ON THE BEACH -- Stanley Kramer, dir

©1959
studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
production company: Lomitas Productions Inc.
dir: Stanley Kramer
cast: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, Donna Anderson
screenplay: John Paxton
based on a novel by Nevil Shute


The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months.

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I quite enjoyed thi smovie. Much of it was very powerful and certain scenes still stick with me (for instance, I just loved the moment when the captain of the sub (Peck) lets each man take a look through the periscope at the devasted shoreline of San Francisco. Instead of any kind of commentary or even sighs or gasps from each man, we simply see each snap the handles to the periscope closed and then walk away, very stone-faced. It's a strong moment and works better than any dialog could have.

From time to time I wondered why this all-star cast movie wasn't more popular, but I think that there are a number of reasons that it's not a viewer favorite. First, it has a terribly depressing ending -- the end of all life on the earth. Hard to walk out of a movie theatre with that on your mind.

A secondly, it is a tad too long. There were too many sub-plots and some of the scenes just ran too long. The story-line of Anthony Perkins looking for a special pill for his wife and baby to take in order to die quickly, was too extended, and of course has a false resolution of him returning home to them (even though they will all be dead in a matter of months).

A good movie, well put together, worth watching, but could using some trimming.