On The Beach

• Genre: PostApoc
• Release Year: 1959
• Director: Stanley Kramer
• Writer: Nevil Shute, J Paxton, J L Bar
• Running Time: 134 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Reviewed by: ZombieBait on Mon 28 Jan 08

Official Blurb:
In this 1959 doomsday classic, a U.S. submarine led by Capt. Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck) surfaces near Melbourne, where the passengers learn that nuclear war has wiped out most of humanity. And it won't be long before radiation kills the Australians as well. The tense drama features standout performances by Peck, Ava Gardner as Towers's lover, Fred Astaire as a guilt-wracked scientist and Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson as newlyweds.

Review:
From the beginning of the movie, everyone knows they are doomed. It is revealed to the viewer through the film that the cold war became a hot war and everyone nuked each other to bits, leaving Australia to count the five months until the radiation reached it as well. The movie does a good job of getting a variety of reactions - a newly wed couple with a baby that won't have a chance to grow up, a woman who is afraid of dying without ever having been really loved, a guilt ridden scientist who helped create the bombs, a navy officer who can't admit to himself that he outlived his family when he was supposed to be the one living a dangerous life. We also get snap shots of others, like the porter who continues his duties or the old men who feel it is their responsibility to enjoy the remaining four hundred bottles of port.

The military only seems to be going on as usual because they are attempting to find life, and hope, elsewhere on the planet. When they hear what sounds like Morse code coming from California, an expedition in mounted by submarine to investigate. It turns out that the lights are on but no one is home, literally, when they discover a hydroelectric plant. The gibberish code turned out to just be the wind moving some debris on the equipment.

Everyone else is simply enjoying themselves, always thinking of but never talking about what is to come. Everyone is courteous and orderly. After all, there is no point in rioting and looting. Money doesn't mean anything so everyone pretty much gets what they want. Even the guilt-racked scientist gets a few moments of happiness when he is able to live his dream of racing a Ferrari. With a few exceptions, everyone manages to appear happy until the first cases of radiation poisoning arise. Then the sounds of laughter and drunken debauchery are drowned out by the quiet shuffling of feet as people line up to get their suicide pills. In the end there is only silence - and jarring music.

What I liked:
- No happy ending.
- The variety of perspectives we get without losing the cohesiveness of the overall story.
- I think this is how people would react in real life given the same apocalyptic circumstances.


What I didn't like:
- The music would sometimes be very jarring and break the mood, especially at the end. It would have been better without any music at all in the final scene.
- Little to no Australian accents in Australia

Rating:

Final Scoring:

Personal Recommendation:

Availablity:
  Netflix     Amazon  

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