On the Beach

Starring: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, Donna Anderson
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Drama
1959

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary: An American submarine captain (Gregory Peck) arrives in Australia after the rest of the world has been demolished by nuclear war. Now, he and the residents of Australia wait as the radiation cloud floats toward the Land Down Under, which will kill them all and completely wipe out the human race.

Review:

Tim: I was pretty excited about seeing this movie- a 1950s anti-war movie about nuclear war destroying the human race. The story is unlikely but fascinating- an unknown event has caused the United States and Soviet Union (among other countries) to destroy itself with its nuclear arsenal. Now, the last inhabitants of Earth are Australians, who have no other options but sit and wait for their eventual doom. I expected an emotional, powerful, unforgettable movie- we are talking about the very end of humanity. And yet, this movie is surprisingly devoid of emotion. I shook this film off way too easily. That is disappointing. Now, I am not suggesting this film venture into melodrama territory, but I wanted a touch

This film, instead of focusing on all the major, scary, unbelievable end-of-the-world ramifications, chooses to focus on a small group of the survivors. Now, typically, these types of movies too often don't focus on the characters, much to their detriment. This movie takes it too far in the opposite direction, though. This is really just a drama with the loosest affiliation with the end of humanity. I wanted to see people deal with the anguish, the guilt, the fear of surviving Armageddon, and waiting their turn to die. The characters here were surprisingly cool and collected.

The cast does make this movie quite good. Gregory Peck is excellent as always. While I wish he had more opportunities to showcase emotion, he is still enjoyable in the role. Ava Gardner is also quite good as well. She gives a complex, brave performance. I enjoyed her performance. I also liked seeing Anthony Perkins and Fred Astaire in smaller roles. Perkins is quite good, and it is remarkable to see Astaire in a dramatic, non-musical role. He proves here that he has some serious acting talent. These four actors all bring a great deal of respect to the film.

Despite my desire for more drama, this film is still quite good. It is undoubtedly an anti-war movie that spoke to a terrifying and realistic possibility (for the late 1950s), that humanity could destroy itself. While that may be easily dismissed today, this was not a far-fetched possibility at the time in which this film was made. That gives this movie a sobering, slightly powerful feel. This is not to say the film is perfect. Director Stanley Kramer does good work by focusing the film on these characters, but his direction behind the camera is not all impressive. The incredibly strange "death race" scene is completely out of place and one of the biggest head-scratching moments of the film. Kramer could have done better here and in other moments throughout the movie.

On the Beach is not a perfect movie, but it is an important, touching movie. It features some of the best of humanity struggling after the worst in us destroys the world. Too few of these movies are made in Hollywood, and despite some flaws, this is a classic film well worth our time.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pork Chop Hill, The Big Country, The Guns of Navarone, To Kill a Mockingbird