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:

IF YOU Never See Another Motion Picture In Your Life You Must See ON THE BEACH

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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:

Le dernier rivage

Filming Locations:

Footscray Town Hall, Footscray, 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

Gregory Peck was a lifelong opponent of nuclear weapons, and made On the Beach (1959) for this reason. Peck believed atomic weapons should not have been used during World War II, and the reason for Japan's surrender was the Soviet Union's declaration of war on 9 August 1945 and simultaneous invasion of Manchuria. He also stated there was no need for any invasion of Japan as a naval blockade of the islands would have starved the country into surrender.

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Goofs

When the source of the Morse code is found, the finder sends back a message in Morse code: "Coke bottle on key ~ held by window shade." But back in the sub, the captain rips the paper message from the typewriter before the message is finished and before he knew about the shade and he states: "Window shade tugging on a Coke bottle."

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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

Referenced in Hancock's Half Hour: Sid in Love (1960)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Perfectly paced and well acted, it keeps melodrama minimised

In an era (1959) and on a topic (nuclear war) that usually demands melodrama, "On the Beach" resists. In fact, the all-star principal cast and director Stanley Kramer seem to treat the topic as a stage play, focussing on the individual. And that is how such a story should be treated. Life on the northern hemisphere has been destroyed a defence mistake by one of the (then) two superpowers. Gregory Peck's nuclear-powered submarine was submerged at the time (they stayed under water for a hell of a long time in those days). The sub heads for Melbourne, Australia, which is one of the only places in the world not yet affected by radiation. But the radiation will come, and this is where the truth of the piece comes out.

The inhabitants of 'the end of the world' go through what you would expect: denial, anger, clinging to the thinnest hope, and finally, resignation. As I said at the start, this is clearly a story about the individual. Kramer knows this, and the cast of Ava Gardner, Tony Perkins, John Meillon and Fred Astaire play it with a reality that is all too rare. Even recent films like Final Impact fail to deliver on this count. The real joy of the film is the pacing, which gives the cast the chance to play it like it should be played. Astaire proves he is an actor, and only once slips into his raised eyebrow 'top hat and tails' mode. It is a well thought out movie without the Hollywood ending, but such is the art of Kramer that the ending is a good resolution, not just a funeral. The camera work is exceptional throughout, starting with the continuous shots in Peck's submarine. I don't know about the Waltzing Matilda music at the start, however. But it does work later in the piece, and makes it worthy of the Academy Award nomination it received.