This very peculiar movie, undoubtedly the most obscure in Roman Polanski's filmography, surfaced from its vault at Facets Multimedia in Chicago for a week's run a number of years ago. I don't believe it had ever been released before, and not too many people saw it in Chicago either. The extremely savvy film buff that I saw A Day at the Beach with hated the movie; but I, perhaps perversely, kind of liked it for its offbeatness and shabby atmosphere. Polanski wrote the screenplay and was originally set to direct this tale of a man wandering through a rundown British seaside resort and encountering odd characters. Although it can't be considered a major or fully successful piece of work, the movie deserves to be available. It continues to nag at my memory in a way that many better films don't. Its "lost" status lends a certain mystique to the film in and of itself, of course; we buffs are always intrigued by the fruit just out of reach.
Add a Review
-
mark_r_harris16 June 2000
-
nickrogers19697 January 2008It's amazing to have finally seen this lost film. Poor Mark Burns died this year without ever having seen the finished film! Why was it lost? It's quite good but I can understand that even if this film had a normal release in cinemas it would not have been a hit. It's too sad and tragic. The performances are great, tho. Mark Burns plays a sensitive soul who loves his daughter but loves his drink a little bit more. Beatie Edney is amazing. One of the best child performances I've seen. It's fantastic to see that she grew up to be an even greater actress as an adult. She was in a chilling part in the TV series Prime Suspect.
It's also nice to see the Danish beach where "A Day" was filmed and also to see the great Bergman actress Eva Dahlbeck in the small role of a café owner. -
twigbum998 June 2006This was a dark piece indeed. The original story was a Danish book, I believe. The name of the author escapes me. The other comments are correct. It was a bleak look at alcoholism but hauntingly accurate. I loved the film. Painful to watch yet truthful. The little girl was amazing. Peter Sellars was great & his gay partner, whose name I've forgotten, was another great British comedian. Probably the best piece of trivia is that his wife, Sharon Tate, and others, were murdered in California while Polanski was in England editing the movie at Twickenhan Studios, after shooting insert shots there. Polanski left Twickenham Studios that night when he heard about the murders & never returned to finish the film. Had he done so, I am sure the film would have been released properly & been worthy of standing by his other work. I would love to see this film released on DVD.
-
arbitre16 December 2008I recently had a look at the comments about this film. I am rather amazed that all of them attribute this movie to Roman Polanski. As IMDb writes it, this movie was directed by Simon Hesera, my late brother, and not Roman Polanski. It was his first major feature movie, saluted as a masterpiece by movie critics or other directors (such as Michelangelo Antonioni). Time has gone by, and for some unknown reason, in spite of the fact that Polanski is only mentioned as the one who adapted the story to the screen, the name of the director was skipped and the movie added to Polanski's curriculum. I was 17 years old and remember well the time when this film was made. Polanski, Peter Sellers and my late brother were all good friends and the movie was made "between friends". The story goes that my brother was given, with this sad movie and its tragic subject, a difficult first chance at directing a movie. Had he been given another subject, happier, funnier or more commercial, he would have made a hit and started a popular career as director, no less than Polanski's, who recognized my brother's genius.
-
TheFearmakers27 August 2021Ironically, while Roman Polanski was in Europe the same year The Manson Family would violently crash Sharon Tate's party, he was preparing for two movies with the word DAY in the title: scouting to direct THE DAY OF THE DOLPHIN while adapting an obscure Dutch novel for A DAY AT THE BEACH, a film so independent it feels like something more of the John Cassavates wheelhouse...
And this BEACH centers on a raving drunken British man's beeline trek through a mostly barren Danish beach tourist town during sporadic rain bursts, and instead of tourists are an abandoned lot of outdoor and indoor cafe or curio shop or liquor store or pub owners wherein he gets more intoxicated and thus more pontificating and moody along the way, mostly trying for as much drink for as little money possible: a kind of progressively-blasted human coupon...
The primary twist is he's not alone... Tagging along is his niece who's really his daughter from surly starting point ex Fiona Lewis, and while future HIGHLANDER beauty Beatie Edney is a good enough child actress, providing both realistic screaming tantrums and gaping toothless grins whenever needed, her mere existence is to underline just how flaky, downright selfish and dangerously neglectful Mark Burns's Bernie's traipsing-around plight really is...
For example, in one scene he's being hit-on by an openly gay/super effeminate storefront couple... one played capably by Peter Sellers billed as A. Queen; at the same time, right outside, little Winnie gets stuck in some netting along the beach's planked walkway... a path that winds through the sand in a location that's even more art-house from the incessant tempest...
