… I bet you thought I was gonna say “To Kill A Mockingbird”, right?
But no, it is On The Beach.
My opinion anyway… 
The film was on TCM tonight, and I hope y’all got a chance to see it.
I think it is the only time I ever shed a tear over the tune “Waltzing Mathilda”.
Powerful stuff and thanks to Stanley Kramer for having the guts to direct this Nevil Shute novel…
Thanks
Q
Hey, Quasi…, you must have just watched it on TCM, right? Great flick. Still brings a tear to my old eye, too, even though I saw it first run in '59.
I just posted a question here (GQ) (to the Aussies, mainly) about a line in the movie. Maybe you noticed it. As Ava Gardner is walking along the pier to board the sub, one of the Aussie sailors says, “Get a load of Charlie Wheeler.” Any idea what that meant? I did miss the start of it tonight and may have missed a first reference.
I love “On the Beach” but I must disagree. “To Kill A Mockingbird” was a better movie, a better acting role and just perfectly brilliant. In fact Atticus Finch was voted the #1 Movie Hero by the American Film Institute. Peck himself said it was his best and favorite role.
Jim
To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my first nominees for induction in the Overrated Hall of Fame. 12 O’Clock High is the first title that comes to mind in reaction to the OP.
Why?
It’s been years since I’ve seen it, so I can’t really write a detailed response to this. However, in general, the movie leaves a bad taste in my mouth because while it pats itself on the back for dealing with “racial” issues, it does so in a safe, even patronizing way, and deals with such questions only insofar as they affect the white protagonists. The housemaid is just as thinly characterized as the accused rapist, and the film resounds with a kind of self-congratulatory acceptance of the status quo; the system doesn’t need to be changed, you just have to remember your white man’s burden and act honorably *within *that system.
There are many other films that deal more honestly with questions of Race and the Old South, but IMO, *TKaM *is more interested in giving a mostly white audience something to safely congratulate itself about than it is in honestly, directly addressing those questions. (As an example, the black characters in John Ford’s Judge Priest may be arguably portrayed, by the actors acting in the accepted style of the time (28 years before TKaM), as–externally–stereotypes. But their interactions and friendships with the white characters in the film are human, and real, and fully realized; they come across as whole human beings, not just as Symbols for Racial Issues.)
The first movie that popped into my head was Moby Dick.
Sorry, but this is ridiculous. Actually, it’s more interested in translating a book into film accurately, rather than rewriting the thing to suit your preferences. Harper Lee didn’t write TKAM from the black characters’ perspective; it’s written from the POV of Scout, a little white girl – or rather, an adult white woman looking back on her childhood experiences. Why should the movie be different? And in fact, some of my favorite scenes in the book and film are when Scout and her brother Jem do literally see things from their black neighbors’ POV – when Scout’s up in the gallery within the segregated courthouse, and when Jem tags along with Atticus to the Robinsons’ house to watch them react to news of Tom’s death. Harper Lee in the book and Alan J. Pakula in the film allow us to peek in on Scout and Jem’s discovery of a whole new perspective on how their community works.
TKAM (film and book) treats the black characters with sensitivity and dignity, from Calpurnia and Tom to Tom’s family and the Reverend. They don’t fall into easy stereotypes. For example, Calpurnia the maid isn’t a Mammy figure by any stretch, and is treated as an equal by Atticus … well, as equal as any employer would be to an employee back in those days. Tom isn’t a perfect noble martyr (though sadly he is martyred) but makes a stupid but understandable mistake that leads to his end.
I don’t mean to go OT but TKAM is one of my favorite films and hearing it derided thus is more than I can bear!
Exit , you can disagree with me any time! 
I too am a fan of Mr. Peck’s other works (well, with the exception of Omen) and it seems to me that the man always put a lot of thought into his portrayals and made them believable (which includes Moby Dick and To Kill a Mockingbird), but I paid special attention last night to On The Beach and watched his “discomfort” when holding Ava Gardner (“discomfort” holding Ava Gardner!!! 
) and also his “conversation” with the deserting sailor and decided that here, too, the man must have studied his part before actually playing it, and I appreciate that so much. I guess the closest we can come today for an actor of that stature would be Robert De Niro.
As far as the discussion of TKAM, I agree that it was a reminiscence of an adult woman and it was timely for the uh, “times” during which it was shown, and once again Mr. Peck showed his mettle as Atticus Finch. I honestly believe that this film made a huge difference in how we relate to each other and I too rank it very highly among my favorites. To attack its “honesty” is doing this work a huge disservice.
But back to “Beach”: it hasn’t lost any of its importance through the years and it will always make me think: “What if that were me ?” And that is what makes a film a work of art, as far as I am concerned.
Igantz , stay tuned. I am researching your “Charlie Wheeler” question as we speak!
Thanks for all the comments, whether you agreed with me or not!
Q
I haven’t seen ‘On the beach’ :o , but I will look out for it.
I found ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ very powerful and moving.
When the Reverend (in the courthouse gallery) says “Stand up miss - your father’s passing” I start crying.
This incident is so important on so many levels (dignity, standing up to murderous bullying + prejudice, rule of law, respect).
I misspelled Ignatz and it is too late to edit. Sorry, my friend - Butterfingers, I’m afraid! :smack:
Q
Since I just commented on this in a different thread…
Now I, on the other hand, felt it was a weak translation of the book ( which I love ). Peck was too central to the film and the kids’ voices were not only diluted, they struck a wrong note with me.
But everyone else loves it ( well, excluding lissener and his dislike may not spring from the same root as mine ), so each to his own :).
And it’s patently obvious that Peck’s finest film was The Boys From Brazil :D.
What, no love for Marooned/Space Travelers? After all, Crow does do a killer Peck…
Runs out of the room…
My favorite Peck story, from the goddess Tuesday Weld:
On Gregory Peck (co-star in I Walk the Line): “We had to do a love scene in bed and it showed my bare back. I wasn’t nude or anything, maybe a half-slip, I don’t remember exactly, but I was as nude as possible. And he got into the bed with his pants and his shoes on. Now they weren’t moccasins. They were big clunky businessman’s shoes, laced up, you know. With socks, and… what more can I say.”
I like the book and movie quite a bit, but I never noticed that. Thanks!
I can’t make an arguremnt for most important, but my favorite Peck movie is Captain Horation Hornblower. 
The line is original to the screenplay; it’s not in Nevil Shute’s novel.
Seconded!
I’ve heard that Charlie Wheeler is slang for boobs, apparently after a painter who specialized in nudes. Link .
thwartme
Spewed mouthwash when I read this! That’s my man Greg!
Q
I was watching it for the first time last night too and, although distracted durion portions by trying to feed and bathe a kid, did really enjoy the portions I saw. Yes, comparrisons to To Kill a Mockingbird did enter my mind, as did Night of the Iguana for Gardner. While I think each is better in those, I did enjoy On the Beach very much. Very poignant, especially when trying to explain the plot and lunacy of nuclear holocaust to a seven year old.
One question as I missed this part, coming back as Eva stood on the pier crying as the sub went down… why did they return to the sub and leave at the end… just fulfilling their duties as soldiers? What mission compelled them to leave when, in essence, everything worth fighting for was gone?