Lower Decks

Last week I wrote about Panic in Year Zero!, a 1962 film about a family struggling to survive after the world is devastated by nuclear war. Tonight I’ll be reviewing Last Woman on Earth, produced and directed by Roger Corman and released in 1960. Like Panic in Year Zero!, Corman’s Last Woman on Earth deals with the problem of living in a post-apocalyptic world. But the two movies are very different.

I watched Last Woman on Earth at the Internet Archive. The copy I viewed was a black and white print. I learned after finishing the movie that there is also a faded color print available. I’m not sure if seeing it in color would have made much of a difference. I enjoyed the movie and I think it may have benefited from being in black and white.

Last Woman on Earth

Last Woman on Earth

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We’re introducing a new weekly feature here at Lower Decks, the Sunday Movie Review. Our first installment is the 1962 post-apocalyptic thriller Panic in Year Zero! starring Ray Milland, Jean Hagen, Frankie Avalon and Mary Mitchel. Long before Jericho enthralled a small but vocal fan base, movies like this one were playing on Cold Wars fears.

Panic in Year Zero!

I watched Panic in Year Zero! for free online at Fancast.com. I find Fancast’s video play frustrating due to its use of interlacing, which results in a blocky mess. But it was an intriguing concept and the movie had solid acting. And Frankie Avalon played wonderfully against type (or rather the type he would later be known for).

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