Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:10 AM

On The Beach

One of the best movies I've ever seen. Particularly apt at this moment. Best performances I've ever seen, from every one of the all-star cast.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Beach_(1959_film)

On the Beach is a 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama film from United Artists, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, that stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins. This black-and-white film is based on Nevil Shute's 1957 novel of the same name depicting the aftermath of a nuclear war. Unlike in the novel, no one is assigned blame for starting the war; the film hints that global annihilation may have arisen from an accident or misjudgment.

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8 replies	Author	Time	Post
On The Beach (Original post)	lagomorph777	Mar 2020	OP
That story has been on my mind. I saw the more recent version,	Sugar Smack	Mar 2020	#1
Look up the original. It's stunning.	lagomorph777	Mar 2020	#2
Re-read it a while back	peacefreak2.0	Mar 2020	#3
I definitely will. Thanks!	Sugar Smack	Mar 2020	#4
Amazing movie	TreadSoftly	Mar 2020	#5
As a teen, I read the novel and was taken by its descripton of people facing their fates.	John1956PA	Mar 2020	#6
The movie was great. The novel was astonishing.	Aristus	Mar 2020	#7
I saw it at the movies	PlanetBev	Mar 2020	#8

Response to lagomorph777 (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:13 AM

Sugar Smack (18,748 posts)

1. That story has been on my mind. I saw the more recent version,

with Rachel Ward in it. I forgot how long it was, but I remember feeling socked in the gut by it.

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Response to Sugar Smack (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:15 AM

lagomorph777 (27,527 posts)

2. Look up the original. It's stunning.

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Response to lagomorph777 (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:21 AM

peacefreak2.0 (672 posts)

3. Re-read it a while back

Still powerful, but so sexist. Good read.

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Response to lagomorph777 (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:21 AM

Sugar Smack (18,748 posts)

4. I definitely will. Thanks!

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Response to lagomorph777 (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 09:22 AM

TreadSoftly (217 posts)

5. Amazing movie

There are many memorable scenes in that old movie which I won't spoil. Sobering to see Fred Astaire in serious acting and Tony Perkins before he was typecast as Mother.

I had always wondered: using horse-drawn carriages in the beginning: was that typical Australia in 1960's or is that part of the "running out of resources" theme?

Outside of that drama: Ava Gardner said something dismissive about Australia which won her scorn.

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Response to lagomorph777 (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 10:23 AM

John1956PA (1,637 posts)

6. As a teen, I read the novel and was taken by its descripton of people facing their fates.

The scenarios in which the characters found themselves saddened me when I read the book. Over the years, particularly when debates about nuclear arsenals have made the news, I have thought back about the haunting vision which Nevil Shute gave us.

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Response to lagomorph777 (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 10:27 AM

Aristus (57,710 posts)

7. The movie was great. The novel was astonishing.

I cry at sad movies. I rarely cry reading sad novels, but this was one time in which I did. The end was shattering.

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Response to lagomorph777 (Original post)

Tue Mar 17, 2020, 10:57 AM

PlanetBev (3,438 posts)

8. I saw it at the movies

I was only nine, so I didn’t quite understand it.

Seeing it years later, definitely one of the best and saddest films ever made.

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