A Day at the Beach

A Day at the Beach is a 1970 British film based on the 1962 book Een dagje naar het strand by Dutch author Heere Heeresma. The screenplay was written by Roman Polanski, who was originally intended to be the director, although most of the direction was finally done by first-timer Simon Hesera.

Plot
Set in a rundown Dutch seaside resort, it depicts a day in the life of Bernie, a self-destructive alcoholic, as he takes Winnie, a young girl with a leg brace, to the resort despite constant rain. Though Winnie calls Bernie "uncle", he is likely her biological father. Over the course of the day, they encounter various people whom Bernie alternately berates and scams for alcohol, while Winnie is often left alone to fend for herself.

Cast

 * Mark Burns as Bernie
 * Beatie Edney as Winnie
 * Fiona Lewis as Melissa
 * Maurice Roëves as Nicholas
 * Jack MacGowran as Ticket Seller
 * Eva Dahlbeck as Café Proprietress
 * Thomas Heathcote as Dice Player (credited as Tom Heathcote)
 * Joanna Dunham as Tonie
 * Graham Stark as Pipi
 * Peter Sellers as Stallholder (credited as "A. Queen")

Release
The film was never released in theatres at the time of its completion, but has seen limited runs at film festivals since then. A small clip of the film appears in the documentary The Unknown Peter Sellers: Sellers himself has a cameo role as a small shop owner with his partner (played by Graham Stark), and both are homosexual. Sellers used the pseudonym "A. Queen" in the credits.

Restoration
The film spent two decades in a vault at Paramount in London and was restored in 1993 by its director and shown at the American Film Market. It had been lost due to a paperwork error.

Home media
The film is available on DVD in the U.S from Code Red DVD. It's available for streaming on Fandor.