Here's a synopsis of the movie I think you're referencing. It's on Turner Classic Movies periodically. i saw it just last year. It's actually pretty good if you can get past the fairly dated issue of the Black man actually resisting the white woman in a post-apocalyptic world...
********************* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World%2C_the_Flesh_and_the_Devil The World, The Flesh and the Devil is a 1959 science fiction doomsday film written and directed by Ranald MacDougall. The star is Harry Belafonte, who was then at the peak of his film career. Using a science fiction premise about the end of the world to explore matters of race, the movie is based in part on two sources: the novel The Purple Cloud by M. P. Shiel and the story "End of the World" by Ferdinand Reyher. African-American Ralph Burton (Harry Belafonte) becomes trapped underground in a cave-in while inspecting a mine in Pennsylvania. He can hear rescuers digging towards him, but after a few days they slow down and then stop completely. Alarmed, he digs his own way out. Reaching the surface, he finds a deserted world. Some discarded newspapers provide an explanation: one proclaims "UN Retaliates For Use Of Atomic Poison", another bears the headline "Millions Flee From Cities! End Of The World". Apparently everybody on Earth has been killed in a war; Ralph later plays tapes at a radio station that indicate that a dust of radioactive isotopes that becomes harmless after five days was used as a weapon. Travelling to New York City in search of other survivors, he finds the city vacant. (Although the bridge into New York is jammed with abandoned cars, no bodies are ever seen.) Ralph busies himself restoring power to a building where he takes up residence. Just as the loneliness starts to become intolerable, he encounters a second survivor: Sarah Crandall (Inger Stevens), a white woman in her twenties. The two become fast friends, but Ralph grows distant when it becomes clear that Sarah is developing stronger feelings for him. Despite living in a post-apocalyptic world, he can't overcome the issue of race that pervaded society before the disaster. Ralph regularly broadcasts on the radio, listening for other people. One day, he receives a signal from Europe, further strengthening his inhibitions. Things become vastly more complicated when an ill Benson Thacker (Mel Ferrer) arrives by boat. Ralph and Sarah nurse him back to health, but once he recovers, the white man sets his sights on Sarah and sees Ralph as a rival. Ralph is torn by conflicting emotions. He avoids Sarah as much as possible, to give Ben every opportunity to win her affections, but he can't quite bring himself to leave the city. And as long as Ralph remains nearby, Ben realizes he has little chance with Sarah. Ben finally grows tired of the whole situation. He warns Ralph that the next time he sees him, he will try to kill him. The two armed men hunt each other through the empty streets. Finally, Ralph passes by a monument, on which is engraved the biblical quotation: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares. And their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war any more." He throws down his rifle and goes unarmed to confront Ben, who in turn finds himself unable to shoot his foe. Defeated, he starts walking away. Sarah appears. When Ralph starts to turn away from her, she makes him take her hand; then she calls to Ben and gives him her other hand. Together, the three walk down the street, to build a new future together. The film ends, not with "The End", but with "The Beginning". -------------- Original message -------------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Keith Johnson) Harry Belafonte was in another movie "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil". In it, he's a miner trapped in a cave in Pennysylvania, who escapes after several days underground. No one's left alive. He travels to NYC to find it a literal ghost town (no bodies, just no people). Far as he can tell, he's the only survivor. Later he finds a white lady who survived, and they become friends. There's all sorts of issues of the white lady falling in love with Belafonte, but he can't bring himself to cross the color barrier, having been subjected to so many years of racist society he just can't bring himself to really trust the lady. and then when you think he *might* kinda sorta think about it, another survivor-a white guy-- shows up to become a rival. Belafonte moves aside to let the white folk get together, but the lady's in love with him, and in time, the white man decides to kill Belafonte's character. But in the end the Brother realizes violence isn' t the way, and his example makes t he white guy also regret his actions. The ending sucks: they literally walk away all friendly and stuff, with no clear understanding of which man won the lady's heart. She wants the black man, the white guy was ready to kill same for the lady, but the Brother is better than that. Hence, the "they lived happily ever after" ending. The idea is that in the end race doesn't matter, that good and evil, violence, etc., exist in all of us. Which, if you think about it--two men, one woman--could conjure up all sorts of freaky future scenarios! -------------- Original message -------------- From: Astromancer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I have a question: Was Harry Belafonte in the 1964 version? If not, there's possibly a fifth version of that story floating around... Martin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I have, Keith. It was on TCM during Hallowe'en week. Not bad, really, but I didn't see it from the start, so I came out thrown by the ending. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'll check it out because i'm a sucker for scifi films. Tired of Will Smith getting so many "blockbuster" roles, but won't keep me from seeing it. I'm curious as to how it will compare to Charleton Heston's "The Omega Man", which I enjoyed. I'm *really* curious to see if, given modern studios' desires to give the people what they want, and Will Smith's popularity, the movie will end the same way as the book and the previous two movies? Speaking of movies, i've never seen the Vincent Price version , "The Last Man on Earth". I found a quick synopsis below. Evidently book author Matheson didn't like this one. Anyone ever seen it? *********************** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Man_on_Earth_%281964_film%29 The Last Man on Earth (originally titled L'Ultimo uomo della Terra) is a 1964 film based upon the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend. The film was directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, and starred Vincent Price. The script was written in part by Matheson, but he was dissatisfied with the result and was therefore credited as "Logan Swanson". William Leicester, Furio M. Monetti, and Ubaldo Ragona were the other writers. It was originally filmed in Italy, and was later released theatrically in the United States by American International Pictures in. It has since fallen into the public domain. MGM Home Video, the current own ers of the AIP film catalog released a digitally remastered widescreen print in September 2005. -------------- Original message -------------- From: "Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > I'm a big fans of the old versions of Omega Man and I am Legend. Anyone > interested in seeing the Will Smith version? > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] "There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia." -Kurt Vonnegut, "A Man Without A Country" --------------------------------- Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] "Lets just sayi ng you know more than you think, but were not going to help you figure it out." - The Side Street Chonicles by C.W. Badie --------------------------------- Be a better pen pal. Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
