First Film to Primiere on Both Sides of the Iron Curtain
On this day in 1958 – A historical day in the Motion Picture Industry …
“On The Beach” is the first movie to premiere on both sides of the
“Iron Curtain”.
That means it was shown on movie screens in the “free world” as well as on screens in communist Russia (USSR).
The subject matter is based on world-wide nuclear destruction. That’s why.
People love to be scared. People love destruction. That novel gave all of it to them. Mass destruction from the sky that wipes out the entire world – but some live on in small pockets of the world – especially Australia.
The movie had everyone dead – not following the novel. There are great differences in the movie from the novel. One interesting point is the American submarine name change from the SCORPION to the SAWFISH. When the movie was being made, the real USS SCORPION was being constructed. So this must have been the reason to change the name in the movie. Of course the real USS SCORPION was lost almost ten years later under mysterious circumstances. Some believe to this day that it was Russia that sunk her.
Remember – hind-sight is 20/20 … and the communists apparently believed they would be attacked by the west and they knew they could not come out the winner in such a conflict.
In 1957 the novel the movie was based on was released and it was a big hit – because everyone was living under such fear of destruction.
This fear continued well into the 1970s. We all had it in the back of our mind – that something would cause an escalation and death would fall from the skies. Perhaps this amped-up the self-centered debauchery of the late 1970s and explains DISCO ! (comic relief)
Why would the communist government in Russia allow a western film to be shown of such nature at the time? It was because the advancement of the communist ideology would be advanced. When you (communism) cannot defeat or overtake your enemy because they (free people) are superior in strength and truth, you must erode away at their (USA) morality and ideology causing the enemy to loose their desire to defend themselves.
Fortunately, such a ridiculous ideology as socialism will eventually crumble and destroy a society, so went the USSR …
The UNFORTUNATE side of socialism crumbling a society into oblivion is the misery it causes for people that spans over generations.
Movies are indeed a very powerful medium.
Make them with care and responsibility.
Oh – what about “On The Beach” being considered a “classic film”? It’s not. It is a very slow burn. Today folks would say it’s downright boring and completely out of date. A modern audience would not understand why it was made in black & white.
Not very interesting yet warrants one watch. Which is interesting that in 2000, an Australian television company “remade” the movie to be shown on Australian TV … Hmmmm …
Category: Tony Rollo Blog