On the Beach
1959 · Movie · 134 min · ★ 6.7 · 67% critics
After a global nuclear war, a community in Australia tries to keep daily life going as deadly fallout slowly approaches. A visiting submarine crew and the locals face grief, denial, and hard choices, searching for connection and meaning while time runs out.
Based on On the Beach
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Details
- Years
- 1959
- Release date
- 1959-12-17
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Max quality
- SD
- Critic score
- 67/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (238 votes)
- Box office
- $11,000,000
- Budget
- $2,900,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a quiet, character-focused apocalypse story about grief and acceptance rather than action, similar to The Day After or Testament; Not for you if you need fast pacing or hopeful escapism.
Pros: haunting normalcy; strong performances; thoughtful anti-war message | Cons: very slow pace; talky, soap-like moments; repetitive music
Themes
- australia
- based on novel or book
- nuclear war
- submarine
- san francisco, california
- dystopia
- post-apocalyptic future
- nuclear radiation
- end of the world
- melbourne, australia
- nuclear holocaust
- black and white
- +1 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1960 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Dramatic or Comedy Score · 1960 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Film Promoting International Understanding · 1960 · nominated
Cast & crew
Gregory Peck
as Dwight Towers
Ava Gardner
as Moira Davidson
Fred Astaire
as Julian Osborn
Anthony Perkins
as Lt. Peter Holmes
Donna Anderson
as Mary Holmes
Guy Doleman
as Lt. Cmdr. Farrel
John Meillon
as Ralph Swain
Harp McGuire
as Lt. Sunderstrom
Lola Brooks
as Lt. Hosgood
Ken Wayne
as Lt. Benson
Directed by Stanley Kramer