The Sand Pebbles (1966)

An incredible and underrated movie. Simply the best this has ever looked.

I have to say that I love Steve McQueen's movies. The Getaway,Bullitt, The Cincinnati Kid, The Thomas Crown Affair, Nevada Smith, Hell Is For Heroes, The Great Escape, Papillon and many more films are in my library. This film is his most personal to me. It may not have been his most passionate film with car chases and motorcycles. But his acting was never more passionate than this.

This title is a HUGE improvement over the standard dvd. One thing about this film. I cant say what the director intended. Only he knows that. There is film grain throughout. This could very well be the way it was intended. As Speilberg presented aving Private Ryan. If that is the case....this title is dead on. Super clean, no scratches, blemishes at all. The skintones are right on the money. Facial expressions look very clean and detailed. The backgounds are very vivid and colorful. Everything is in focus. Overall....a very, very sharp and clean print. The blacks are awesome for a film this old. There are many films out there from just 10 to 15 years old with a very washed out and gray look to them. Cant say enough about this great movie.

The sound is nothing to get excited about. It does sound very clean, but even though this is a war movie, it is a drama, set during the war. If your looking for a boots on the ground movie like Platoon, it is not that kind of movie. So the sound does not play as big a picture for those who have super nice home theater sound systems. Buy this movie.......you cant do much better. If your a McQueen fan.......your in luck. Blu-Ray really shows this film for the first time in perfection. September 18, 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

Excellent Movie! Well Worth the time spent watching it.

David Arneson Previous Reviewer stated: "Good movie to show to the kids to let them see how crappy the 60s were for entertainment. ...kind of sparse on the special features."

I pity this poor man, apparently he wants nothing but special effects, computer-generated FX, explosions, etc. However, great actors and acting apparently don't fit his "style'.

He doesn't realize that some of the best movies of the 20th Century were made in the '60s, such as:
To Kill A Mockingbird, Dr. Stangelove, Fail Safe, The Longest Day, In Cold Blood, Psycho, 2001 - A Space Odyssey, Alfie, Bonnie & Clyde, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, Once Upon A Time In The West, The Manchurian Candidate, The Miracle Worker, In The Heat of The Night, The Great Escape, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Pink Panther, and so many more. Many of these movies have far betting acting and actors that what is available today.

I strongly suggest that people reading his review treat it with a grain of salt.
" The Sand Pebbles" is a great movie, one which garnered over EIGHT Academy Award Nominations! July 12, 2008

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