there is something a bit funny here. it's a 1959 movie, and it shows the world being destroyed by nuclear warfare in 1964. that's a big coincidence!!!!! in the 1964 presidential race, president johnson accused his opponent ( goldwater ) of being someone who might get the world blown up if goldwater got elected. johnson even ran a tv ad showing a girl and a mushroom cloud.
I believe, this movie being available to "the other side" , it had a lot to do with there not being a nuclear war. If so this is a truly great movie...
Folks, this is a music video from a great film. Obviously, the film has something to say about our capacity for self-destruction, and that's fine. But I'd rather not see this thread turned into yet another left-vs-right political pissing match (so I removed a few posts, including my own, that I thought went over the line).
in both the original movie and the remake, i think the creepiest scenes are where they commit suicide, and where they discuss their plans to commit suicide. to me, the thought of someone intentionally killing himself is much creepier than the thought of someone getting killed by someone else. furthermore, imagine if a person changes his mind after he takes the poison. furthermore, i doubt many people would commit suicide, even under these circumstances.
Yeah boy, when I saw this in 1964, I would have liked to know that here we would be in 2011, the Soviet Union dissolved, and we safe from nuclear holocaust. Some fool may still detonate a nuke here or there, but it won't be the end of the world like it would have been then.
i think the radiation eventually subsided, and a small number of australians survived, and these survivors tried to re-build society, but it was tough-doing, and that's when mad max ( mel gibson ) came on the scene.
Thank you for shariing.Waltzing Matilda has been my favorite song. And yes, there is still time, I wish there was no nuclear power plants and bombs. I pray it for you from Japan. It is not only a problems for Japan. Japanese government trying to gather people around the world and make them travel to Japan. Its only a performance to show that Japan is still safe. What a nonsense. What a dishonesty,
What a great film - incredibly realistic, even today (the southern hemisphere would be all that was left in a nuclear holocaust). Not to mention great music, like this amazing spin on Waltzing Matilda... never thought the song could be so sad.
A wonderful motion picture. Wonderful renditions/arrangements of Waltzing Matilda. This story was presented in a serious, realistic manner by a terrific cast. And Ava Gardner was the most incredible woman, the most beautiful animal in the world. This film was a fine achievement.
I saw this movie just the other day, from my Dad's dvd collection. It just really blew me away--the emotion, the music, the story and everything about it. I'm a guy 18 and I find myself really liking these movies of the 1950's and 1960's. Is this weird of me or something? I think my friends would laugh at me for saying I like movies like this. Awhile back I saw "East of Eden" with James Dean in it and I watched it twice back-to-back it impressed me so much.
@boy18inva Nothing weird at all. You just have enough taste to appreciate a good movie, in comparison with the overblown cartoons that the movies have mostly turned into in the last generation. For the consistently best contemporary movies, you have to go to independent films (or, ironically, Australian ones, sometimes).
My favorite is when Gardner/Peck steps outside the pub, for a romantic moment, and the background song (Waltzing Matilda) changes from rough bar-karaoke to a beautiful baryton. Anyone has a clip of that?
One of the most incredibly powerful endings in the history of cinema, moves me so very deeply every time I see it. And perhaps there has never been a more important ending for human beings to watch. The Cold War may be over, the weapons are not, and the people seeking them now are far more dangerous than the Cold war adversaries ever were. Add to that, climate change etc. and you could start to feel depressed... until you read again that immense last message: 'There is still time.. Brother'.
What is so powerful about this scene is the heartbreaking realization that the two characters realize they probably could have had a beautiful lifelong relationship if only everything, the world, etc., had worked out differently.
This movie has been on my all time top 10 list since i saw it for the first time (in the theater at age 12) ... It is one of the most moving and touching stories ever ... I try to watch it at least once a year ... Movies really don't get any better than "On The Beach" ... I still get close to tears at the end.
@mrernestomd She's a looker. My father in law went to school with her in the sleepy little town of Rock Ridge, NC. where they were born. He said she was better with a mule and could out plow any of the boys around, but they had to teach her to walk in shoes before she could learn to walk in heels.
yea, scary movie! Nothing worse than the sickening calm before the storm. And yet we comment on the way the actors look, and the appearance of the scenes; not the premise of the movie. The threat of thermonuclear war never went away. And now, we have the sneaks making the "particle accelerator". Like Ava Gardner's character says, "if they were so smart, why did they let it happen!" ...because they were arrogant!!! Scientists are all arrogant!! It's happening right now.
