THE SAND PEBBLES (FILM)

'''The Sand Pebbles''' is a 1966 film based on the 1962 novel ''The Sand Pebbles'' by Richard McKenna. It tells the story of a rebellious American sailor on a gunboat plying the rivers of China in the 1920s. It stars Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen and Mako. The movie was adapted by Robert Anderson from the novel by Richard McKenna. It was directed by Robert Wise.
The film portrays racism and colonialism of the era, both on a small scale, showing how the American sailors interacted with Chinese coolies who operate the boat and Chinese bar girls on shore, and on a large scale by depicting the gunboat diplomacy used to dominate a vulnerable China, which was reduced to virtual anarchy by feuding warlords and political factions. This story of an Asian river conflict was released as the United States involvement in the Vietnam conflict was escalating, although the production preceded the peak of anti-war sentiment by several years.
The film was nominated for several Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Steve McQueen), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mako), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Music Score, Best Picture and Best Sound.

Contents

Plot Summary

Production

Historical accuracy

Trivia

External links

Plot Summary

In 1926, US Navy machinist's mate Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) transfers from the Asiatic Fleet flagship to the Yangtze River Patrol boat ''San Pablo''. However, life is different on the
''San Pablo''. The gunboat has evolved a system, condoned by the officers, where coolies do all the work, leaving the sailors free for combat drills and idle bickering. Ironically, Holman bucks the system because he wants to take care of the engines. Although he develops a close friendship with a seasoned, but sensitive seaman, "Frenchy" (Richard Attenborough), most of the crew began to see Holman as a Jonah.
Holman's friend and protégé, Po-han (Mako), a coolie whom Holman had trained to lead the engine crew, is captured and tortured by a Chinese mob because he works for the Americans. Unable to save him, Holman stops his suffering with a lethal rifle shot; this further infuriates the mob. Frenchy saves a Chinese woman from prostitution by marrying her, but dies from pneumonia. She is killed by anti-U.S. nationalists; the Chinese blame Holman for her murder. The Chinese demand Holman be turned over to them for trial. When they are refused, the ''San Pablo'' comes under a virtual blockade over the winter. This strains the morale of the crew, to the point where they nearly mutiny to hand Holman over.
In the spring, the ''San Pablo'' breaks out in an attempt to evacuate a missionary, Jameson (Larry Gates), and a school teacher, Shirley Eckert (Candice Bergen), from a remote mission further up the Yangtze River and has to fight its way through a blockade by junks. During the rescue attempt, the mission is overrun by enemy soldiers, who kill the missionary and the gunboat's captain (Richard Crenna), leaving Holman in charge. He covers the retreat of the remaining crewmen and the woman, but is fatally shot when he himself tries to flee.

Production

Wise had wanted to make the film for years, but studio executives were reluctant to finance the project. Eventually, the green light was given, but due to the extensive location scouting and other pre-production work, Wise saw that it would take at least a year before he would be able to begin filming. At the studio's insistence, Wise agreed to do a filler project in the meantime. That film was ''The Sound of Music'', one of the most popular and critically acclaimed movies of the 1960s.
Much of the film was filmed in Taiwan. Because of frequent rain, and tremendous difficulties, the film was almost abandoned. McQueen took an entire year off afterwards because he was so exhausted. He later said that whatever sins he had committed in his life were paid for when he made the film.

Historical accuracy

★ The author of the novel, McKenna, served in the China River Patrol in 1936.

★ The gunboat USS Panay was attacked by Japanese military forces in 1937. The Panay incident is often cited as the inspiration for some elements in McKenna's plot.

★ Although Westerners and Chinese fought at the Taku forts in 1858-1860, the only large battles between Westerners and Asians on the Yangtze River were the 1937 Panay incident, between the Americans and the Japanese, not the Chinese, and the 1949 Yangtze Incident, between several small Royal Navy ships and Chinese artillery batteries of the People's Liberation Army.

Trivia

★ The two sailors in the rescue party were played by Gavin MacLeod (later the captain of ''The Love Boat'') and Joe Turkel ("Lloyd the Bartender" in ''The Shining'').

★ Although it was described as a "gunboat", the ''San Pablo's only artillery was a 3 inch/23 caliber deck gun; its only machine guns were two Lewis Guns and a B.A.R. The sailors' small arms were Springfield 1903 rifles; bayonets and four .45 M1911 pistols carried by the officers and NCOs.

★ After more than 40 years, 20th Century Fox has discovered fourteen minutes of footage that was cut after the film's initial roadshow version at New York's Rivoli Theater. The restored version has just been released on DVD. The sequences are spread throughout the film and add texture to the story, though they don't alter it in any significant way.

External links

★ Website devoted exclusively to The Sand Pebbles

★
'Reviews'

★ Review - 1967, from the Movie Review Query Engine

★ Review, by TV Guide

★ Review, by Frank Wilkins (2002)

★ USSPanay.org Webpage about the evacuation of Nanking and the Panay Incident