Smith; written by Mark Protosevich, Akiva Goldsman, based on the novel by Richard Matheson.
Science fiction and horror have a long-standing history of presenting the truths of their period through the metaphors of fictional and mythical creatures. In this way, science fiction and horror fill the role of the Court Fool seen in many Shakespearean plays, he may tell the King and Courtiers that they are wrong without the fear of retaliation. After all, he is only a Fool and science fiction and horror are only make believe, which doesn’t resemble the real social issues for which they are metaphors. In order to unlock the analogies which these works portray, we must also look at the historical and social context in which they were written. For this third entry into Sci-Fi: Write or Wrong, I have chosen to compare the movies The Last Man on Earth with Boris Karlof (1964), Omega Man starring Charlton Heston (1971), and I Am Legend starring Will Smith (2007), to the 1954 Richard Matheson novel, I Am Legend, on which these movies are based.
This was an ambitious undertaking which I started shortly after Thanksgiving 2010. Here it is March 2011 and I am finally compiling the notes I’ve taken and the research I’ve done to present an analysis of these different versions of the same story. Each one varies slightly according to the societal pressure of their time. They reflect, not only the obvious changes in cinematography, but differing responses to societal fears and attitudes of each period. I have broken this analysis into five parts in order to cover the major points I wish to make. The Introduction below will cover some of the generalities associated with the stories. Part One, “See No Evil”, will address the issue of what is actually shown and not shown in the movies and the novel. “Curing Versus Killing” the infected will be addressed in Part Two. Part Three will cover “Society’s Changing View of Women”, and Part Four will address the basic theme: “Science Versus Superstition” and how each piece poses a different viewpoint.
Introduction
First of all, those of us who love reading must acknowledge that the film version of a novel rarely meets the depth and breadth of the novel itself. The only science fiction movie I can think of which comes close is Pet Cemetery, taken from the novel of the same name by Stephen King. The Last Man on Earth, Omega Man, and I Am Legend series of movies is no different; they do not meet the breadth of Matheson’s novel. The original Matheson novel has 31 Chapters divided into 11 Parts and only the first 21 Chapters deal with the main character and the infected people in the story. Also, the first 21 chapters bear only numbers, whereas the last 10 all have titles pnly. So our comparison between the movies and the original novel will start with those first 21 chapters. We will end with a discussion about the final 10 chapters which are not included in any of the movies.
The basic plot and premise of all four story presentations is the same. Each story begins three years after an epidemic has killed the majority of the people on Earth. Those who were infected but actually survived the disease are transformed into mindless creatures of the night. The protagonist is Robert Neville in all of the stories except Last Man on Earth. In that story he is named Robert Morgan. (Since we are dealing with charters of the same name, I will refer to them by the names of the actors who play the parts.) Robert is the only man immune to the virus. At night he must fight off the creatures who wish to kill him. During the day, Robert tries to find the creatures’ day-time lair in order to either kill them or cure them, while struggling with the loneliness of being the only survival. In each story, Robert ends up discovering other “normal” survivors and during his attempt to escape from the creatures, Robert is killed. These actions are consistent throughout all four stories, but how they are presented and the theme conveyed is different, reflecting attitude changes in society.
Opening Scenes: Setting the Attitude
I am Legend (2007) is the only portrayal of the story which opens with a newscast interview of a scientist who has found a cure for cancer by genetically altering the chicken pox virus. This portion of the opening is brief, but gives us an implication about the virus’ origin. Not only does this fleeting interview give us story background, but it invokes the 21st century fears many layman have about tampering with genetics. The fear: using genetically altered bacteria and viruses outside of a controlled laboratory environment will result in an unpredictable and detrimental mutation of genes, possibly across multiple species. The fear of new discoveries dates back into antiquity. It is the fear that scientific advances will outgrow humanity’s ability to safely use them. It is the fear that man’s hubris will open Pandora’s Box. Part of that hubris is seen in how the reporter admirers the medical researcher and says, “Then you’ve cured cancer,” and the scientists cocks her head and slightly smiles, “Yes, we’ve cured cancer.”We in the 21st century believe that we can rid the planet of the diseases which torment us, and by extension possibly overcome death itself. Part of this belief is based on the fact that in 1969 the World Health Organization announced the official eradication of smallpox, an “ancient scourge” which threatened 60% of the world’s population. Another part comes from the 2003 announcement from the National Human Genome Institute that they had successfully mapped the human gene. We have turned the key to greater understanding of human life and unlocked yet another god-like secret. It is our reassurance that all is right with the world, not because God is in His heaven, but because intelligence, methodical research, and application can overcome all obstacles. So this very brief newscast in the 2007 version of I Am Legend shows us that we have already a reached god-like self-importance that is not displayed in the 1954 novel or either of the other two movie versions.
