On the Beach (1959)

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

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

John Paxton (screenplay), Nevil Shute (novel)

Stars:

Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gregory Peck	...	Cmdr. Dwight Lionel Towers, USS Sawfish
Ava Gardner	...	Moira Davidson
Fred Astaire	...	Julian Osborne
Anthony Perkins	...	Lt. Peter Holmes - Royal Australian Navy
Donna Anderson	...	Mary Holmes
John Tate	...	Adm. Bridie
Harp McGuire	...	Lt. Sunderstrom (ashore in San Diego)
Lola Brooks	...	Lt. Hosgood (Bridie's secretary)
Ken Wayne	...	Lt. Benson
Guy Doleman	...	Lt. Cmdr. Farrel
Richard Meikle	...	Davis
John Meillon	...	Ralph Swain (ashore in San Francisco)
Joe McCormick	...	Ackerman (radiation sickness)
Lou Vernon	...	Bill Davidson (Moira's father)
Kevin Brennan	...	Dr. King (radiation diagnosis)

Storyline

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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Plot Keywords:

australia | submarine | nuclear fallout | radiation | nuclear war | 

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Taglines:

The biggest story of our time !

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

La hora final

Filming Locations:

Canadian Bay, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$2,900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is rumored that guards at each end of the Golden Gate Bridge were paid $500 each to stop cars for a minute to get footage of an empty bridge.

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Goofs

Phillip Island Grand Prix. The crash of car no. 31 (Roadster). He spins sidewards, the front wheels clearly point to the left. The set-up for the stunt crash presents the car with front wheels pointing to the right, the driver (dummy) slumped to the left, while the left side is already on fire. Possibly a cable to trigger an explosive device is covered over with a very dark, therefore clearly visible, strip of asphalt.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dwight Towers: Prepare to surface.

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Crazy Credits

and Introducing Donna Anderson

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Watchmen/Shuttle/12 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Stand up Stand Up for Jesus
(uncredited)
Words by George Duffield Jr.
Music by George J. Webb

User Reviews

We are all on that beach, on the thin line between life and death.

And the essence of our lives is expressed in the way we treat each other under the implacable threat of imminent mortality. As Ava Gardner's character says, at the penultimate moment of love's farewell, "It's been nice, Dwight Lionel. It's been everything." And what she says on her beach is true for every last one of us, on ours.

The primary power of this great movie to me is how well it conveys the idea that for us, on this beach, love and tender kindness are all that matter in the end, and the end is always near. The sheer kindness that Ava and Gregory's characters express for each other is surely the key element of their triumphant relationship.

The moment in which their relationship most completely triumphs, of course, occurs at the Narbethong Hotel. "On The Beach" achieves a cinematic moment of genius when the chorus singing "Waltzing Matilda" changes from a rowdy crowd of drunks to a magnificently harmonious group of fine male voices. As the sheer beauty of the music overwhelms us, it also overwhelms our characters, and we all unite together in a sublime moment of awareness that true love and kindness give us our only victory over imminent death. "You'll never take me alive," says the ghost.

The way Gregory Peck's character shifts from fumbling with the fire to turning toward Ava as the music inspires transcendence, and the way Ava smiles at him, make this scene unforgettably great.

Nearly as wonderful is the scene in which Ava's character learns that the Sawfish will be leaving, with her captain at the helm. She will have to face her death alone. She doesn't waste a moment in argument or recrimination, but expresses the fullness of her love for him and her great courage when she accepts his decision and thanks him: "..it's been everything." And then: "oh, I'm so frightened." This moment is one that I take to heart. It shows the love and courage I wish to have "when the time comes."

There is still time, brothers and sisters. But we are all on the beach.