On the Beach
"The Biggest Story of Our Time!"
In 1964, atomic war wipes out humanity in the northern hemisphere; one American submarine finds temporary safe haven in Australia, where life-as-usual covers growing despair. In denial about the loss of his wife and children in the holocaust, American Captain Towers meets careworn but gorgeous Moira Davidson, who begins to fall for him. The sub returns after reconnaissance a month (or less) before the end; will Towers and Moira find comfort with each other?
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John Chard
Like watching paint dry. Stanley Kramer and John Paxton adapt from Nevil Shute's novel. Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson star, with music by Ernest Gold and cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno. After a global nuclear war, the inhabitants of Australia realise that the radiation clouds are heading their way. A group of people try to come to terms with this fact. A well regarded film by the critics, and lauded by the makers at the time as an important and potent piece of cinema, On the Beach is still a film that's not for everyone. The star appeal holds weight, though much of the narrative is tired and weary, trite and cheesy. In fact Shute himself was less than happy with what Kramer made of his literary source, the director in his element with a message movie. If it was Kramer's intent to make the viewers also feel like what it's like waiting for death? Then he achieved it, while Gold's overuse of Waltzing Matilda in his musical score also ends up boring the senses. 4/10
Frank
Well acted story with an obvious anti-war theme, written during the cold war provided an interesting portrayal of how different people may react facing impending doom. Fearful, Angry, Fatalistic. It developed feelings for the characters as they dealt with the situation each in their own way. Overall, at the end, there was a sadness that prevailed and led one to contemplate the possibility of this occurring. That is the success of the film and the book that inspired it, to create an atmosphere against nuclear war. I saw this film in the 1960's and enjoyed it immensely and read the book because of it. Watching it again as an adult I understood it with a different point of view and enjoyed it more. for what it is worth, I would recommend this film highly, not only for the great story, but also to enjoy the performance of truly talented professionals.
