The Omega Man free essay sample

The Omega Man is a film that appeals to the social conscience of its viewer. Charlton Heston plays Army Colonel Robert Neville, a scientist, living in post-World War III Los Angeles. Neville finds himself the last man on earth after taking a experimental vaccine for the disease that wiped out humanity a few years before. Those who are left are infected and have bound together as â€Å"The Family†, inspired by the real life events of Charles Manson and his ‘Family’. Members of this group who are living with the effects of the biological warfare, believe that the problems of humanity were caused by the sciences they developed not the socio-political mistakes that caused this world war between China and the Soviet Union. They view Neville as a symbol of that time, a â€Å"refuse of the past† and want him â€Å"discarded† (Matthias – film). As Neville constantly fights for his survival he find he is not the last man on earth. We will write a custom essay sample on The Omega Man or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He comes across a black woman named Lisa, played by Rosalind Cash, and finds that there are a handful of children and a young medical student, who while infected, have not yet turned like the albino disillusioned â€Å"Family† members; they still look human. He uses his blood to try and save those that are left and falling in love in the process. While both the book and film main focus is on post war apocalyptic America, a subplot of the film is its racial undertones. Matthias: One creature, caught. Caught in a place he cannot stir from in the dark, alone, outnumbered hundreds to one, nothing to live for but his memories, nothing to live with but his gadgets, his cars, his guns, gimmicks and yet the whole family cant bring him down from that, that Zachary: Honky paradise, brother? Matthias: Forget the old ways, brother, all the old hatreds. (film) With â€Å"I am Legend† being influenced by its era of McCarthyism and Matheson’s involvement as a soldier in World War II, â€Å"The Omega Man† shows its influence of the early 1970’s. The film released in 1971 was coming off the high created by ‘vietnamization’, the death of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Black Panther Movement. Ironically Charlton Heston marched with Dr. King during a time when many in Hollywood ignored the political issues and hid behind the celluloid. Heston spoke avidly against racism of all people and not just minorities as well used his influence to further the involvement of black actors in Hollywood. Heston demanded that his female lead, Lisa, be played by stage actress Rosalind Cash after seeing her first silver screen role in â€Å"Klute† (IMDB). The role of Lisa, the re-imagined Ruth from the book, reflects the more ‘militant’ role many black characters portrayed in the films of that day. Although Lisa can be superficially categorized as a blaxploitation type, her character can also â€Å"tap into women empowerment† and not just the civil rights movement (Midnight). The relationship that they portrayed in the movie raised a few eyebrows during a time when Heston was known as Moses and Cash was just a beautiful black woman. Lisa: [drawing blood from Neville for a vaccine] Will one bottle be enough? Neville: Its genuine 160-proof old Anglo-Saxon baby. film) There is a scene where Lisa asks Neville what he is thinking. Neville responds with, â€Å"Well you know the old song, If you were the only girl in the world and I were the only boy, okay, but until then dont bother me? I guess Im the only boy. Neville admits with that statement if this apocalypse had not have happened they would not be in this situat ion. This seemed like a silent acknowledgement of the fact that at that time in 1971, race relations had come a long way, creating a generation gap of sorts, but not long enough to fully accept interracial coupling. To this day you see very little black/white interracial or any combination of interracial relationships in Hollywood. After that rather cheesy attempt seduction in the film, it is obvious that Heston and Cash’s characters progressed into a sexual relationship. Heston claims it is the first on the silver screen, which is debatable considering the movie â€Å"Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner†, but it showed a nude Rosalind Cash standing at window in broad daylight. I am sure that was the first look at not only a naked woman but a statuesque black woman for many men of that time. Though Matheson has stated he didn’t like â€Å"The Omega Man†, it is now a cult classic in the science fiction genre. Matheson has also stated that this is book is simply meant to be a book about a lone man surviving in a world full of vampires, inspired by his first viewing of â€Å"Dracula† as a child. Matheson cannot deny how his 1954 novel can spawn a film such as â€Å"The Omega Man† and be interpreted as a body of work that is â€Å"coded implication or overt symbolism, the association of the implosion of racial boundaries with dystopian and apocalyptic visions of the future.