On the Beach - Made of Glass

12 Days of Xmas #11

Remember when mutually assured destruction was a constant part of the human psyche? We were so young back then. It's On the Beach.

Made in 1959 and set in 1964, On the Beach takes place after a nuclear war has destroyed all human life in the northern hemisphere, and follows some of those spared immediate destruction, thanks either to being in Australia or on a submarine when the bombs were in the air, as they come to terms with the fact that they'll all be dead from radiation poisoning in a few months. It is, you might say, not advocating nuclear weapons

[tobiashimself]

The movie is certainly old school, but I give it a lot of credit for being mature and dark for the times. Ava Gardner is the lonely, older, town drunk, with an on and off thing with the other town drunk, pursuing the still "married" american sub captain. Said sub captain is so in denial that he accidentally calls her by his dead wife's name and everyone just acts awkwardly about it. The whole film carries that real-life feeling of finding romantic ideas in what is an overtly nihilistic existence. It's like it has all the trappings of a corny 50s while actually escaping them and feeling modern. It's really unique and I absolutely love it.

[briangarrow]

Hiptang-
A holiday tradition for those who refuse to celebrate.

[curiousworld]

'On the Beach' by Nevil Shute is a great book, and one of many written after the end of WWII, like 'A Canticle for Leibowitz' or 'Alas, Babylon' that explore the aftermath of the Cold War going 'hot'. Many were written by veterans of the the war who assumed that one day, in the not-so-distant future, someone would start the beginning of the end for mankind. The film made from 'On the Beach' is very, very good, but today's viewers may find it slow or lacking in big CGI. It's just not that kind of story. But I'm happy to see Mr. Rockall-Schmidt introduce it to those who many have never heard of it.

[tomservo]

hipTANG, the sound made by your keys, falling into the toilet at the truck stop

[robertdanielpickard]

A teacher showed us this and The Mouse That Roared back to back in lower school. She was a a great teacher.

[Gallstone]

My absolute favorite book of all time. Definitely a worthy adaptation.

[Silver-rxmh]

I remember seeing this on TV when I was very young and Christ it effected me so strongly that I remember crying about it for days afterwards. In fact to this day I can't watch it without tearing up. For me the restrained way in which the main characters prepare for death comes across as highly realistic when you consider the time it's set and the characters 'class'.

[danielmarsden]

I listened to a radio version of the story in my early teens and I’ve never forgotten it, always looking for a recording on the internet.

[whizwart]

That moment of confusion when Anthony Perkins shows up and you wonder why Norman Bates is in this until you have to kick yourself that Its Anthony Perkins.

[Khakhees]

I watched this in frankston, where it's filmed and set, about a year ago! It was a free screening in the arts centre and I was the youngest in there by some decades. Good anecdote from the guest who worked on the sound: Parts were filmed in the melbourne showgrounds and there was a dog show in the next showroom which interfered, also filming the sub next to princes pier when hoards of people turned out to see the stars.

Your channel is great, and I've loved the christmas series, but it's pretty wild to have this hit so close to home.

[BillMarion]

Hiptang would have cured their radiation sickness.

[ArtisticlyAlexis]

I remember being scarred by _On the Beach_ teen in '99. My dad was all excited to watch it, not telling me we were about to see the most depressing, unhopeful 50's film ever made.

[Jmixup]

So my internal clock has started to wake me up for these ha.

[dakkahead]

Without any other context. The plot of "on the beach" sounds like one of the episodes from the first season of the Twilight Zone. Which is a plus in my book.

[coffeezombie]

This is one of my favorite movies. It feels like the most British salute to an inevitability of death even thou it is Australia. Waltzing mutilid has been stuck in my head for the last 20 years which is the price you pay for this movie.

[Dangit-Dangit]

"Now I'm living out here on the beach, but those seagulls are still out of reach"

[SparkIeMotion]

Thank you for the twelve days of Christmas! I'm not worthy.

[heyitsfranklynn]

These end hints are getting more and more cryptic

[supaflashplaysgames]

Survive the fallout with Hiptang! (disclaimer: hiptang doesn't protect against radiation, hiptang will not be responsible for any radiation burns received during use. Please see a doctor if loss of skin occurs!)

[Forcemaster]

I've never seen, or even heard of "On the Beach". I'm going to have to look it up now, it seems too odd to not be seen.