Originally aired as a t.v. miniseries, this remake of ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute is tiresome and tedious. The leads (Armand Assante, Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown) are outacted by relative unknowns Grant Bowler and Jacqueline Mackenzie, who play the Australian couple trying to maintain optimism in a world that looks bleak. The movie ultimately becomes a dull love story focusing on an alcoholic woman (Ward) and her involvement with submarine admiral (Assante). She also has a past with scientist Brown. The movie also ends quite abruptly and without any real resolution; a bummer in my book.
Excellent Remake - Riviting!!!!
I read Nevil Shute's book ages ago and have seen the Greogory Peck/Ava Gardner film many times - I think this re-make holds up better. I LOVED the fact that Mary Holmes was a fully-fleshed out character (much thanks and gratitude to the talents of Jacqueline McKenzie). Outstanding acting from Rachael Ward and Bryan Brown. Loved that they took the two characters beyond just the "town drunks" - quote from the first film. Would I recommend it - absolbloodylutely. Go Oz!!! (Melbourne, AU is beautiful, by the way - the farm overlooking the sea is breathtaking - don't suppose it could be rented, could it ;-)
Chilling till the end
Excellent portrayal of Nevil Shute's sci-fi novel "On The Beach". It views as unsettling as my first read in the 1960's ... great acting, intelligent dialogue, startling scenery and thought provoking `what-if' scenario about Mankind's nuclear self-destruction ... chilling till the last minute ... a must see, till the end ...
Stanley Kramer's 1959 antiwar movie looks like everything Kramer did: subtle as a car wreck but undeniably affecting. Gregory Peck plays a submarine commander looking for survivors in Australia after a nuclear holocaust. Ava Gardner is among them and, somewhat improbably under the circumstances, becomes his love interest. Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins are among the characters awaiting death from the gradual spread of radiation from the north. One might scoff at Kramer's implicit finger-wagging about nuclear politics in this mad, mad, mad, mad world, but it is hard to stop watching this compelling drama all the same. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gregory Peck - Ava Gardner - Fred Astaire Director(s): Stanley Kramer DVD Release Date: Released the 15 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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There seemed to be a particular spike in nuclear-war paranoia in the early 1980s, probably having to do Reagan's finger being on the trigger. Whatever the cause, it resulted in two particularly powerful 1983 films on the subject: the made-for-TV The Day After and Lynne Littman's Testament, which had a theatrical release before playing on PBS's American Playhouse. Starring Jane Alexander (and Kevin Costner in a cameo), the film shows what happens to a suburban family in the Pacific Northwest after a nearby nuclear attack. As it turns out, those killed by the initial blast are the lucky ones; Alexander and her family must suffer through radiation poisoning and sickness, the daily diminution of life this causes, and, for Alexander, the eventual deaths of those around... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jane Alexander - William Devane - Rossie Harris - Roxana Zal Director(s): Lynne Littman DVD Release Date: Released the 07 December 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Dramas based upon the cold war have a long history stretching back to the 50s. Most of the good ones were from early in the era. This one comes from near the end but it is a surprising good one.
The story is fairly predictable. Because of a misunderstanding, a nuclear conflict is initiated. There are various opportunities to draw things back but, because of a few bloodthirsty types, usually in US, the conflict continues to escalate and the horror continues to increase.
The show continues a few stereotypes:
Pilots are self centered and vain.
Women don't have the commitment to accomplish a hard mission.
I AM PRETTY EASY TO PLEASE WHEN IT COMES TO MOVIES.LOW BUDGET,HIGH BUDGET,DOESN'T MATTER.THIS MOVIE IS ACTUALLY THE WORST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY 45 YEARS OF VIEWING.WAS TOTALLY NOT BELIEVABLE AND THE WRITING AND DIRECTING WAS SHABBY AT BEST.DON'T WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED BUCKS ON THIS LEMON!!!!! More Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert Iscove DVD Release Date: Released the 08 July 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Few American movies have dealt as graphically with nuclear holocaust as The Day After, which accounted for the controversy that surrounded the telefilm at the time of its initial network broadcast. In previous films, nuclear warfare was a matter for crusading politicians or military might, but here, both are kept in the background (the airman played by William Allen Young is more concerned with returning to his new wife than his duties) and the focus is fixed firmly on middle America--literally so, as the setting is Lawrence, Kansas, the near-center of the country. Audiences are briefly introduced to a representative cross-section of American life, including a doctor (Jason Robards), a young bride-to-be (Lori Lethin), a graduate student (Steve Guttenberg), and an academic (John... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Nicholas Meyer DVD Release Date: Released the 18 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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