I hadn't heard of this movie until I found it on the Criterion Channel. I aways liked Ray Milland, who also directs here. This is a small budget affair that tries its best to hide it. We don't see much of the atom bomb attack or any of LA. It's a bit like The Road, though it's not as harrowing.
Milland is a stern patriarch who does what it takes to keep his family alive. He anticipates how desperate and evil other people will become. Jean Hagen (wife) isn't ready for this. Frankie Avalon (son) - whose hair looks great even in the worst of times - is perhaps too ready for it. Mary Mitchel (the daughter) isn't much of a character.
I feel like if they made this today, it might be a softer film. More explicit, but softer. They'd try to either make Milland kinder or have him suffer for his hardness. In the early 60s, the lessons learned were more grim. Do what you gotta do to survive.
Milland is a stern patriarch who does what it takes to keep his family alive. He anticipates how desperate and evil other people will become. Jean Hagen (wife) isn't ready for this. Frankie Avalon (son) - whose hair looks great even in the worst of times - is perhaps too ready for it. Mary Mitchel (the daughter) isn't much of a character.
I feel like if they made this today, it might be a softer film. More explicit, but softer. They'd try to either make Milland kinder or have him suffer for his hardness. In the early 60s, the lessons learned were more grim. Do what you gotta do to survive.
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