

On the Beach
The Biggest Story of Our Time!
In 1964, atomic war wipes out humanity in the northern hemisphere; one American submarine finds temporary safe haven in Australia, where life-as-usual covers growing despair. In denial about the loss of his wife and children in the holocaust, American Captain Towers meets careworn but gorgeous Moira Davidson, who begins to fall for him. The sub returns after reconnaissance a month (or less) before the end; will Towers and Moira find comfort with each other?
TMDB
6.7/10
258 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $2.9M
- Box office
- $2.2M
- Language
- English
- australia
- based on novel or book
- nuclear war
- submarine
- san francisco, california
- dystopia
- post-apocalyptic future
- nuclear radiation
- end of the world
- melbourne, australia
- nuclear holocaust
- black and white
Top billed cast










Behind the camera
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Release dates
United StatesUS
- Theatrical17 Dec 1959
United KingdomGB
- TheatricalPG17 Dec 1959
- PhysicalPGDVD3 May 2004
AustraliaAU
- TheatricalPG17 Dec 1959
CanadaCA
- Theatrical17 Dec 1959
ArgentinaAR
- Theatrical+1310 Mar 1960
BrazilBR
- Theatricale 1231 Dec 1959
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical1 Jan 1960
FinlandFI
- Theatrical26 Feb 1960
FranceFR
- TheatricalTP17 Dec 1959
- TVTPCiné+ Classic22 Oct 2026
GermanyDE
- Theatrical16West Germany17 Dec 1959
ItalyIT
- TheatricalTRome17 Dec 1959
JapanJP
- Theatrical17 Dec 1959
Frequently asked questions
On the Beach was released on 17 December 1959.
Audience reviews
3- J4/10
John Chard
9/13/2015
Like watching paint dry. Stanley Kramer and John Paxton adapt from Nevil Shute's novel. Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and Donna Anderson star, with music by Ernest Gold and cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno. After a global nuclear war, the inhabitants of Australia realise that the radiation clouds are heading their way. A group of people try to come to terms with this fact. A well…
- F
Frank
6/10/2017
Well acted story with an obvious anti-war theme, written during the cold war provided an interesting portrayal of how different people may react facing impending doom. Fearful, Angry, Fatalistic. It developed feelings for the characters as they dealt with the situation each in their own way. Overall, at the end, there was a sadness that prevailed and led one to contemplate the possibility of this occurring. That …
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
9/5/2025
With nuclear warfare having eradicated most of the population of the world, it seems that only Australia still has a population - and they know that it is only a matter of time before the irradiated dust reaches their coastline and death will follow. Just ahead of that, though, is the USS Sawfish under the command of the now widowed “Towers” (Gregory Peck) who arrives with a grateful but demoralised crew. Their hosts…
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