In 1926, a U.S. Naval engineer gets assigned to a gunboat on a rescue mission in war-torn China.
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Steve McQueen | ... | Jake Holman | |
| Richard Attenborough | ... | Frenchy Burgoyne | |
| Richard Crenna | ... | Captain Collins | |
| Candice Bergen | ... | Shirley Eckert | |
| Emmanuelle Arsan | ... | Maily (as Marayat Andriane) | |
| Mako | ... | Po-han | |
| Larry Gates | ... | Jameson | |
| Charles Robinson | ... | Ensign Bordelles | |
| Simon Oakland | ... | Stawski | |
| Ford Rainey | ... | Harris | |
| Joe Turkel | ... | Bronson | |
| Gavin MacLeod | ... | Crosley | |
 |
Joe Di Reda | ... | Shanahan (as Joseph di Reda) |
| Richard Loo | ... | Major Chin | |
| Barney Phillips | ... | Franks | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (110) »
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>
Plot Keywords:
year 1926 | gunboat | yangtze river | warship | cultural misunderstanding |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 »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for violence and sexual material | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
20 December 1966 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El Yang-Tsé en llamas See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$12,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more 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)| 4-Track StereoColor:
Color (Color by Deluxe)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
Jake Holman: Valve.
Po-han: Wow.
Jake Holman: Valve.
Po-han: Wow.
[points to valve, more emphatically]
Po-han: Wow.
Jake Holman: Yeah, okay... wow.
[pointing to another valve]
Jake Holman: Main steam stop valve.
[...]
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting and Ange Lorenzo
Lyrics by Ray Egan and Joseph R. Alden
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Opening scenes were shot on the battleship U.S.S. Texas in Houston, Texas. These shots of Machinist Mate First Class Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) transferring off the battleship did not make it into the final print. See more »Goofs
Upon seeing the boom in the river, the Captain (Richard Crenna) leans forward grabbing the forward handrail. In the next scene, he again leans forward grabbing the forward handrail. See more »Quotes
[Jake Holman (Machinist Mate 1st Class ) teaching Po-han (Engine Room coolie) the engine room]Jake Holman: Valve.
Po-han: Wow.
Jake Holman: Valve.
Po-han: Wow.
[points to valve, more emphatically]
Po-han: Wow.
Jake Holman: Yeah, okay... wow.
[pointing to another valve]
Jake Holman: Main steam stop valve.
[...]
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 »Alternate Versions
The original "roadshow" version ran 196 minutes; later cut to its present length (182 minutes) for its general release. The roadshow version was included in a 2007 special edition DVD release, which provided the first viewing of this version since the original 1966 release. 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 »
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What a powerful story! It's hard to believe this epic movie - three hours in length - was nominated for eight Academy Awards and came away with nothing. It seems unjust. Well, not everything is "just" in this dramatic story, either. Good people die, bad people live. Incredible joy and sorrow are but a few minutes away. The story is well-told and thus keeps your attention, is well-acted and is nicely- filmed.
My only complaint was the last 13 minutes when the film got a little too political and, of course, tilted to the Left as films tend to do. Otherwise, I throughly enjoyed the experience of watching this long movie, and sorry I didn't watch this years ago. Well, better late than never, is all I can say. This movie is worthy of any serious film collector's attention.
Robert Wise directed and he did a fabulous job. I just love some of the shots and camera angles in this widescreen production, which was done justice in a recently--released two- disc DVD. The cinematography was by Joseph MacDonald. I'm sorry he didn't win an Oscar.
The story has something for everyone: several action scenes, two romances, a little humor, some flag waving and flag disparaging, and a lot of drama and intrigue. I also found two interesting character studies: "Jake Holman," by lead actor Steve McQueen, and "Captain Collins-," with Richard Crenna. Both men delivered numerous surprises.
There also is a lot of hostility by the Chinese toward the "invaders," the Americans. China's revolution during the period this story takes place (md '20s) had two factions: the Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Communists. The former was generally a peaceful organization, the latter, pretty violent. Neither one wanted outsiders running their country any longer.
The cast - well-known and not-so well--known, was solid from McQueen on down. I think it was odd to hear Richard Attenborugh with an American accent but he did a nice job with it. Crenna played the most interesting character, in my opinion, as captain hard to figure. As for the supporting actors, Simon Oakland ("Stawski") and Mako ("Po-han") stood out to me.
I'm not going get into the story, as enough reviewers have already done that. Photograhy-wise, it was nice to see most of this shot outdoors, not on some studio lot or sound-stage. I enjoyed all of the shots of the ship, the "San Pablo." Having just bought (7/5/10) the Blu-Ray edition of this film, I'm anxious to see it in this format now. It promises to be a treat.
Overall, a memorable story and highly-recommended.