@chipwood1 So you think we're going to be 'black holed'? Scientists are self-important and desperately insecure. Politicians and CEO's are arrogant (particularly Obama). I love it that he wants to spend $15-billion exploring Mars for signs of life, while we continue our headlong rush to destroy the planet we currently occupy. Nuclear war is unlikely (bad for banking). More likely: global fascism and genetically engineered population control. It's what we deserve.
Great movie. The best, by far, of the 1950s end of the world themed films. One thing, however, has alway confused me. In the final scene between Peck and Gardner, he says the boat is across the bay at the fuel depot. Why would a nuclear powered sub need to be at the fuel depot?
Easy. When Garnder shows up, it appears that the submarine has gone, and he has remained behind. It's pure theater. How else to setup her opening line: "You're not going, you're not going..." ?
This was a misconception Nevil Schute had about Nuclear Subs (probably shared by many in the late 1950's) - he speaks about fuel being "prepared" for and supplied to the sub.
However...., nuclear submarines still have auxiliary diesel engines, and maybe they wanted some fuel for that.
broken... good point, esp as this sub shown is not a nuclear sub... I think there would have been other subs from other navies showing up there too... Awesome , awesome movie... extremely troubling..
Peck's best movie. I found him stilted and cold in most of his roles, but he's perfect for this role. Fred Astaire is quite good, too. For those too young to remember the Cold War, I can tell you as someone who was 9 during the Cuban Missile Crisis (which was 3 years after this movie was made) that the threat of thermonuclear annihilation was real enough at the time.
I loved the movie . The only place I could find it was at the public library. It was interesting to read the rave reviews the film received from Russia.
Thanks for the post. More people need to see this film. It's perhaps more compelling today than it was in 1959. (Caveat, today, we may have already run past the tipping point...)
What I find mostly pathetic about this movie is the fishing scene where a group of men act like a bunch of idiots singing that stupid cornball song over & over!!
You are so right. That scene is creepy bad. The other horrible scene is the final scene with Tony Perkins and Donna Anderson, where she finally agrees to "drink the tea". It's the same scene really as the earlier one with the Admiral, and his spinster assistant, "Osgood", which is really quite good. Two big flaws, but I like this film so much, I overlook them (kinda like we overlook the mistakes our children make, right?). Thx for the post!
@COSMOTOPPER777 you are creepy bad along with mlaura. Obviously you don't understand that "cornball" song is almost another anthem for Australia and a beautiful piece of music. The use of it throughout this movie is masterful and epic. Regarding the fishing scene, it was also over your heads and I won't gon here except to say the scene with Perkins and his wife is incredible and more disturbing than your insensibilities..
@irish89055 If I offended anyone, I apologize. But under the circumstances, I'd say your lecture as to the qualities of this wonderful song (and this remarkable arrangement) is misdirected. I've probably listened to 30 or 40 different versions of WM on-line, and saved at least 10 of them for my personal collection. Slim Dusty, Seekers (tribute to Aussie troops version), Bachelor Girl, a tribute to Steve Irwin...all of them inspiring. I didn't happen to like the drunk-version...so what?
COSMOTOPPER777: I agree. That last look skywards by Gregory Peck is quite the most heartbreaking scene I have ever seen (Ava Gardner looking out from the cliff is great too)!
that is wonderful. The fact that his features are almost totally hid, then the quick look up, his face is lighted, then shadows again. Really a masterful touch.
@nuggitsme And if you watch the movie's opening scenes, there's a long shot where you'll see Peck emerge from the conning tower and look at the sky. It's a strangely symmetrical touch. There's also the stoic look on the Salvation Army captain's face in his last shot, which is echoed by the statue of the ANZAC soldier from the Great War.
oh this is a wonderful movie. It begins with Peck looking into the periscope and you see everything in the man's face: concern, responsibility, details, tiredness. I like the scene where Greg takes Ava to a fishing camp. There are a bunch of drunks singing, guess what song, and sounding like a bunch of drunks. But when Peck and Gardner get serious, the harmony tightens and gosh do they sound great. Wonderful scene.
