This 1959 nuclear war film has a lot going for it. It does not rely on nuclear devastation such as burned out buildings and charred corpses for effect. Instead, it focuses on the struggles of the people who were outside the zone of immediate destruction, those who have to wait for the arrival of the fallout cloud. The performances in this film are excellent. Fred Astaire is good as a scientist who predicts the impending calamity and is haunted by his guilt as a scientist for the creation of nuclear weaponry. Anthony Perkins is convincing as a naval officer in one of his final roles before his performance in Psycho caused him to be type cast. Finally, Donna Anderson is good as Perkins's nervous wife who is in denial about the tragedy. It is a pity that she did not appear in more movies. The film has some flaws. Towards the end, there is a scene where it resorts to implausible tearjerking, and the tone tends to be overly propagandistic. Furthermore, the time table for the coming of the fallout cloud is scientifically implausible. Nevertheless, this is a classic film that should be on everyone's to watch list.
Review of On the Beach
