Last Woman on Earth
Encyclopedia
Last Woman on Earth is an American
science-fiction film produced and directed by Roger Corman
. It tells the story of three survivors of a mysterious apocalypse
which appears to have wiped out all human life on earth. The screenplay is by Robert Towne
, who also appears in the film billed as "Edward Wain". The music was composed and conducted by Ronald Stein
.
), a successful businessman from New York who has been in a lot of legal trouble recently, is spending a holiday in Puerto Rico with his attractive wife Evelyn (Betsy Jones-Moreland
), whom he married "between trials". They are joined by Martin Joyce (Edward Wain
), Gern's friend and lawyer, who has come to discuss legal matters. Not in the mood to talk business, Gern invites him along on a boat trip during which all three try out some newly bought scuba diving equipment. When they resurface they realize to their astonishment that they are unable to breathe without using their oxygen tanks. They climb back into their boat and find Manuel, their servant, dead on board—asphyxiated.
Unable to start the engine, they row ashore. With 40 minutes worth of oxygen left they enter the jungle, where, due to the plants giving off oxygen, they can soon breathe normally again (and light a cigarette to calm their nerves).
Gradually it dawns upon the three that they might be the only survivors in the area, maybe in the world. They briefly speculate on what has happened ("an act of God … or bigger and better bombs") but try to "keep that kind of talk to a minimum" and mainly concern themselves with becoming self-sufficient, for example by moving to a villa near the beach. The two men teach themselves how to fish—as only animals that live in the water have survived—but when they see insects again they realize that they must have survived inside their eggs. Accordingly, they feel that in the long run they will have to move North to a colder climate
—to avoid an insect problem and also problems with food preservation and to increase their chances of meeting other survivors.
Very soon the Gerns and Martin Joyce can no longer cope with the triangular
situation. Although they still keep up appearances—Evelyn is still wearing jewelry, and Harold Gern, a tie for their seafood dinners—Martin points out to Gern that neither the latter's marriage certificate nor his money mean anything any more. Evelyn feels attracted to the lawyer, who eventually tells her husband what he really thinks of him ("The way you made your money stank. […] And furthermore, Harold, you stink."). After a short fistfight Martin pretends to be leaving the couple but at the last moment Evelyn hops into the car, and the two lovers drive off. Harold hotwires the other car and follows them. At the harbour another fight between the two men ensues during which Martin is fatally injured. The two survivors are left wondering where they will go or what they will do now.
, and several DVD editions exist, including one by Alpha Video
. Most are copies of black and white 16mm prints struck for television but a faded colour print is carried by the Internet Archive
. The Retromedia release is transferred from a color-corrected 35 mm print. This was released on DVD through Image Entertainment
, featuring introductions by Corman, with commentary tracks by Jones-Moreland and Carbone. The release also features the other two entries in Corman's "Puerto Rico
Trilogy" -- Creature from the Haunted Sea
and Battle of Blood Island
-- films shot back to back with Last Woman.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science-fiction film produced and directed by Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
. It tells the story of three survivors of a mysterious apocalypse
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
which appears to have wiped out all human life on earth. The screenplay is by Robert Towne
Robert Towne
Robert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:...
, who also appears in the film billed as "Edward Wain". The music was composed and conducted by Ronald Stein
Ronald Stein
Ronald Stein was an American film composer.-Biography:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Stein wrote scores for numerous low budget horror and exploitation films during the 1950s and 1960s, many of which were released by American International Pictures...
.
Plot
Harold Gern (Antony CarboneAntony Carbone
Antony Carbone is an American film and television actor.His family moved to Syracuse, New York when he was a young boy, then relocated to Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Los Angeles State College, he moved to New York City to study drama with Harold Clurman and Eva Le Galliene...
), a successful businessman from New York who has been in a lot of legal trouble recently, is spending a holiday in Puerto Rico with his attractive wife Evelyn (Betsy Jones-Moreland
Betsy Jones-Moreland
Betsy Jones-Moreland was an American actress.She was born as Mary Elizabeth Jones in Brooklyn, New York, and began her career in small roles in the mid-1950s, appearing in several Roger Corman films, including a lead role in Last Woman on Earth...
), whom he married "between trials". They are joined by Martin Joyce (Edward Wain
Robert Towne
Robert Towne is an American screenwriter and director. His most notable work may be his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski's Chinatown .-Film:...
), Gern's friend and lawyer, who has come to discuss legal matters. Not in the mood to talk business, Gern invites him along on a boat trip during which all three try out some newly bought scuba diving equipment. When they resurface they realize to their astonishment that they are unable to breathe without using their oxygen tanks. They climb back into their boat and find Manuel, their servant, dead on board—asphyxiated.
Unable to start the engine, they row ashore. With 40 minutes worth of oxygen left they enter the jungle, where, due to the plants giving off oxygen, they can soon breathe normally again (and light a cigarette to calm their nerves).
Gradually it dawns upon the three that they might be the only survivors in the area, maybe in the world. They briefly speculate on what has happened ("an act of God … or bigger and better bombs") but try to "keep that kind of talk to a minimum" and mainly concern themselves with becoming self-sufficient, for example by moving to a villa near the beach. The two men teach themselves how to fish—as only animals that live in the water have survived—but when they see insects again they realize that they must have survived inside their eggs. Accordingly, they feel that in the long run they will have to move North to a colder climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
—to avoid an insect problem and also problems with food preservation and to increase their chances of meeting other survivors.
Very soon the Gerns and Martin Joyce can no longer cope with the triangular
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
situation. Although they still keep up appearances—Evelyn is still wearing jewelry, and Harold Gern, a tie for their seafood dinners—Martin points out to Gern that neither the latter's marriage certificate nor his money mean anything any more. Evelyn feels attracted to the lawyer, who eventually tells her husband what he really thinks of him ("The way you made your money stank. […] And furthermore, Harold, you stink."). After a short fistfight Martin pretends to be leaving the couple but at the last moment Evelyn hops into the car, and the two lovers drive off. Harold hotwires the other car and follows them. At the harbour another fight between the two men ensues during which Martin is fatally injured. The two survivors are left wondering where they will go or what they will do now.
Home video availability
The film is in the public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, and several DVD editions exist, including one by Alpha Video
Alpha Video
Alpha Video is an entertainment company, based near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of public domain movies and TV shows on DVD...
. Most are copies of black and white 16mm prints struck for television but a faded colour print is carried by the Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
. The Retromedia release is transferred from a color-corrected 35 mm print. This was released on DVD through Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment
Image Entertainment, Inc. is an independent licensee, producer and distributor of home entertainment programming and film & television productions in North America, with approximately 3,000 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 250 exclusive CD titles in domestic release, and approximately 450...
, featuring introductions by Corman, with commentary tracks by Jones-Moreland and Carbone. The release also features the other two entries in Corman's "Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
Trilogy" -- Creature from the Haunted Sea
Creature from the Haunted Sea
Creature from the Haunted Sea is a 1961 Horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a parody of spy, gangster, and monster movies , concerning a secret agent, XK150 , who goes under the code name "Sparks Moran" in order to infiltrate a...
and Battle of Blood Island
Battle of Blood Island
Battle of Blood Island is a 1960 American World War II war film filmed in Puetro Rico. It was directed by Joel Rapp and based on the 1958 short story Expect the Vandals by Philip Roth....
-- films shot back to back with Last Woman.
External links
(from faded colour print) (higher resolution, from higher-quality black-and-white print)- Last Woman on Earth (DVD review)