Since this clip is about the music, I left out the final scene with Tony Perkins persuading "Mary" (Donna Anderson) to "drink the tea". (It follows the Peck/Gardner romantic farewell at the dock in the film.) IMHO, that scene interrupts the flow of the ending in a very uncomfortable way, and I wonder if Stanley Kramer ever considered cutting it. Best moment for me is when Gregory Peck takes a last look at the sky before closing the hatch and the boat submerges. A great film any way you cut it.
People who are younger than baby boomers probably won't see how deeply this movie resonates. When I was growing up, many young people just assumed that they would die in a nuclear war. It was always in the back of your mind.
So true. The irony is: nuclear weapons seem to have stabilized the behavior of super-powers long enough for us to self-destruct by our unrestrained consumption of natural resources and destruction of vital eco-systems. As the closing frame of the movie tells us: "There's Still Time Brother", (but not very much).
Unfortunately, Waltzing Matilda is NOT a popular scoring by Symphony Orchestras. I have looked for such for over a decade now... no luck. Earnest Gold's scoring is the best Ive found so far. I believe it had been recorded.
If you google the film "On the Beach" there's an interesting back-story surrounding the selection of WM as the musical center of the film. Ernest Gold really wanted to do an original score, but the director insisted that he use it (some would say too much). It's really the only orchestral version I know of, and beautifully rendered by Gold. The ending of this film is one of the most poingniant I know of, due mostly to the beautiful scoring of this great ballad.
I remember the missile crisis in 1962. Between global warming, the breakneck pace of species extinction, and the growing potential for nuclear conflict in the Middle East, this hits home today more than ever.
The movie is wonderful but it can't touch the book for poignant and meaningful endings and messages.
My heart still misses a beat when I read the last line of the book.
~ She took the cork out of the bottle. It was ten past ten. She said earnestly, "Dwight, if you're on your way already, wait for me."
Then she put the tablets in her mouth and swallowed them down with a mouthful of brandy, sitting behind the wheel of her big car ~
Possibly the saddest ending of any book I have ever read.
hammerogod 4 days ago
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there is something a bit funny here. it's a 1959 movie, and it shows the world being destroyed by nuclear warfare in 1964. that's a big coincidence!!!!! in the 1964 presidential race, president johnson accused his opponent ( goldwater ) of being someone who might get the world blown up if goldwater got elected. johnson even ran a tv ad showing a girl and a mushroom cloud.
coventrygardens 2 weeks ago
I believe, this movie being available to "the other side" , it had a lot to do with there not being a nuclear war. If so this is a truly great movie...
studakota1 2 weeks ago
Folks, this is a music video from a great film. Obviously, the film has something to say about our capacity for self-destruction, and that's fine. But I'd rather not see this thread turned into yet another left-vs-right political pissing match (so I removed a few posts, including my own, that I thought went over the line).
COSMOTOPPER777 3 weeks ago in playlist Uploaded videos
@COSMOTOPPER777
I read the book as a child, saw the movie in high school. Saw the 2000 remake. Any man who does not cry is not much of a man.
1ggoede 2 weeks ago
@COSMOTOPPER777
Bravo, you!
A haunting film. Thanks for letting it stand on its own merit.
robertsgpa 1 week ago
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in both the original movie and the remake, i think the creepiest scenes are where they commit suicide, and where they discuss their plans to commit suicide. to me, the thought of someone intentionally killing himself is much creepier than the thought of someone getting killed by someone else. furthermore, imagine if a person changes his mind after he takes the poison. furthermore, i doubt many people would commit suicide, even under these circumstances.
coventrygardens 1 month ago
brutal....... thanks for posting this!
BeerMoneyLive 2 months ago
Yeah boy, when I saw this in 1964, I would have liked to know that here we would be in 2011, the Soviet Union dissolved, and we safe from nuclear holocaust. Some fool may still detonate a nuke here or there, but it won't be the end of the world like it would have been then.
Axgoodofdunemaul 2 months ago
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i think the radiation eventually subsided, and a small number of australians survived, and these survivors tried to re-build society, but it was tough-doing, and that's when mad max ( mel gibson ) came on the scene.
coventrygardens 3 months ago
3:40 onward, anyone else break down and cry?
ragemanchoo82 3 months ago
@ragemanchoo82 You bet I did. I did in 1964 too.
