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On the Beach (1959)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
17 December 1959 (USA)
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Plot:
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. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 3 wins
&
6 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Eric Roberts: The Hollywood Interview
(From The Hollywood Interview. 2 November 2009, 10:23 AM, PST)
He’s Not Coming Back: Point Break 2 Stays On The Beach
(From FilmShaft.com. 10 September 2009, 10:05 AM, PDT)
(From The Hollywood Interview. 2 November 2009, 10:23 AM, PST)
He’s Not Coming Back: Point Break 2 Stays On The Beach
(From FilmShaft.com. 10 September 2009, 10:05 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
We are all on that beach, on the thin line between life and death.
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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. Cmdr. 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) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
134 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Germany:16 |
UK:PG |
USA:Approved (PCA #19372) |
Canada:PG (video rating) |
Norway:16 |
Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to Philip R. Davey, author of the book "When Hollywood Came to Melbourne: The Story of the Making of Stanley Kramer's 'On The Beach'", director Stanley Kramer experienced many problems with the thousands of bathers who stood in shoulder-deep water to watch the proceedings, and who applauded the cast after each take. Their enthusiasm was gratifying in this respect if not in others, such as when thousands of people began crowding forward to get a closer look at Ava Gardner, they repeatedly moved into camera range, thus necessitating many frustrating retakes.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Moira picks up Dwight at the railroad station, she refers to her horse as a "mare". But as Dwight backs the horse up, he calls it "boy".
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Unit: Sub-Conscious (#2.13)" (2007)
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Soundtrack:
Waltzing Matilda
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (122 total)
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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.