Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

On the Beach Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 6, 2016

Nominated for Oscar Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Stanley Kramer's "On the Beach" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with actress Donna Anderson; promotional materials; archival documentary feature by amateur filmmaker R. Gosling; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"No, you've got it all wrong. I was supposed to comfort you, and you're comforting me..."

This film from the great director Stanley Kramer emerged at a time when the world was divided by two superpowers with similar ambitions. It had a clear message that they could easily destroy it even if they learned to trust each other. Nearly sixty years later, however, this message remains as relevant as it has ever been.

After a quick nuclear war, Australia is the only place with survivors, but its atmosphere has started changing. Informed military leaders and scientists have determined that there are only a few months left before the deadly radiation from the northern hemisphere reaches the continent.

In Melbourne, submarine commander Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck, Pork Chop Hill) meets the lonely beauty Moira Davidson (Ava Gardner, The Devil's Widow). They quickly warm up to each other, but their relationship is awkward. Dwight struggles to come to terms with the fact that he has lost his family in a pointless war, while Moira senses that she has met the best man in her life at the wrong time.

When a mysterious radio signal is detected somewhere in San Francisco, Australian Admiral Bridie (John Tate, Pacific Adventure) organizes an exploration team and Dwight is asked to be its leader. But there isn’t a lot of optimism amongst its members. The eccentric scientist Julian Osborn (Fred Astaire, Easter Parade) is convinced that it is too early to assume that the atmosphere has absorbed the radiation and started regenerating itself. Lieutenant Peter Holmes (Anthony Perkins, The Trial) thinks that he ought to be next to his wife Mary (Donna Anderson), who is on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown. Other men also think that the end is near and that they should be left to enjoy their final hours as best as they can.

At times the film can be strikingly beautiful but it is almost unbearably gloomy. There is an incredibly eerie calmness in it because the survivors have accepted their fate and have started preparing for the inevitable end. No one attempts to condemn the nuclear war or the people that started it because it no longer matters; now the only thing that does is time -- and the survivors are quickly running out of it.

The film is completely free of melodrama. There are unusual contrasts on display that have emerged from the desperation that is felt everywhere. For a while, the survivors attempt to maintain some sense of order and act rationally, but then the fear and hopelessness of the situation overwhelms them. Several sequences show the exact moments when they collapse that are incredibly powerful -- some gather and drink until they pass out, some take pills to end their misery, and some choose to die while competing in an utterly pointless car race.

The stars shine bright. Peck is great as the devastated commander who has lost his family and can’t quite cope with the emotional pain. Gardner looks stunning while playing the disillusioned Moira who has started drinking because all of her dreams have been crushed. Perkins is very convincing as the husband and father who must remain strong until the end. Astaire is also excellent as the cynical scientist.

Kramer and acclaimed Italian Giuseppe Rotunno (Fellini Satyricon, All That Jazz) shot the bulk of the film on location in Australia. Vice Admiral Charles Andrews Lockwood, the U.S. Navy commander of the Pacific submarine fleet during World War II, was invited as a technical adviser.

The film is based on British novelist Nevil Shute’s bestseller of the same name. The screenplay is by John Paxton (Crossfire, Murder, My Sweet).

On the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stanley Kramer's On the Beach arrive son Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment.

The release has been sourced from the same master that Kino Lorber accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release of On the Beach for the U.S. market.

The basic characteristics we typically address in our reviews are strong. Clarity is consistently pleasing while depth ranges from good to very good. Close-ups convey good nuances -- light and shadow appear well balanced even in areas where the lighting is delicate. There are a few segments where some very light crushing emerges, but it never becomes distracting. There are no traces of problematic degraining adjustments. However, because the master that was used is older some density fluctuations are present. There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Image stability is good, but there are a few tiny frame jumps and a couple of shaky transitions. Small scratches, blemishes, and specks can be seen from time to time, but they are not distracting. Finally, it would have been better to have the film presented in 1.85:1, as it was shot, but the current framing is competent. To sum it all up, On the Beach can definitely look better in high-definition, but this is a strong organic presentation that makes it very easy to appreciate the vision of its creator. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

On the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity remains very good throughout the entire film. Depth occasionally fluctuates a bit, but the film's original sound design is actually slightly uneven. This being said, if the audio is fully remastered balance will be improved. More importantly, there is light background hiss that sneaks in from time to time that will also be eliminated. There are no audio dropouts, sync issues, or digital distortions to report in our review. My score is 3.75/5.00.

On the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for On the Beach. The trailer includes footage from the world premieres of the film. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Promotional Materials - a collection of lobby cards, press book clippings and stills.

• Stanley Kramer's Photo Album - the cards can be displayed with optional explanatory text.

• Making On the Beach - this documentary feature was shot by amateur filmmaker R. Gosling during the filming of On the Beach in Melbourne's suburb of Frankston in January 1959. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Donna Anderson Interview - in this new video interview, actress Donna Anderson (Mary Holmes) recalls how she was offered her role in On the Beach, and discusses her interactions with Stanley Kramer, her time in Melbourne during the shooting of the film, the dilemmas her character faces in the film, the controversial Hollywood ending, the film's timeless message, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Signal One Entertainment in Hollywood in June, 2015. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Commentary - a rather unusual audio commentary offering an analysis of the film by Dr. Philip Davey, author of When Hollywood Came To Melbourne, which is read by actor Douglas Hansell. The bulk of the information pertains to the production history of the film and the political environment in which it was made.

On the Beach Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is cynical to believe that the message of Stanley Kramer's film On the Beach is dated because the Cold War is over. (The Cold War isn't over either. It went through a transitional period and the players that are involved in it now follow different rules). Considering recent developments in North Korea and Syria, it is actually as relevant as it has ever been. This recent Blu-ray release from Signal One Entertainment is really quite wonderful. Despite the presence of a few tiny rough spots, On the Beach looks very good in high-definition. Also included is a very interesting new interview with actress Donna Anderson. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.