Axgoodofdunemaul 2 months ago
Thank you for shariing.Waltzing Matilda has been my favorite song. And yes, there is still time, I wish there was no nuclear power plants and bombs. I pray it for you from Japan. It is not only a problems for Japan. Japanese government trying to gather people around the world and make them travel to Japan. Its only a performance to show that Japan is still safe. What a nonsense. What a dishonesty,
venator15 4 months ago
What a great film - incredibly realistic, even today (the southern hemisphere would be all that was left in a nuclear holocaust). Not to mention great music, like this amazing spin on Waltzing Matilda... never thought the song could be so sad.
Xenocide31337 6 months ago
A wonderful motion picture. Wonderful renditions/arrangements of Waltzing Matilda. This story was presented in a serious, realistic manner by a terrific cast. And Ava Gardner was the most incredible woman, the most beautiful animal in the world. This film was a fine achievement.
usafcheck6 10 months ago 2
This movie keeps popping into my head with everything going on in Japan. It was a great film. Thanks for posting.
fal2grace 11 months ago
So poignant for the situation in Japan.
Winboloer2 11 months ago
@Winboloer2 .....I was thinking the very same thing that's why I went looking for this.
topchuck63 11 months ago
I saw this movie just the other day, from my Dad's dvd collection. It just really blew me away--the emotion, the music, the story and everything about it. I'm a guy 18 and I find myself really liking these movies of the 1950's and 1960's. Is this weird of me or something? I think my friends would laugh at me for saying I like movies like this. Awhile back I saw "East of Eden" with James Dean in it and I watched it twice back-to-back it impressed me so much.
boy18inva 1 year ago
@boy18inva Nothing weird at all. You just have enough taste to appreciate a good movie, in comparison with the overblown cartoons that the movies have mostly turned into in the last generation. For the consistently best contemporary movies, you have to go to independent films (or, ironically, Australian ones, sometimes).
Gatorman9000 3 months ago
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bottom2topjk 1 year ago
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bottom2topjk 1 year ago
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ERROLCUSTERFLYNN4EVR 1 year ago
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ERROLCUSTERFLYNN4EVR 1 year ago
My favourite suicide scene of all time!
ll0oqJOHNpo0ll 1 year ago
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ERROLCUSTERFLYNN4EVR 1 year ago
My favorite is when Gardner/Peck steps outside the pub, for a romantic moment, and the background song (Waltzing Matilda) changes from rough bar-karaoke to a beautiful baryton. Anyone has a clip of that?
markne 1 year ago
One of the most incredibly powerful endings in the history of cinema, moves me so very deeply every time I see it. And perhaps there has never been a more important ending for human beings to watch. The Cold War may be over, the weapons are not, and the people seeking them now are far more dangerous than the Cold war adversaries ever were. Add to that, climate change etc. and you could start to feel depressed... until you read again that immense last message: 'There is still time.. Brother'.
Manfred58 1 year ago 4
Quality movie with an all star cast with a deep dark message of impending doom for us all.
bobgrantsbus 1 year ago
That violin run at 1:31 is genius! LOVE IT!!!!
SondheimFanatic1 1 year ago
One of the best movies ever shot. Lets hope mankind will never ever suffer the same fate.
immerrocknroll 1 year ago
Gardner looks stunning in that one shot at 3:53 .
GreenAshR46 1 year ago
What is so powerful about this scene is the heartbreaking realization that the two characters realize they probably could have had a beautiful lifelong relationship if only everything, the world, etc., had worked out differently.
guarddog22 1 year ago
This movie has been on my all time top 10 list since i saw it for the first time (in the theater at age 12) ... It is one of the most moving and touching stories ever ... I try to watch it at least once a year ... Movies really don't get any better than "On The Beach" ... I still get close to tears at the end.
hammerogod 1 year ago
Great clip, amazing and historical film. So many haunting scenes, I can't listen to "Waltzing Matilda" without thinking about this flick...
