On the Beach Blu-ray
HomeOn the Beach Blu-ray
Posted July 6, 2026 07:32 PM by Webmaster
The British Film Institute has detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of Stanley Kramer's On the Beach (1959), starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, and Guy Doleman. The release is scheduled to arrive on the market on July 27.
Description: Based on Nevil Shute's novel, On the Beach is set in 1964 when almost all life across the globe has been exterminated by the radioactive residue of a nuclear war. Only those survivors now in Australia have been spared – but it seems just a matter of time before they too succumb to the spreading radiation cloud. As they await their fate, people react in wildly different ways. Some embark on a non-stop binge of revelry, while others consider the suicide pills being offered by the government. Against this backdrop, faint radio signals emanating from San Diego appear to offer a ray of hope, and one submarine commander (Gregory Peck) and his men embark on a voyage to discover whether life clings on elsewhere on Earth.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
Description: Based on Nevil Shute's novel, On the Beach is set in 1964 when almost all life across the globe has been exterminated by the radioactive residue of a nuclear war. Only those survivors now in Australia have been spared – but it seems just a matter of time before they too succumb to the spreading radiation cloud. As they await their fate, people react in wildly different ways. Some embark on a non-stop binge of revelry, while others consider the suicide pills being offered by the government. Against this backdrop, faint radio signals emanating from San Diego appear to offer a ray of hope, and one submarine commander (Gregory Peck) and his men embark on a voyage to discover whether life clings on elsewhere on Earth.
Special Features and Technical Specs:
- High-definition transfer
- Audio commentary written by Dr Philip Davey, author of When Hollywood Came to Melbourne
- Newly commissioned audio commentary by Scott Harrison
- Making On the Beach (1959, 9 mins): rare 8mm footage shot by amateur filmmaker Richard Goslin
- Interview with Donna Anderson (2015, 19 mins): the actor discusses her time working with the cast and crew of On the Beach
- Kim Newman on Apocalypse Cinema (2022, 22 mins): the film critic deconstructs On the Beach and discusses the socio-political environment in which the film emerged
- Clothes to Die For: The Costumes of Ava Gardner (2022, 16 mins): costume historian Elissa Rose explores Ava Gardner's impressive wardrobe in the film
- A Tribute to Stanley Kramer (2004, 14 mins): a celebration of Stanley Kramer's life and career, featuring interviews with screenwriter Abby Mann and Karen Sharpe, Kramer's widow
- Operation Hurricane (1952, 33 mins): after the first Soviet atomic weapon was detonated in 1949, the British accelerated the development of their own nuclear deterrent. This haunting film documents the first atom bomb test on the Monte Bello Islands
- Original theatrical trailer
- Galleries
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- First pressing only: Illustrated booklet featuring new essays by Dr Christina Brennan and Barry Forshaw and a biography of Stanley Kramer by Jennifer Frost. Also includes writing on Operation Hurricane by the BFI's Vic Pratt, notes on the special features and film credits
