I thought the sight of the uniformed Boy Scout troop marching through the creek in the fishing scene was ludicrous. The last weekend in full health for most everyone in the area, and a bunch of young boys are going to leave their parents and families for the weekend (and dress up in full uniform)?
shareWho knows how anyone would react in the face of impending doom. The movie suggests that Australians, at least, believed continuing with their normal routine was best. And they really did not know precisely when the lethal radiation would arrive. Dwight [Peck] even stated later in the picture, "This thing is coming faster than we thought." What should they be doing with dwindling resources and an unknown number of days or weeks remaining? Other than planning for a more painless death, most followed their normal patterns.
Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You were the best.
The book makes it clear that everyone pretty much knows this will be the final weekend in full health for most people; in fact, John Osborne even says this in response to a question from Peter regarding if many people would be coming out to the Grand Prix that final weekend. I'm not sure if the movie makes this clear; in fact, some posters on this board have said that the movie doesn't do the book justice.
shareI must confess to not remembering the timing of the radiation onset in the book -- I've read it, but not within the last 3 decades. The movie I still occasionally catch on TV, so its story-line is much fresher in my mind. In the movie nobody knows when the radiation will reach Melbourne, and it definitely catches them off-guard with its earlier than expected arrival. As I recall, the movie definitely made significant changes from the book, not the least of which was substituting either San Francisco or San Diego for Seattle.
Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You were the best.