Klaa2 1 year ago
I would leave my wife for Ava Gardner
mrernestomd 1 year ago
@mrernestomd She's a looker. My father in law went to school with her in the sleepy little town of Rock Ridge, NC. where they were born. He said she was better with a mule and could out plow any of the boys around, but they had to teach her to walk in shoes before she could learn to walk in heels.
JTB1956 1 year ago
Beautiful ending for this wonderful film, thanks for the upload.
DMaustrap 1 year ago
yea, scary movie! Nothing worse than the sickening calm before the storm. And yet we comment on the way the actors look, and the appearance of the scenes; not the premise of the movie. The threat of thermonuclear war never went away. And now, we have the sneaks making the "particle accelerator". Like Ava Gardner's character says, "if they were so smart, why did they let it happen!" ...because they were arrogant!!! Scientists are all arrogant!! It's happening right now.
chipwood1 1 year ago
@chipwood1 So you think we're going to be 'black holed'? Scientists are self-important and desperately insecure. Politicians and CEO's are arrogant (particularly Obama). I love it that he wants to spend $15-billion exploring Mars for signs of life, while we continue our headlong rush to destroy the planet we currently occupy. Nuclear war is unlikely (bad for banking). More likely: global fascism and genetically engineered population control. It's what we deserve.
pdxdefatty 1 year ago
great film, great love history
marceloleonidas 1 year ago
he looks up at the sun... as if it will be the last time... great film making..
irish89055 1 year ago
Great movie. The best, by far, of the 1950s end of the world themed films. One thing, however, has alway confused me. In the final scene between Peck and Gardner, he says the boat is across the bay at the fuel depot. Why would a nuclear powered sub need to be at the fuel depot?
brokenword666 2 years ago
Easy. When Garnder shows up, it appears that the submarine has gone, and he has remained behind. It's pure theater. How else to setup her opening line: "You're not going, you're not going..." ?
pdxdefatty 1 year ago
This was a misconception Nevil Schute had about Nuclear Subs (probably shared by many in the late 1950's) - he speaks about fuel being "prepared" for and supplied to the sub.
However...., nuclear submarines still have auxiliary diesel engines, and maybe they wanted some fuel for that.
wardenphil 1 year ago
broken... good point, esp as this sub shown is not a nuclear sub... I think there would have been other subs from other navies showing up there too... Awesome , awesome movie... extremely troubling..
irish89055 1 year ago
I like the way he just tosses the screwdriver away.
gclure 2 years ago 9
Okay. I get it. Please don't mock the baby boomers, okay?
COSMOTOPPER777 2 years ago
@gclure
yeah, he was done with the illusion of survival... now he just wanted to hear the music of that race engine as he passed over...
perhaps we can all go that way, experiencing a bit of what made us most happy...
robertsgpa 1 week ago
I liked the way Peck took a look at the Sun before submerging.
gclure 2 years ago
Peck's best movie. I found him stilted and cold in most of his roles, but he's perfect for this role. Fred Astaire is quite good, too. For those too young to remember the Cold War, I can tell you as someone who was 9 during the Cuban Missile Crisis (which was 3 years after this movie was made) that the threat of thermonuclear annihilation was real enough at the time.
needles8 2 years ago 2
This movie is great, it has a very important message for all of us, plus the soundtrack is great!
flakfanatic 2 years ago
And "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"; both great songs--Is there still time, brother?
RPenta 2 years ago
I loved the movie . The only place I could find it was at the public library. It was interesting to read the rave reviews the film received from Russia.
ttyradio 2 years ago
This was a great movie with an all star cast. Love the clip you choose!!
scifi707 2 years ago 4
Thanks for the post. More people need to see this film. It's perhaps more compelling today than it was in 1959. (Caveat, today, we may have already run past the tipping point...)
COSMOTOPPER777 2 years ago 4
What I find mostly pathetic about this movie is the fishing scene where a group of men act like a bunch of idiots singing that stupid cornball song over & over!!
mlaura40s 2 years ago
You are so right. That scene is creepy bad. The other horrible scene is the final scene with Tony Perkins and Donna Anderson, where she finally agrees to "drink the tea". It's the same scene really as the earlier one with the Admiral, and his spinster assistant, "Osgood", which is really quite good. Two big flaws, but I like this film so much, I overlook them (kinda like we overlook the mistakes our children make, right?). Thx for the post!
