Next up is On the Beach. Made in 1959, it is one of my all time favorites. And it has taken on new
relevance due to the recent blockbuster Oppenheimer.
No, On the Beach is not about college kids in Fort Lauderdale. It's about how atomic war wipes out humanity. First, in the Northern Hemisphere.
And it's a terrific love story with a great cast, despite the fact that every single person in the world dies.
Trust me.
Gregory Peck plays his Atticus Finch part, only as a submarine captain in Australia, whose wife and children have died in the U.S. We knew this because, and I remind you, when the movie opens every person in the Northern Hemisphere is dead. Peck struggles with his emotions and falls in love, but continues to follow his moral code to the end.
Ava Gardner plays an Australian who's a bit of a floozy (as she did in many rolls) but is truly in love with Peck.
Anthony Perkins does his Anthony Perkins thing. He's very sad, especially when he has to convince his wife, along with their baby, to take her suicide pills.
Fred Astaire is in a surprise roll. In real life he was 60 years old when he made the film. He looks older. No dancing. He plays a cynical scientist who knows the score about what's happened in the Northern Hemisphere and what will soon happen in the Southern Hemisphere. I loved him in this part.
If you watch On the Beach, don't be put off by the song Waltzing Matilda. Just go with it....because it's played in the background throughout the entire film. Honestly, it's a feel good movie.
Trust me.
I saw On the Beach on YouTube for free.
***
