On the Beach Summary
Director: Stanley Kramer
Genres: Science Fiction
Rating:
Although there'd been "doomsday dramas" before it, Stanley_Kramer's On the Beach was considered the first "important" entry in this genre when originally released in 1959. Based on the novel by Nevil Shute, the film is set in the future (1964) when virtually all life on earth has been exterminated by the radioactive residue of a nuclear holocaust. Only Australia has been spared, but it's only a matter of time before everyone Down Under also succumbs to radiation poisoning. With only a short time left on earth, the Australian population reacts in different ways: some go on a nonstop binge of revelry, while others eagerly consume the suicide pills being issued by the government. When the possibility arises that rains have washed the atmosphere clean in the Northern hemisphere, a submarine commander (Gregory_Peck) and his men head to San Diego, where faint radio signals have been emanating. The movie's all-star cast includes: Peck as the stalwart sub captain, Ava_Gardner as his emotionally disturbed lover, Fred_Astaire as a guilt-wracked nuclear scientist, and Anthony_Perkins and Donna_Anderson as the "just starting out in life" married couple. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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