Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the Yangtze in the middle of exploited and revolution-torn 1926 China. His iconoclasm and...
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Title: The Sand Pebbles (1966)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Steve McQueen | ... | ||
| Richard Attenborough | ... | ||
| Candice Bergen | ... | ||
| Richard Crenna | ... | ||
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Emmanuelle Arsan | ... |
Maily
(as Marayat Andriane)
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Larry Gates | ... |
Jameson
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Charles Robinson | ... |
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Stawski
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Ford Rainey | ... |
Harris
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Bronson
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Joe Di Reda | ... |
Shanahan
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Richard Loo | ... |
Major Chin
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| Barney Phillips | ... |
Franks
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the Yangtze in the middle of exploited and revolution-torn 1926 China. His iconoclasm and cynical nature soon clash with the "rice-bowl" system which runs the ship and the uneasy symbiosis between Chinese and foreigner on the river. Hostility towards the gunboat's presence reaches a climax when the boat must crash through a river-boom and rescue missionaries upriver at China Light Mission. Written by Martin H. Booda <booda@datasync.com>
Taglines:
This is the heroic story of the men on the U.S.S. San Pablo who disturbed the sleeping dragon of savage China as the threatened world watched in breathless terror See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
20 December 1966 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El Yang-Tsé en llamas See more »Box Office
Budget:
$12,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Robert Wise Productions, Solar Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation See more »
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (BBFC submission before censorship) | (roadshow)Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)| Mono (35 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting and Ange Lorenzo
Lyrics by Ray Egan and Joseph R. Alden
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
When original composer Alex North fell ill, 20th Century Fox exercised their right to pull their contract composer Jerry Goldsmith from another studio's assignment- MGM's Grand Prix (1966). See more »Goofs
The Captain is shown on the bridge and behind him is shown a round black aluminum radar reflector. Radar had not been invented in 1926. See more »Crazy Credits
There is a credit for 'Diversions by Irving Schwartz' in tribute to a mysterious, unknown correspondent whose letters proved a morale booster to cast and crew during trying location work in Hong Kong and Taiwan. See more »Soundtracks
Sleepy Time Gal(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting and Ange Lorenzo
Lyrics by Ray Egan and Joseph R. Alden
See more »
STEVE McQUEEN makes a completely believable machinist's mate aboard a U.S. Navy gunboat who finds himself enmeshed in the politics of unrest that existed in 1926 China during the period of the Boxer Rebellion. It's probably one of the finest roles of his career--honest, vexating, and completely true to the emotions of his character whose only real concern is taking care of his engines.
There are plenty of other good performances. RICHARD CRENNA is the Captain, uncertain of just how the U.S./Chinese friction should be solved, and CANDACE BERGEN is lovely as a missionary who has a tender romance with McQueen.
The exotic locales (it was filmed mostly in Taiwan), the lush background score by Jerry Goldsmith, and the confrontation between the U.S. Navy and the Chinese authorities which supplies the necessary suspense before an action-filled climax, all serve to make THE SAND PEBBLES a fascinating look at a period in history that is seldom explored. And, of course, it raises questions as to our role in imperialism and our interaction with the culture of foreign countries that make the film relevant today.
It's a long film, rather uneven in places, but directed with rare sensitivity by Robert Wise and richly detailed period atmosphere.