COSMOTOPPER777 2 years ago
@COSMOTOPPER777 you are creepy bad along with mlaura. Obviously you don't understand that "cornball" song is almost another anthem for Australia and a beautiful piece of music. The use of it throughout this movie is masterful and epic. Regarding the fishing scene, it was also over your heads and I won't gon here except to say the scene with Perkins and his wife is incredible and more disturbing than your insensibilities..
irish89055 1 year ago
@irish89055 If I offended anyone, I apologize. But under the circumstances, I'd say your lecture as to the qualities of this wonderful song (and this remarkable arrangement) is misdirected. I've probably listened to 30 or 40 different versions of WM on-line, and saved at least 10 of them for my personal collection. Slim Dusty, Seekers (tribute to Aussie troops version), Bachelor Girl, a tribute to Steve Irwin...all of them inspiring. I didn't happen to like the drunk-version...so what?
COSMOTOPPER777 1 year ago
A really great movie that never really got it's due.
hoesey 2 years ago
great ending classic peck was the man
5678simon 2 years ago
classic
peck4111 2 years ago
COSMOTOPPER777: I agree. That last look skywards by Gregory Peck is quite the most heartbreaking scene I have ever seen (Ava Gardner looking out from the cliff is great too)!
Thank you for the clip!
nuggitsme 2 years ago 11
that is wonderful. The fact that his features are almost totally hid, then the quick look up, his face is lighted, then shadows again. Really a masterful touch.
springgoose 2 years ago
@nuggitsme And if you watch the movie's opening scenes, there's a long shot where you'll see Peck emerge from the conning tower and look at the sky. It's a strangely symmetrical touch. There's also the stoic look on the Salvation Army captain's face in his last shot, which is echoed by the statue of the ANZAC soldier from the Great War.
BillThompson1955 1 year ago
@nuggitsme The last look Mr Peck gives the world before going down is so moving .
SirChezarie 3 months ago
oh this is a wonderful movie. It begins with Peck looking into the periscope and you see everything in the man's face: concern, responsibility, details, tiredness. I like the scene where Greg takes Ava to a fishing camp. There are a bunch of drunks singing, guess what song, and sounding like a bunch of drunks. But when Peck and Gardner get serious, the harmony tightens and gosh do they sound great. Wonderful scene.
radioflyer52 2 years ago
Since this clip is about the music, I left out the final scene with Tony Perkins persuading "Mary" (Donna Anderson) to "drink the tea". (It follows the Peck/Gardner romantic farewell at the dock in the film.) IMHO, that scene interrupts the flow of the ending in a very uncomfortable way, and I wonder if Stanley Kramer ever considered cutting it. Best moment for me is when Gregory Peck takes a last look at the sky before closing the hatch and the boat submerges. A great film any way you cut it.
COSMOTOPPER777 2 years ago
People who are younger than baby boomers probably won't see how deeply this movie resonates. When I was growing up, many young people just assumed that they would die in a nuclear war. It was always in the back of your mind.
Rick28206 2 years ago
So true. The irony is: nuclear weapons seem to have stabilized the behavior of super-powers long enough for us to self-destruct by our unrestrained consumption of natural resources and destruction of vital eco-systems. As the closing frame of the movie tells us: "There's Still Time Brother", (but not very much).
COSMOTOPPER777 2 years ago
Excellent comment, and how very true it will become in the coming years.
jlambe19 2 years ago
Unfortunately, Waltzing Matilda is NOT a popular scoring by Symphony Orchestras. I have looked for such for over a decade now... no luck. Earnest Gold's scoring is the best Ive found so far. I believe it had been recorded.
maitrejim 2 years ago
If you google the film "On the Beach" there's an interesting back-story surrounding the selection of WM as the musical center of the film. Ernest Gold really wanted to do an original score, but the director insisted that he use it (some would say too much). It's really the only orchestral version I know of, and beautifully rendered by Gold. The ending of this film is one of the most poingniant I know of, due mostly to the beautiful scoring of this great ballad.
COSMOTOPPER777 2 years ago
I remember the missile crisis in 1962. Between global warming, the breakneck pace of species extinction, and the growing potential for nuclear conflict in the Middle East, this hits home today more than ever.
pdxdefatty 2 years ago