A very different vision of the Apocalypse is portrayed in my favorite end-of-the-world movie, On The Beach (1959). Directed by Stanley Kramer and with a cast that includes Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, pre-Psycho Tony Perkins and an incredible performance by Fred Astaire, of all people, it one of the most haunting movies I've ever seen. Even now as I think about the movie I can't get the strains of "Waltzing Matilda" out of my head. Incredibly moving and incredibly depressing.