It's never entirely clear what the actual plot or purpose is, but Burns's character is a terrific drunk that'd make Charles Bukowski envy with a mobile, existential life all mapped out, at one point telling a pretentious (passed-out) poet's sexy wife, "I'll be hungover tomorrow, but the next day meet me at noon at..."
As this lost-for-decades curio is, by the end, a dizzying odyssey by first time director Simon Hesera and, while frowned upon by writer/producer Polanski for lack of proper composition, it's through a rip-roaring drunkard's eyes that we're eyeing everything, so in actuality the location is more what the character experiences than the audience visualizes. -
samnaji-153831 December 2023Films about alcoholism are never going to be easy to watch, but what makes this film special is that we see the full effects of the selfishness and path to destruction alcoholics do to their loved ones.
If you have ever been in the presence of a drunk, when you are sombre yourself, you have probably seen the worst aspect of that person, which can often come across as either boring, bullying, or downright nasty. To the credit of this film and the excellent acting by Mark Burns, all of these characteristics are explored in the film. By the end of the film, your heart goes out to little Winnie (Beatie Edney) who deserves a far better dad, whom she believes is her uncle because of the shame that Bernie (Mark Burns) has brought onto his family.
This film has the otherworldiness that Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory suffers from. It features British actors, talking in English, but the film was done in Denmark. It kind of works in a weird parallel universe sort of way. It is not really important because the story counts more.
Anyone who has kids knows the dreaded feeling of trying to kill a day while finding ways to entertain them. So spending a rainy day at the beach just to get out of the house is something parents can relate to. The cameo of Peter Sellers (credited as A. Queen) and Graham Stark was light relief the film really needed because, from then on, it becomes a catalogue of distressing episodes as Bernie self-destructs.
The scene when the selfish parents join Bernie in the pub and leave the kids in the car says a lot about the 70s. Different times. A different world.
A powerful but sad film. I am glad I caught it on Netflix. -
GiraffeDoor29 February 2024Special in many ways before you even start watching, this miniature is not desperate to be liked and is in fact rather admirable for its commitment to being unlovely.
If you're wondering where they're going with this, then you may be disappointed; it is a snapshot of the miserable lives that play out in plain site when you truly don't care about anything but forgetting.
Often painful but not quite excruciating, this vision of a man living a day as if it might truly be his last in freedom though he seems anything but free in practice.
An exorcise in the pretentiousness of vulgar people always accompanied by a fairly agreeable child star.
Polanski seems like he can do no wrong in his writing of this. -
vanmunchen29 January 2009Despite being centred around English characters and attitudes and comprising mainly British actors, this off-beat film is set and filmed in Denmark which gives it an intriguing air of quirkiness. The film maintains interest, even if the main character is too prone to making lengthy theatrical speeches. Ultimately though, the film does not satisfy because whatever message the film is putting across is too obscure.
Technically the film is a bit disappointing. Scenes do not flow well and the dialogue sounds as if it was almost entirely post-dubbed (not surprising because the film was shot mainly on location in pouring rain). Other than interior scenes, the dialogue has an unpleasant "dead" studio sound.
Roman Polanski's script has similarities with the dialogue contained in some of his other off-beat films such as Knife in the Water, Cul-de-sac but the direction, by Simon Hesera, lacks the sort of flair and style which Polanski always brings to his films. -
gpanderson30 November 2005I saw this film at Pacific Cinematheque in Vancouver around 1994/95. The lead character is a pathetic drunk who takes his daughter for a day out. I believe it is set in a Danish seaside town. Certainly northern European of some sort. It is a series of episodes in a search for drinks, and the little girl ends up having to rescue her drunk dad. An allegory of life and the parent/ child relationship, perhaps. Peter Sellers is hilarious as a homosexual stall keeper. The atmosphere is relentlessly bleak, dark, ominous, and finally it rains. Could be depressing if the viewer has a family member similarly afflicted by alcoholism.
Too bad it is not available. Would love to see it again. -
planktonrules24 May 2010This film, as you'll read on IMDb, was misplaced for many years and was only recently discovered. It is perhaps because it was rather unceremoniously released on DVD that would account for no closed captioning or DVD captions--a problem if you are hearing impaired. And, in addition, there are no special features--just a reasonably high quality print of the movie.
As for the film, it's only the sort of movie a film snob would enjoy. People who go into raptures when they hear the word 'Polanski' will no doubt watch this film, whereas those who don't recognize him or only think of him as a dirty old man will likely never see this unimposing piece in the first place. Plus, it isn't exactly a pleasant film and is the sort of thing few non-devotees would chose in the first place. It takes a very unusual person to seek out this film. I picked it only because it featured a strange cameo by Peter Sellers as a very flamboyant gay man--and I'd watch anything with Sellers in it (though I must admit that his films vary tremendously in quality--particularly late in his career).
