On the Beach (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Russell Mulcahy

Writers (WGA):

Nevil Shute (novel)
John Paxton (1959 screenplay)

Release Date:

28 May 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Well, the world has finally managed to blow itself up. Only Australia has been spared from nuclear destruction...

Plot Keywords:

Australia | Breeze | Remake | Nuclear War | Fictional War

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Armand Assante	...	Cmdr. Dwight Towers
Rachel Ward	...	Moira Davidson
Bryan Brown	...	Dr. Julian Osborne
Jacqueline McKenzie	...	Mary Davidson Holmes
Grant Bowler	...	Lt. Peter Holmes
Allison Webber	...	Jenny Holmes
Tieghan Webber	...	Jenny Holmes
Steve Bastoni	...	First Officer Neil Hirsch
David Ross Paterson	...	Chief Wawrzeniak (as David Paterson)
Kevin Copeland	...	Sonarman Bobby Swain
Todd MacDonald	...	Radioman Giles
Joe Petruzzi	...	Lt. Tony Garcia
Craig Beamer	...	Crewman Reid
Jonathan Oldham	...	Crewman Parsons
Trent Huen	...	Crewman Samuel Huynh

Runtime:

195 min | 60 min (3 episodes)

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Flinders Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Coote Hayes Productions

Trivia:

The Los Angeles class submarine in this movie uses a "caterpillar" (silent) drive as was used by the Soviet submarine Red October in The Hunt for Red October (1990).

Goofs:

Factual errors: While at Melbourne, sailors departing the submarine are incorrectly shown as giving salutes while wearing civilian clothes.

Quotes:

Moira Davidson: Hey, I'm not blaming you. If it was one of your politicians or your military with their bloody warrior mentality, I would be. "We're protecting your freedom!"
[sarcastically]
Moira Davidson: It really worked...

Movie Connections:

Features Run Silent Run Deep (1958)

Soundtrack:

Into My Arms

Grimly competent

One can't help but compare this to the 1959 version and it stands up pretty well. At least there are Aussies portraying Aussies. Heck, there's even Aussies portraying Americans, some sort of indication of how advanced the Australian film industry has come since those far off days of the original.

I found this tv-movie more watchable than I first suspected it would be. Being Australian and made for tv I knew that there would be a very high romance factor to secure the female half of the viewing audience. And I was not disappointed in this presumption. Love interest was there in spades. True love in the form of the Holmes family, new love between Moira and Captain Towers the US sub commander, lost love between Moira and Professor Osborn (real-life married couple Rachel Ward and Brian Brown), and a more masculine love between Towers and his crew.

The expedition to Alaska to investigate the mysterious message was handled well, as was each aspect in general. From the breakdown of society, to the pathos of seeing the portrayal of the end of humanity. All assisted by clear camera-work, excellent sets, competent acting (in the case of Armand Assante as Towers bordering on the very good) and a competent presentation of the "message" of nuclear doom.

I note in some of the other comments here a technical question about nuclear warheads on the submarine. The most obvious goof I noticed in the movie was that there should have been no need for people to have resorted to horse and pedal power so soon. Australia being self-sufficient in crude oil and possessing refineries. This was probably not the case when Neville Shute wrote the novel in the '50's. That is just one of my own little observations.

All in all a very watchable made for tv movie, even tho it be one that put a downer on the rest of my evening.