On The Beach

Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner

At the time (1959) this was seen as another liberal rant by Stanley Kramer...a cautionary tale of what might happen if the nation didn't wake up. Now it comes across as a hopelessly melodramatic vehicle for a bunch of rich, aging hollywood stars.

AG was well past her sell date here and the scenes of lovey-dovey between her and Peck were ludicrous. He was the least sensual of stars and she had taken on a decidedly matronly air by this point that no amount of scarves or camera tricks could conceal. And poor Anthony Perkins, with his trademark twitchiness fell far short of his Norman Bates.

And finally the endless use of Waltzing Matilda began to drive me up the wall ten minutes in.

An embarrassing period piece that hasn't held up.

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