On the Beach is a 1959 post-apocalyptic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Nevil Shute. It was directed by Stanley Kramer and stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins.
The film takes place in the aftermath of a nuclear war that has wiped out humanity in the northern hemisphere. The few survivors in the southern hemisphere are waiting for the inevitable spread of nuclear fallout that will eventually reach them as well. The crew of the American submarine USS Sawfish find temporary refuge in Melbourne, Australia, where they discover a society that is struggling to maintain some sense of normalcy while facing the bleak future that awaits them.
Captain Dwight Towers (Peck) is haunted by the loss of his wife and children, who were in San Francisco when the bombs fell. He throws himself into his duty, but his emotional pain is palpable. He meets Moira Davidson (Gardner), a beautiful and world-weary woman who has lost her own husband and child. They begin a tentative romance, but Towers is unable to let go of his grief and guilt.
As the date of the end approaches, the tension and despair in the society increase. The government distributes pills that will provide a painless death when the radiation reaches Melbourne. Some people choose to take their own lives rather than face the inevitable slow death from radiation sickness.
In the final scenes of the film, Towers and Moira, along with the other characters, take the pills and await their fate. The camera pans out from the desolate landscape to show an empty earth, with a voiceover reminding us that life goes on, but humanity has been destroyed.
On the Beach is a powerful and haunting film that deals with themes of grief, hopelessness, and the cost of nuclear war. The cast gives strong performances and the cinematography effectively captures the desolation of the post-apocalyptic world.