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Features: DVD
There are many stories told in The Sand Pebbles. It's the story of China, a slumbering giant that rouses itself to the cries of its people--and of the Americans who are caught in its bloody awakening. It's the story of Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a crewman aboard the U.S.S. San Pablo who kidnaps his Chinese bride from the auction block. Most of all, it's the story of Jake Holman (Steve McQueen), a sailor who has given up trying to make peace with anything--including himself. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for McQueen, The Sand Pebbles blends explosive action with stirring drama and romance to form "engrossing entertainment of a special and memorable sort." (The Hollywood Reporter)
"Considered one of McQueen's best perfromances, blending action and romance." VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever
"McQueen gives one of his finest performances." Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"Powerful and spectacular...McQueen at his finest." The Motion Picture Guide
Editor's Note
One of the most exciting and heart-wrenching epics ever made, THE SAND PEBBLES is a masterpiece of storytelling, with exceptional performances by a stellar cast. The complex tale begins simply enough in 1926 China, where a group of American soldiers are patrolling the Yangtze River on a gunboat called the San Pablo. The crew members, who call themselves Sand Pebbles, includes Jake Holman (Steve McQueen), a dispassionate but capable navy machinist, and his only friend, Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a sailor in love with an English-educated Chinese girl, Maily (Marayat Andriane), who has been sold into prostitution. Strong feelings of nationalism have been sweeping through China, however, and when Chiang Kai-shek moves against the feudal warlords, the United States decides to treat the upheaval as a civil war, and the San Pablo is ordered to confine its function to protection of American civilians in the area. Included among them are Mr. Jameson (Larry Gates), a missionary, and Shirley Eckert (Candice Bergen), a schoolteacher with whom Jake falls in love. Soon Jake finds himself in the middle of an international military crisis when his native assistant, Po-han (Mako), is brutally tortured in an attempt to draw the San Pablo's fire, and the boat's inexperienced and prideful captain (Richard Crenna) wants to give his humiliated ship and disgraced crew a chance for glory. THE SAND PEBBLES--with its expert cinematography, moving score, and riveting locations--is a memorable viewing experience brought to life by the multitalented director Robert Wise.
Plot Summary
An exceptional performance by Steve McQueen as a crew member of an American gunboat caught in a foreign struggle in post-World War I China highlights this thrilling tale. As tensions arise between the ready crew and their inexperienced captain, one of the sailors embarks on a doomed romance with an Asian woman. Academy Award Nominations: 8, including Best Picture, Best Actor--Steve McQueen.
| Features | Commentary by Robert Wise, Candice Bergen & Mako | | 2 Radio Documentaries | | 3 Radio Spots | | English 4.0 Surround & Stereo | | Widescreen Version | | English Subtitles | | Spanish Subtitles | | Still Photo Gallery | | Scene Access | | Interactive Menus | | French Mono |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 5/15/2001 |
| Running Time: 179 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1966 | | Catalog ID: 2001308 | | UPC: 00024543013082 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1967) | | | Steve McQueen, Nominee, Best Actor | | | William Kiernan, et al., Nominee, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration | | | Joseph MacDonald, Nominee, Best Color Cinematography | | | William Reynolds, Nominee, Best Film Editing | | | Jerry Goldsmith, Nominee, Best Music, Original Score | | | James Corcoran, Nominee, Best Sound | |
Golden Globe (1967) |  | Richard Attenborough, Winner, Best Supporting Actor | | | Steve McQueen, Nominee, Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture-Drama | | | Robert Wise, Nominee, Best Motion Picture Director | | | Jerry Goldsmith, Nominee, Best Original Score | | | Robert Anderson, Nominee, Best Screenplay | | | Mako, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor |
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"Steve McQueen's greatest and only Oscar-nominated performance came in THE SAND PEBBLES....The movie is one of the most uncompromised blockbusters in Hollywood history..." 05/25/2001 p.5EUncut
"Marvelous photography..." 07/01/2005 p.142 |
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