A Day at The Beach (Roman Polanski, Mark Burns, June 2025)

[Nitroes]

A Day at the Beach [fan trailer] - YouTube

Fan trailer

If ever there was a 'lost' film needing Blu-ray love it's this.

One of my little gem favourites and been badly mistreated for decades.

The DVDs have always been an abomination and usually stickered with "POLANSKI'S LOST FILM". Although -legally- his name doesn't appear as director I don't think he's ever said it's not his film he just didn't want anything to do with it. He left during filming (Manson Family had murdered his pregnant wife in California) and never returned leaving the producers to finish the film.

Terribly poor versions have been on YouTube for years although last year there was a '4K' version which looked better but maybe it was some hack AI job.

That new artwork (taken from the poster in France) looks great too.


This is the first Indicator release I've pre-ordered for a few years. it looks like they got input from the producer's son so the booklet could be a good read. I'd be interested to know where the film elememts have been for over 50 years. Maybe we'll get a truer picture too of the film's production.

Blu-ray.com news:

A Day at the Beach

Mark Burns (Death in Venice) and Beatrice Edney (Highlander) star in A Day at the Beach, a downbeat tale of alcoholism written by Roman Polanski (Chinatown), produced by regular Polanski collaborator Gene Gutowski (Cul-de-Sac, The Pianist), and shot by celebrated cinematographer Gilbert Taylor (Repulsion, Star Wars).

When Bernie (Burns) takes a little girl, Winnie (Edney) – who may or may not be his niece or perhaps daughter – for a trip to a decrepit Danish seaside town on a day of heavy rain, he sets about cajoling the locals in a desperate quest for alcohol, leaving his young charge to fend for herself.

The sole feature-film credit for director Simon Hesera, A Day at the Beach received scant distribution at the time of its production, but – after having been lost for decades – it was eventually revived and re-released to critical acclaim, with audiences particularly interested to discover the charismatic cameo appearances by British comedy legends Peter Sellers (The Blockhouse, Hoffman) and Graham Stark (The Wrong Box).

Special Features and Technical Specs:

NEW 4K RESTORATION by Powerhouse Films
Two presentations of the film: the original cut, newly restored (82 mins); and the extended version, presented from a Standard Definition master (84 mins)
Original mono audio
Dancing Before the Enemy: How a Teenage Boy Fooled the Nazis and Lived (2015): feature-length documentary on producer Gene Gutowski, directed by his son Adam Bardach, in which he vividly recalls his experiences as a Jewish teenager in Poland during WWII
Behind the Camera: Gil Taylor (1993): archival documentary by Richard Blanshard on the great cinematographer featuring interviews with Taylor, Polanski, and filmmaker Anthony Minghella
New English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Limited edition exclusive booklet with new essay by Michał Oleszczyk, a compilation of trade journal reports on the film's production, interviews with director Simon Hesera at the time of the film's 1993 re-release, an overview of critical responses, and full film credits

https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/pr...t-the-beach-le

https://hmv.com/store/film-tv/blu-ra...y-at-the-beach
https://www.rarewaves.com/products/5...imited-edition
https://planetofentertainment.com/a-...mited-edition/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F22KQ3HZ/

[Indicator]

Originally Posted by Nitroes

The DVDs have always been an abomination and usually stickered with "POLANSKI'S LOST FILM". Although -legally- his name doesn't appear as director I don't think he's ever said it's not his film he just didn't want anything to do with it. He left during filming (Manson Family had murdered his pregnant wife in California) and never returned leaving the producers to finish the film.

There's been some ill-informed auteurist mythmaking about this, but the prosaic facts are that Polanski was hired by his regular producer Gene Gutowski to adapt Heere Heeresma's eponymous 1962 novel as a project for his close friend Simon Hesera (a successful commercials director) to turn into his feature directing debut.

Polanski's name doesn't "legally" appear as director because the film's director between the signing of the contract and delivery of the final cut was Simon Hesera, and no other arrangement was ever envisaged. Not least because Polanski simply wouldn't have had the time, because he was prepping Downhill Racer as his follow-up to Rosemary's Baby, a project that ultimately ended up being handled by Michael Ritchie.

So the film is no more Polanski's than, say, Innocent Sorcerers and Knife in the Water are Jerzy Skolimowski's.

[Nitroes]

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good myth.

Thanks for the comments that's very interesting. The myth has certainly had oxygen over the years because Polanski has never actually said he never directed it and it's been a 'lost film' for over 50 years.

Looking forward to reading or hearing more about the film's history.

I've ordered it with Carnal Knowledge that's two very exciting releases so well done to the team for getting the films.

Variety: Polanski pic found in Par vault

Some old DVDs:

[Olmo]

Originally Posted by Nitroes

The DVDs have always been an abomination and usually stickered with "POLANSKI'S LOST FILM". Although -legally- his name doesn't appear as director I don't think he's ever said it's not his film he just didn't want anything to do with it. He left during filming (Manson Family had murdered his pregnant wife in California) and never returned leaving the producers to finish the film.

Bugliosi's Helter Skelter and Tom O'Neill's Chaos; The Truth Behind the Manson Murders both state that Polanski was in England prepping Day of the Dolphin.

[Indicator]

Originally Posted by Nitroes

Don't let the facts get in the way of a good myth.

Thanks for the comments that's very interesting. The myth has certainly had oxygen over the years because Polanski has never actually said he never directed it and it's been a 'lost film' for over 50 years.

He makes it very clear in his 1984 autobiography that he was purely a screenwriter for hire and that Simon Hesera was the intended director from the start. Which tallies with all the other recorded facts about the film. He was present on the set purely because it was being made by old friends of his and he presumably fancied a trip to Copenhagen.

And he's barely talked about any aspect of the film outside that book, very likely because of the truly hideous associations that it now inadvertently has - he was writing it when Krzysztof Komeda died, and it was in production when he received news about the Manson murders.

It's also not the only film on which he was a writer for hire - he also wrote Aimez-vous les femmes (aka A Taste for Women, 1964) and Le Bâteau sur l'herbe (aka The Boat on the Grass, 1971), the latter directed by his long-term writing partner Gérard Brach.

[Nitroes]

Simon Hesera, on the set of A Day at The Beach

If a mod could please add "Simon Hesera" in front of Polanski's name in the title that would be great. Thanks.

[I can change it but it doesn't appear].

Hopefully, this release will correct the misconceptions and it'll be a nice touch for Hesera's relatives and the film's history.

[Indicator]

Final specs, including additional extras:

[Nitroes]

Got mine! Image is breathtaking, it's incredible to think all these years we've had video that's totally shite and then we get this.

Well done to all those involved getting this beautiful release out.

[Douglas R]

This is worth getting if only for the remarkable documentary about Gene Gutowski.

[Indicator]

Originally Posted by Douglas R

This is worth getting if only for the remarkable documentary about Gene Gutowski.

Yes, that was a real find, and we were thrilled to be able to license it.

Its production was particularly well timed because Gutowski died less than two years after it was made, and it wouldn't have been the same without him telling his own incredible story directly on camera after keeping so much of it bottled up for decades.

[Nitroes]

Reviewed by Dr. Svet https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/A-Day...384636/#Review

Nice.