The Sand Pebbles (1966)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Richard McKenna (novel)
Robert Anderson (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 December 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

THE STORY OF MEN...men who disturbed the sleeping dragon of China as the world watched in terror!

Plot:

Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of...

Plot Keywords:

China | Chinese | Gunboat | Missionary | Hate

Awards:

Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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)

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		(director of photography)

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)

Production Companies

• Robert Wise Productions
• Solar Productions
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1966) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1971) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Fox Film (1967) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Fox-Stockholm Film Distribution (1979) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence and sexual material.

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

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

Company:

Robert Wise Productions

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).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Apparatus for simulating the gunshot wound in Richard Crenna's back, called a squib, is quite visible as he runs away from the camera in the China Light courtyard.

Quotes:

Frenchy Burgoyne: [exchanging marriage vows; slowly and with feeling] We're mixing our lives together, Maily, and we'll never be able to unmix them again, and we'll never want to. I take you for what you are, and all that you are, and mix you with all of me, and I don't hold back nothing. When you're cold, and hungry, and afraid, so am I. I'm going to stay with you all that I can, take the best care of you that I can, and love you 'til I die.
Maily: I will always love you and honor you and serve you, and stay as near to you as I can, and do everything for you, and live for you. I won't have *any* life except our life together. I will just love you, Frenchy, all of me, loving you forever.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Monster Squad Forever! (2007) (V)

This terrific movie deserves so much more acclaim

Wow! What a terrific movie!

My favorite aspect of this movie is the fearless story-telling. The movie plainly shows the prostitution business; the savagery of the fledgling nation of China; the brutality of war; a realistic view of military decision-making; Asian racial tensions; and the movie doesn't try to glorify the main characters. The main characters instead seem real, with flaws just like everyone has. You just don't see that in Hollywood now-a-days, and that's a shame. Movie makers today need so much more bravado and fearlessness as seen in this movie.

It's just such a shame this movie doesn't get more acclaim, it certainly deserves it!