Rating: NR
Genre:
Science Fiction
Release Date: 02/29/2000
SubTitles: French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: 1
Run Time: 134 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Not For Children
Distributor/Studio: MGM
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, All Movie Guide
;)
