IMDb > The Sand Pebbles (1966)
The Sand Pebbles
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The Sand Pebbles (1966) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   4,669 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Wise
Writers:
Richard McKenna (novel)
Robert Anderson (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Sand Pebbles on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
20 December 1966 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | War more
Tagline:
THE STORY OF MEN...men who disturbed the sleeping dragon of China as the world watched in terror! more
Plot:
Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(10 articles)
"10 Rillington Place" Now At Film Forum, New York
 (From CinemaRetro. 27 June 2009, 11:04 AM, PDT)
Candice Bergen And Steve McQueen's Family Attend Lincoln Center Screening Of "The Sand Pebbles"
 (From CinemaRetro. 21 May 2009, 8:23 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Steve McQueen's best performance. more (79 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
Gus Trikonis ... Restorff

Shepherd Sanders ... Perna
James Jeter ... Farren
Tom Middleton ... Jennings
Paul Chun ... Cho-jen (as Paul Chinpae)
Tommy Lee ... Chien
Beulah Quo ... Mama Chunk

James Hong ... Victor Shu
Stephen Jahn ... Haythorn
Alan Hopkins ... Wilsey (as Jay Allan Hopkins)
Stephen Ferry ... Lamb (as Steve Ferry)
Ted Fish ... Wellbeck

Loren Janes ... Coleman
Glenn R. Wilder ... Waldron (as Glenn Wilder)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Coghlan Jr. ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Larry Duran ... (uncredited)

Robert Kelly-Schleyer ... Bosun's Mate (uncredited)
Jon Lormer ... Hamilton (uncredited)
Gil Perkins ... Customer at Red Kettle Bar (uncredited)
Walter Reed ... Bidder at Red Kettle Bar (uncredited)
Henry Wang ... Lop-eye Shing (uncredited)
Ben Wright ... Englishman (uncredited)
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Directed by
Robert Wise 
 
Writing credits
Richard McKenna (novel)

Robert Anderson (screenplay)

Produced by
Charles H. Maguire .... associate producer (as Charles Maguire)
Robert Wise .... producer
 
Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith 
 
Cinematography by
Joseph MacDonald 
 
Film Editing by
William Reynolds 
 
Production Design by
Boris Leven 
 
Set Decoration by
William Kiernan 
Walter M. Scott 
John Sturtevant 
 
Costume Design by
Renié  (as Renie)
 
Makeup Department
Del Acevedo .... makeup artist
Margaret Donovan .... hair stylist
Ben Nye .... makeup artist
William Turner .... makeup artist (as Bill Turner)
Sharleen Rassi .... hair stylist (uncredited)
Jay Sebring .... hair designer: Steve McQueen (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Saul Wurtzel .... unit production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ridgeway Callow .... assistant director
Charles H. Maguire .... second unit director (as Charles Maguire)
Robert F. Liu .... first assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Herbert Cheek .... location construction supervisor
Dong Kingman .... watercolor artist (uncredited)
Dennis J. Parrish .... assistant property master (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Bernard Freericks .... sound
Murray Spivack .... sound
Douglas O. Williams .... sound
 
Special Effects by
L.B. Abbott .... special photographic effects
Gerald Endler .... special effects (as Jerry Endler)
Emil Kosa Jr. .... special photographic effects
 
Visual Effects by
Travis Dutch .... digital restoration scanning (restored version)
 
Stunts
Larry Duran .... stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes .... stunt double: Steve McQueen (uncredited)
Loren Janes .... stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins .... stunts (uncredited)
Bill Saito .... stunts (uncredited)
Glenn R. Wilder .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Dick Johnson .... photographer: second unit (as Richard Johnson)
Thomas Del Ruth .... second assistant camera (uncredited)
Dave Friedman .... assistant camera (uncredited)
Clyde Taylor .... gaffer (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ed Wynigear .... wardrobe
 
Music Department
Lionel Newman .... conductor
David Tamkin .... orchestrator
 
Other crew
Harley Misiner .... technical advisor
Irving Schwartz .... diversions
Maurice Zuberano .... production associate
Alan Callow .... production assistant (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for violence and sexual material.
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
182 min | UK:243 min (BBFC submission before censorship) | Sweden:193 min | USA:196 min (roadshow version)
Country:
USA
Language:
English | Mandarin
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm prints)
Certification:
Norway:11 (DVD rating) (2006) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #21310) (original rating) | Brazil:14 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (re-rating) (2000) | West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Robert Wise Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The engine used during the filming is now on display aboard the S.S. Lane Victory, an original WWII Victory ship currently on display at the Port of Los Angeles, next to the cruise ship lines. The engine is located below deck in a forward cargo hold. The S.S. Lane Victory is the only operational Victory Ship in the World in its original configuration and makes summer cruises from San Pedro to Catalina, complete with a staged aerial attack en route featuring the AT-6 Texans of the famed Condor Squadron of Van Nuys, California. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Just before shooting Po-Han with a Springfield rifle to put him out of his misery, Holman makes a long-range adjustment to the rifle's rear sight. Such an adjustment would not have been necessary, since Po-Han was fairly close to Holman. more
Quotes:
Po-han: Dead stim! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005) (TV) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
24 out of 29 people found the following comment useful.
Steve McQueen's best performance., 18 October 2001
9/10
Author: jckruize from North Hemis

Steve McQueen felt an affinity for the role of Jake Holman in "The Sand Pebbles" like few others in his career. In this unsparing war drama, he plays the consummate loner, bonded to machinery more than people, inarticulate but imbued with a powerful sense of right and wrong. It's a part that plays perfectly to McQueen's strengths as an actor, exemplifying his lifelong quest to hone physical performance into character while jettisoning all but essential dialogue. All his emoting comes subtly: slight shifts of gaze; the way he cocks his head to listen; his complete stillness before action. It also brought him his only Academy Award nomination. (And in retrospect, it's easy to make the case that he should have won over Paul Scofield's showier portrayal in "A Man For All Seasons.")

Scripter Robert Anderson had a tough job distilling Richard McKenna's sprawling novel of conflict set aboard a U.S. Navy gunboat ('San Pablo'; hence her sailors called themselves 'Sand Pebbles') at the start of the revolution that would ultimately tear China asunder, transforming it into the post-WWII behemoth we know today. Luckily he and director Robert Wise knew enough to keep the plot's underpinnings solidly on the compelling, central irony of McKenna's story: that it is Jake's very alienation from his fellows that leads him inevitably to sacrifice and redemption. The ending is shocking and powerful; a reminder of better, more mature days in American film.

Wise directed on locations in Hong Kong and Taiwan with his customary mastery of both intense personal confrontation and epic sweep. In excellent support are Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna and Mako. The film also features one of Jerry Goldsmith's most memorable scores.

I must again mention McKenna's novel. It is superb; sadly, the only full-length work he finished before his untimely death. It may be out of print but is well worth an online used book search.

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I can't stand people my age. huggin_possums
End of movie-warning *spoiler* bm206996
Awful color needs to be restored. mrvolvo
What Happened to Stawski?? Salavas
the sand pebbles rhdado2002
Poor man's Lawrence of Arabia kkhsiivonen
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