On The Beach

Starring: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, et al.

Product Description

The war is over. Nobody won. Only the inhabitants of Australia and the men of the U.S, submarine Sawfish have escaped the nuclear destruction and radiation. Captain Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck) takes the Sawfish on a mission to see if an approaching radiation cloud has weakened, but returns with grim news: the cloud is lethal. With the days and hours dwindling, each person confronts the grim situation in his or her own way. One (Fred Astaire) realizes a lifetime Grand Prix ambition; another (Ava Gardner) reaches out for a chance at love. The final chapter of human history is coming to a close... From acclaimed director Stanley Kramer (Judgment at Nuremberg) and screenwriter John Paxton (Crossfire), comes this spectacular movie landmark - a film masterpiece with a message that will resonate as long as the world has the power to self-destruct at its own fingertips. Co-starring Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson. Nominated for 2 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, and Best Score (Ernest Gold).

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 027616837226
• Release Date: March 2002
• Rating: Not Rated
• Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
• Director: Stanley Kramer
• Starring: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, Donna Anderson, John Tate, Lola Brooks, John Meillon, Lou Vernon, Guy Doleman
• Runtime: 2 hours, 15 minutes
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Still holds up

The book that this movie is based on was written during the Cold War era. Some characters are predictable or are portrayed as such, so we can see how different people face or do not face the inevitable. Even those characters that change easily through some sort of epiphany can be predictable. The basic story in the book is that Albania sends a plan with a major country's markings, and we retaliate. In the movie, they changed it to a hotshot getting trigger-happy with a weapon that could only cause assured destruction. However, the book is not a pacifist (do not build bombs) story. It could be speculative fiction or just speculative. Again, the book On the Beach, as with most books, is more complete in the characterization and description of the story. One of the people is a cross of characters. The captain, Dwight Towers, is well-trained and loyal to the U.S. to the end. He takes the sub out to international waters, as Australia is an ally, but it is not the U.S. Moira Davidson realizes that Dwight is married and helps him buy a pogo stick for the kid. She also decides to make something of herself by going to secretarial school. Others plan for next year. The movie On the Beach (1959) stays fairly loyal to the feel, with a few minor changes. Some of the changes were necessary due to the difference in media. However, others were a little distracting. They used major stars that overshadowed the character that they were playing. Ava Gardner was just a tad old for the part of Moira Davidson. However, the movie still lets the characters be real and predictable. Such as Dwight Towers, loyal to the U.S., takes his crew back to the US (not quite the book, but still loyal to this command). It is worth re-watching. But definitely read the book. They remade the movie. TV Movie 2000. The remake is not worth watching.