A Day at the Beach

A Day at the Beach is a British 1970 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.

Set in a rundown Danish seaside resort, it depicts a day in the life of Bernie, a self-destructive alcoholic (played by Mark Burns), as he takes Winnie (Beatie Edney), a young girl with a leg brace, to the resort despite constant rain. Though Winnie calls Bernie "uncle," it is very likely he is 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. Peter Sellers makes a cameo appearance as a gay shopkeeper who flirts with Bernie.

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.

The film is available on DVD in the U.S from Code Red DVD.