After the brief newscast, the opening scenes of the three movies are similar. They differ from the novel in that they scan the deserted city using cinematographic techniques available at the time of their filming. Last Man on Earth (1964) uses still flashes of an empty city at sunrise; Omega Man (1971) uses scans taken from the top of skyscrapers, and I Am Legend (2007) uses a bird’s eye view from above the city, and then scans from the side. The novel itself has no preliminary overview of the surroundings; it simply opens with Robert being awakened by the alarm clock. It is interesting to note that the novel I Am Legend and the Boris Karof movie, The Last Man on Earth, basically begin when Robert is awakened in the morning by the alarm clock. Yet both the Will Smith and Charlton Heston version of the same story begins midday and the initial scenes take us to sundown. Since morning is the beginning of the day, we can infer that in the 1950s and 60s the general attitude was that we had all day to work towards a solution to the problems. However, there is a subtle change in attitude by the 1970s. The day is more than halfway over and night is upon us, not only in the theatrical sense, but historical sense. In this one small difference we see the societal feeling that we are running out of the time we need to complete our work in order to prepare for the coming darkness, so we can somehow save ourselves from impending doom in whatever form that might take.
Another interesting difference is that I Am Legend, both the 1954 novel and the 2007 movie, and The Last Man on Earth include a dog, whereas Omega Man does not include any other animals. The absence of any other animal in Omega Man shows a clear distain for the other creatures which occupy our planet. The unstated attitude is that human are the only important creatures on Earth and that what we do, only affects other humans. It is a curious attitude of the 1970s which displays an arrogance of this era. In the three versions which include dogs, we are told that dogs were also affected by the virus, however there is a difference in attitude toward dogs exhibited in these versions. In the 1954 novel and in the movie Last Man on Earth, made in 1964, the dog is a peripheral character living as a wild animal on the streets. Both of these versions reflect the previous generation’s attitude that dogs are merely animals and belong outside. The dogs in these two versions don’t trust Robert, the sole remaining human, yet Robert craves companionship. It takes days, but he eventually cajoles the dog with food in order to coax the animal back into human company. In both cases Robert discovers that the dog is carrying the infection and he must kill the animal. It seems apparent that the dog was right not to trust the human. However by the 2007 version, we see that rats are also affected by the virus. They are still used for experimentation, but then in this version, so are the infected humans. We also see lions which have escaped from the zoo and deer which are free to run in large herds. But perhaps most importantly we see a difference in attitude towards pets. Dogs are portrayed as close human companions. The dog, named Sam, was Robert’s daughter’s puppy before the plague and has been raised in Robert’s house after he has lost his family. Sam is not only companionship for Robert, but an advance guard. Before Robert enters a building, he sends Sam in to investigate. One bark from Sam tells Robert that the building is clear for him to enter. This is a working relationship and, indeed, a friendship between man and dog that is not explored in any other version of the story. Sam rides in the passenger seat with Robert, eats supper his feet and Robert bathes Sam in the bathtub. Also, Robert will not allow Sam to enter his basement laboratory because Sam can still become infected with the virus. Robert and Sam are co-defendant on one another for survival. They protect each other and enjoy leisure moments together as Robert hunts for meat, picks corn, and goes to the local video store. Robert has a running monologue with Sam that shows the closeness of their relationship. When Sam becomes infected with the virus while trying to defend Robert from other infected dogs, Robert tries to cure Sam by using one of his test serums, but it doesn’t work, so Robert must kill her with his bare hands. He is devastated by this. He sits on the floor of his laboratory holding his dead companion and barely holding his tears. He even buries Sam in the field, and then seeks revenge on the creatures who attacked them. This 2007 version shows us a major change in societal attitudes towards pets and other animals. Here we see dogs, not only as trusted co-workers, but as extensions of our family to be loved, cared for, and given respect. Here we see an acknowledgement that what we do effects our entire environment.
I could be write or I could be wrong. Let me know what you think.
I could be write or I could be wrong. Let me know what you think.
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