On the Beach (1959 film)

On the Beach is a 1959 American blackandwhite postapocalyptic science fiction drama film from United Artists, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins. The film is based on Nevil Shutes 1957 novel of the same name depicting a nuclear war and its aftermath. Unlike the novel, no blame is placed on whoever started the war it is hinted in the film that the threat of annihilation may have arisen from an accident for example, a fault in a few vacuum tubes or transistor circuits, as in the similarly themed 1964 film FailSafe.

One scientists theory is that the radiation level near the Arctic Ocean could be lower than that found at the midNorthern Hemisphere, which might indicate the radiation could disperse before reaching the Southern Hemisphere. The theory is to be explored along with the submarines main mission. After sailing to Point Barrow, Alaska, they determine that radiation levels are, on the contrary, intensifying.Near San Diego, the ships communications officer, in a radiation and oxygen suit, is sent ashore to a power station. He discovers the mysterious signal is the result of a tilted CocaCola bottle having been suspended by its neck with an open windows shade pull cord the shade then fluttering from random ocean breezes, and the suspended bottles weight tapping out random signals on a live telegraph key. Using proper Morse Code, the officer sends a message describing the situation and then returns to the sub. ........

Source: Wikipedia