Bernie, a self-destructive alcoholic, is given watch over his niece Winnie. He tests the patience of the various people he knows and Winnie is often left on her own.Bernie, a self-destructive alcoholic, is given watch over his niece Winnie. He tests the patience of the various people he knows and Winnie is often left on her own.Bernie, a self-destructive alcoholic, is given watch over his niece Winnie. He tests the patience of the various people he knows and Winnie is often left on her own.
Beatie Edney
- Winnie
- (as Beatrice Edney)
Peter Sellers
- Stallholder
- (as A. Queen)
Thomas Heathcote
- Dice Player
- (as Tom Heathcote)
Bertel Lauring
- Louis
- (as Bertil Lauring)
Sisse Reingaard
- Daughter of Cafe Proprietress
- (as Sisse Reingärd)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLost for 20 years due to a "paperwork error" by Paramount Pictures. Was tracked down in 1992.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Unknown Peter Sellers (2000)
- SoundtracksWhere Are We Going
by Kenny Lynch and Mort Shuman
Featured review
In my opinion a masterpiece
As someone who usually does not like movies soliciting compassion for alcoholics or drug addicts I was surprised how much I liked A Day at the Beach. The title's promise is fulfilled in the best way possible. A young, intelligent alcoholic takes his little niece to a small seaport for a day. The man is most of the time looking for booze or ingesting it, occasionally rendering verbal outbursts which often sound very lucid. The girl is left to her own devices most of the time but fiercely loyal to her uncle.
From the technical side the movie is virtually faultless. Foreground and background are always in very sharp focus, except for two brief episodes with POV shots of the very drunk main character. The drabness of the place (it is always raining or overcast) is occasionally contrasted by bright, vivid colors. It looks all very controlled and there can be no doubt that a true master is behind this picture. The cast is brilliant down to every secondary character. I found Peter Seller's contribution as a fairy unnecessary and superfluous, though.
I watched the DVD release from Odeon Entertainment. There is an informative booklet about the movie, but Roman Polanski's involvement in the actual shooting is not clear. According to the booklet Polanski left the film while the final editing was in progress. Doesn't this mean that the effectively directed the movie? I would not be surprised if this were the case, in my opinion it very much looks like a Polanski movie. Its stunning how timeless his work is!
A Day at the Beach would never have attracted a mass audience, and from the look of it (and the choice of actors) it probably was never meant to be a blockbuster. But everybody who can stand this difficult and rather depressing subject matter (men preferring drugs to other humans) this is a rewarding and aesthetically satisfying movie. It's great that they made it available on DVD.
From the technical side the movie is virtually faultless. Foreground and background are always in very sharp focus, except for two brief episodes with POV shots of the very drunk main character. The drabness of the place (it is always raining or overcast) is occasionally contrasted by bright, vivid colors. It looks all very controlled and there can be no doubt that a true master is behind this picture. The cast is brilliant down to every secondary character. I found Peter Seller's contribution as a fairy unnecessary and superfluous, though.
I watched the DVD release from Odeon Entertainment. There is an informative booklet about the movie, but Roman Polanski's involvement in the actual shooting is not clear. According to the booklet Polanski left the film while the final editing was in progress. Doesn't this mean that the effectively directed the movie? I would not be surprised if this were the case, in my opinion it very much looks like a Polanski movie. Its stunning how timeless his work is!
A Day at the Beach would never have attracted a mass audience, and from the look of it (and the choice of actors) it probably was never meant to be a blockbuster. But everybody who can stand this difficult and rather depressing subject matter (men preferring drugs to other humans) this is a rewarding and aesthetically satisfying movie. It's great that they made it available on DVD.
helpful•92
- manuel-pestalozzi
- Feb 10, 2008
- How long is A Day at the Beach?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Un dia en la playa
- Filming locations
- Copenhagen, Denmark(kinema weekly 26/4/69)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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