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).
