The Sand Pebbles (1966)

Following the success of The Sound of Music, director Robert Wise chose to film Robert McKenna's prize-winning 1962 novel, The Sand Pebbles--an ambitious choice for a director at the peak of his career. Shot in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the film combines historical sweep and intimate human drama in several parallel stories, all revolving around U.S. Navy machinist's mate Jake Holman (Steve McQueen). Holman is a skillful but fiercely independent sailor who joins the "sand pebble" crew of the U.S.S. San Pablo, a Navy gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River on the eve of the Chinese revolution in 1926. The San Pablo's inexperienced captain (Richard Crenna) obsessively defends the Navy's mission--however unnecessary or unwanted--to protect American missionaries and businessmen, blind to the more dangerous implications of American involvement with China's opposing political factions.

Holman is a defiant voice of humanity in this clash between outmoded values and inevitable change; his final line of dialogue ("What the hell happened?") is a tragic summation of misguided policy, expressing the film's criticism of the Vietnam War. Rather than preach, however, Wise lets McKenna's potent drama emerge from finely-drawn relationships--between Holman and a young American teacher (19-year-old Candice Bergen, in her second film); between Holman and the Chinese "coolie" (Mako) whose heartbreaking fate transcends all issues of racial or political difference; and between crewmate "Frenchy" Burgoyne (Richard Attenborough) and the Chinese woman he's sworn to love and protect at all costs. Combined with the film's colorful supporting cast, adventurous scope, and climactic battle scenes, these personal dynamics bring substance and spirit to a complex story of good intentions gone awry. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com Review

They don't make them like this anymore!

A great adventure movie with a little romance thrown in. Great for any history buff that knows about fuedal China in the 1920's. December 24, 2008

Great epic/adventure/romance

The Sand Pebbles is a Steve McQueen vehicle, no doubt one of his best movies, but it is also the unacknowledged epic of the sixties, when the genre began to decline as a mere Hollywood spectacle and was becoming a more thoughtful, more complext adventure that took on momentous themes--like the emergence of China as an independent country and world power. Add Candice Bergen, at her freshest, Richard Attenborough emerging as a key figure in movies, and several Hollywood veterans, like Richard Crenna, and you have a mix that offers both entertainment and a thoughtfully staged adventure, replete with exotic locales, suspenseful clashes, and a gripping ending. Longish, but nearly flawlessly directed by Robert Wise. The blu-ray edition restores it to its original glory. November 22, 2008

Movie: 3.75/5 Picture Quality: 4.25/5 Sound Quality: 3.25/5 Extras: 4/5

Version: U.S.A / Region A
Title: The Sand Pebbles
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-2 BD-50
Running time: 3:02:33
Movie size: 33,29 GB
Disc size: 39,45 GB
Average video bit rate: 18.02 Mbps
DTS-HD Master 5.1 3705Kbps (48kHz/24-bit) English
DD AC3 4.0 320Kbps English
DD AC3 1.0 224Kbps English / French / Spanish
Subtitles: English / Spanish / Cantonese / Korean

Special Features

#Cast and Crew Commentary
#Isolated Film Score and Commentary
#The Making of The Sand Pebbles (SD, 64 minutes)
#Side Bars (SD, 34 minutes)
#1966 (SD, 27 minutes)
#Road Show Scenes (SD, 14 minutes)
#Radio Documentaries and Production Photos (20 minutes)
#Trivia Track
#Radio Spots (2 minutes) September 14, 2008

Sand Pebbles

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I had never seen it before. As a former Navy man, I enjoyed that aspect too. That was an interesting time in history. I really appreciated the Special Feature with the commentary by Robert Wise, Richard Crenna, Mako, and Candace Bergen. I have watched it several times. It gives a whole new appreciation for the detail that went into the movie. September 7, 2008

Cracker jack

I had forgotten how great this movie was so seeing it again made my day. Steve McQueen wasn't the first choice for his part, but he was a 10+. Worth every $$$. Hope you enjoy. July 18, 2008

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