ON THE BEACH
Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire
MGM/UA; Directed by Stanley Kramer
Black and White; Not Rated; 134 minutes; 1959
In the aftermath of a nuclear war the population of Australia await their inescapable fate. Based on the novel by Nevil Shute, ON THE BEACH is a thoughtful study of the ways in which the island's inhabitants face their inevitable end. It remains a classic plea against the devastation of war.