IMDb > On the Beach (1959)
On the Beach
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On the Beach (1959) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   4,265 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
John Paxton (screenplay)
Nevil Shute (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for On the Beach on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 December 1959 (USA) more
Genre:
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
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations more
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)

User Comments:
Perfectly paced and well acted, it keeps melodrama minimised more (122 total)

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)
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:
134 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Ava Gardner's first film as a freelance actress after completing her 20 year studio contract where she worked for a weekly salary and didn't benefit financially from being loaned to other studios. She was now free to choose her roles and negotiate her salary. more
Goofs:
Plot holes: In the film, only Australia is said to still support human life after the atomic war: a nearly impossible scenario, but very definitely stated. Yet when Peter, at the beach, asks the doctor for help in getting the suicide pills, he mentions that they already have them at "Moresby and Darwin". Port Moresby is in New Guinea; therefore, if life exists only in Australia, the issue of suicide pills should never have arisen in that town. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Dwight Towers: Prepare to surface.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Waltzing Matilda more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
36 out of 41 people found the following comment useful.
Perfectly paced and well acted, it keeps melodrama minimised, 4 May 2000
10/10
Author: Phil Kafcaloudes from Melbourne, Australia

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.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Beautiful Ava Gardner at the end of the movie laxlon
What's up with 'pneumonia' to the stars RABerg66
'Waltzing Matilda' dangerlaef
One of the most depressing films ever! vawlkee_2000
Unrealistic susabery
donna anderson = wow nova094
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