MovieChat Forums > A Day at the Beach Discussion > A Sad Movie, for Many Reasons

A Sad Movie, for Many Reasons

posted 15 years ago by gnolti
2 replies | jump to latest

The subject: A man -- presumably divorced -- gets to take his crippled but spirited little girl to a beachfront resort for a day, winds up getting soused, and screws up everything. (The ending is difficult to watch.)

The director: Simon Hesera's fine 1970 debut film was unfortunately his last.

The screenwriter: This would have been Polanski's first complete film project since the murder of his wife and unborn child the previous year, and the anguish and pathos are tangible in every turn of the script.

One bright spot: Peter Sellers' hilarious cameo as a gay salesman.

There, daddy, do I get a gold star?

[–] orkneyfudge 12 years ago

I agree. An uncomfortable but ultimately rewarding film.

Hard to imagine something so low-key and depressing being given funding nowadays.

[–] solex10 9 years ago

It would be made and released independently through a company like E1 Entertainment, or released through the boutique divisions of the major Hollywood studios (Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Paramount Vantage, Focus Features, etc.) so it's wrong to say that it wouldn't be made today (although it wouldn't get a big release.)