"A Day at the Beach" is a rather grim and simple tale of an incredibly irresponsible jerk who takes his niece for a day. While this little girl idolizes him, he's obviously an alcoholic, deals with underworld types, is a habitual liar and has few, if any, qualities you can admire. He seems like a great portrait of a sociopath--a very unambitious and weasel-like sociopath. And, oddly, unlike a normal film, there doesn't appear to be much of a plot--just a rambling series of events and encounters on a rainy day by the sea. The uncle loses the girl repeatedly, cheats many people, drinks a lot and only seems to sporadically care about his young charge. In his own weird way, he does care--but he's very, very, very limited in this and every other respect.
Overall, the film is well acted and well made...but also thoroughly unpleasant and difficult to enjoy. While not as unpleasant as films like "Leaving Las Vegas" or "Faces of Death", it is hard to watch and is rewarding only to a small and very select audience. As for me, I just wanted to see more Peter Sellers and just wanted the film to end after a while--it was like watching a very slow-motion train wreck.
By the way, regardless of what you'll think of the thing, you have to admire the perseverance of the actors on such a grueling shoot. Every second of it is wet, wet, wet! It's pretty sad, then, that this piece sat on the shelves for so long--Mark Burns and Beatie Edney, among others, went through hell for this movie and they must have had to have fought illness and mold as a result of the almost constant wetness they endured. And actually, while I think about it, I am surprised that anyone would allow or subject a young child to such shooting conditions.
By the way, I was really confused as all the main actors seemed to be Brits but it was obviously filmed in Scandinavia. It is a bit odd. -
manuel-pestalozzi11 February 2008As 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. -
malcolmgsw21 June 2023In the 1960s this country was the place for American companies. They made many films,often with untried talent. The problem was that most of these films were box office failure. Added to this many of their home produced blockbusters bombed led to the companies Golding their tents and returning home.
This film typifies the sort of set indulgent rubbish that was being made at this time. No wonder it was never released. Conveniently forgotten about for 20years.
You have to feel sympathy for Beattie Edney,,daughter of Sylvia Simms,for having to suffer in the awful conditions. It's surprising that she went on with her career after this. -
christopher-underwood4 September 2008Being a great fan of European cinema in the early 60s, I loved Polanski's, Knife in the Water, Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac but was initially very disappointed with the full on colour film, Rosemary's Baby. Having now seen the most impressive A Day At The Beach which should have been released before Rosemary's Baby, I would certainly have been happier back then if the order of release had not been so drastically changed by circumstances. This great little film is much more akin to the director's early b/w features, although this is in colour, and is bleak indeed. Seemingly shot in a single day in the pouring rain on some desolate Danish beach we spend some time with a little girl and her 'uncle' who spends most of the time trying to get another drink. Despicable, though the lead often appears, there is an palpable bond between the two and it is quite startling that when others try to relate to the child, our hero seems peerless. Fascinating, dark and with a brilliant performance from the young girl, this also has some surprisingly horrific sequences (not counting the true horror of Graham Stark as some horrible underling of a gay Peter sellers!). Well worth searching out.
-
robbie_dobbie3 November 2019It's dark, but it's almost as accurate as it could be. in my own opinion. I've personal experience of the main storyline subjects such (alcohol, contempt for most other humans etc) and particularly the self-destruction. for me the story depicts a young man who was deeply neglected and possibly abused as a child. At least a lack of empathy or caring from parents and others in that childhood.
Great movie. Do watch it while it's available. It is well worth it. -
ebbemoa24 June 2021It is a great movie who shows how a day could look like for a alcholic person. I really thinks the movie understand how difficuld alcholic could be. I would love to givit a 10 but I can't because I do not found it funny because it to dark so you could not laugh.
-
Gymnopedies12 January 2024A Day at the Beach (1970) is the very definition of an unknown lost masterpiece. The screenplay was written by Roman Polanski, and contained a brief cameo appearance by Peter Sellers. Bernie, who is an extremely articulate and perceptive but self-destructive alcoholic, is looking after his young niece Winnie, who is in constant pain due to her leg. Essentially, the film is set over the course of one day at a seaside resort, and we witness the self-destructive behaviour of the uncle by means of alcohol. What makes the set of circumstances even more horrific is that the poor little niece is witnessing this behaviour, and will truly be scarred by the destruction of her beloved uncle. The subject matter is extremely unpleasant that it subsequently never attracted a mass audience. A poster that would convey a form of melancholy, the atmosphere of the film is relentlessly bleak, dark, foreboding, and ultimately very tragic. The performance of the little girl is brilliant, and also is the performance of the uncle. While ultimately very grim, it does capture the horrors of addiction and alcoholism better than most.