Movies - TV
The Pre-Kubrick Sci-Fi Classic That Left Its Mark On Ridley Scott
By DEBOPRIYAA DUTTA
Although Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” was a game changer for him, Ridley Scott’s earliest sci-fi inspiration actually comes from a pre-Kubrickian classic, “On the Beach.” Directed by Stanley Kramer, the film delves into the aftermath of a deadly nuclear war that leads to mass human extinction.
“On the Beach” tells the story of Capt. Dwight Towers’ (Gregory Peck) final submarine mission after a Morse code transmission that may offer humanity’s final hope. It follows the bleak consequences of atomic warfare and the final moments of the main characters as they face their inevitable end.
Time and again, Scott has taken inspiration from the themes of “On the Beach,” such as the transience of human existence and the simultaneous beauty and terror of life. Of course, he often infuses alien beings and AI into the mix, in true Kubrick fashion.