O Canhoneiro do Yang-Tsé

The war movie was constantly evolving in the decades following World War Two. From Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) onwards those with a pacifist message were not uncommon. However, none were quite so harrowing or so bleak as this 1966 adaptation of the Richard McKenna novel The Sand Pebbles.

The movie follows the book closely, and as such is rich with subplot in a way that few motion pictures are. Those subplots are crucial to the impact of the whole. Time and again we are lead to believe this will be some uplifting tale of the underdogs triumphing and interracial harmony – for example Steve McQueen and Mako's working friendship or Richard Attenborough's romance with Marayat Andrienne – only to see the story take another shockingly dark turn and have all hopes dashed.

This was a pet project for producer-director Robert Wise, one he had worked hard to get off the ground and would later look back on as one of his proudest achievements. He brings it to the screen with his usual touch for flow and rhythm, with sudden shifts in tone, from frenzied action and rapid editing in another to languid long shots in another. We have on one hand the utter simplicity of the scene in which McQueen and Candice Bergen get to know each other on their steamer voyage – just two opposing shots, the river as a backdrop, the actors motionless as they speak their dialogue. Compare that to the boxing match between Mako and Simon Oakland, a quick-fire bout of agonising close-ups of contenders and crowd. The differences are not simply a case of editing and movement, but also the amount of business in the background, the distance the camera is from the action, and sometimes even the lighting and colour. And Wise doesn't call attention to the changes with sudden jolts – tension is built up gradually before giving way to scenes more tranquil.

Of particular note here is the set decoration. Of course, the story necessarily takes place in a series of small and squalid spaces – the bowels of the ship where McQueen works, the brothel where the men spend their shore leave – but it is the incredible production design by Boris Leven that makes it all so desolate. The interiors have rough, grey walls and small dirty windows, even the small chapel where the wedding takes place, which in spite of the scene has to be one of the most depressing sets ever made.

Tough action heroes like Steve McQueen may achieve stardom but they aren't normally praised for their acting skills. However The Sand Pebbles brings out something very deep in McQueen. He seems totally in tune with the picture's moodiness, bringing a lot of wordless emotion to his laconic character. At one point he breaks down in tears while shovelling coal; the camera is to his back but the moment is all as it should be in his body language. Another great but often overlooked player here is Simon Oakland. Oakland was great when you needed a small part with a lot of impact (see him at the end of Psycho for example) and was often a levelheaded authority figure. Less often was he cast as the bully, but he makes a decent job of it, being both threatening and repugnant. I'm less enthusiastic about Richard Attenborough's performance. For one thing he isn't right for the uniform – he looks like a little boy in a sailor suit – and for another he isn't right for the American accent, unless he was doing it as some kind of cultural revenge for Dick van Dyke's appalling attempt at being a cockney in Mary Poppins.

The Sand Pebbles is undoubtedly one of bleakest war movies ever made, but what is so different about it is not its anti-imperialist stance or even its downbeat mood. It is the fact that the US forces are shown to lose control of the situation. It was one of the great ironies with anti-war films like Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket that apparently some youngsters were actually inspired to join the marines after seeing them. However I cannot imagine The Sand Pebbles having anyone rushing down to their nearest Navy recruitment office. Even though it does not exactly condemn servicemen or even the armed forces, it makes armed service look about as glamorous as cleaning a sewer. And rather than portraying the Americans as a conquering force – for good or bad – it shows them as lost, isolated and overwhelmed. There will be no cavalry riding to the rescue this time. And it creates this impression without ever losing respect for its principle characters, whom we are lead to pity rather than condemn. It shows war not as hell or as mass murder, but as bitter human tragedy.

I am watching the DVD of "The Sand Pebbles" for the first time. I originally saw this film as a child, during its theatrical run. Even though I have watched the P&S VHS tape many times, the DVD takes me back to that unforgettable first viewing so many years ago. This film is the definitive example of how pan and scan (laughably called "fullscreen") is nothing less than a desecration of the work of those who make movies. Thank goodness there is finally a faithful transfer of this unforgettable story.

I love movies, some much more than others. Even in the films that I love the most, the ones I consider "the best", I can always find flaws or weaknesses. I can not find a single thing to criticize in "The Sand Pebbles". The cinematography, as many others have noted, is exceptional. The detail of the sets, the ship, the costumes, the panoramic vistas, all are very convincing. As Crenna points out in the DVD commentary, there is no visual trickery, everything on the screen is real and three-dimensional. I have not read the source novel, and I am woefully ignorant of the political realities in China in this period, although I understand that the book was based on real incidents. The fact is, the story told here is compelling, and it does not matter to me how true to history it is, the world depicted in "The Sand Pebbles" is real and believable. Robert Anderson's script provides sufficient grounding in the political events to keep the audience engaged, without becoming all awkward exposition or political treatise. Of course, the characters express certain strong views, and therein the conflict arises.

Robert Wise is a first-rank director ("West Side Story", "The Haunting", "The Sound of Music"), and his work here is superlative. This film is a blend of epic-scale scenes and intimate, poignant moments of emotional realism. The camera placement, the use of extras and props, the blocking of the actors, the use of natural light, the tracking shots of the boat, all are in service of the story. Wise lets that story breathe and the characters emerge, and the result is a three-hour movie. How ironic that the main criticism leveled at "The Sand Pebbles" is that it is "slow" and "boring". Excuse me, but this is called "character development", and it sets compelling moviemaking apart from the mediocre variety. The pacing is what draws you in to this world, where the actors can give their characters life and create empathy in the audience. I can only feel sadness for the modern, ADD-afflicted viewer who is trained to respond to manipulative tricks, and can not appreciate a realistic depiction of human behavior.

Much has been said in these comments about the acting, and I agree with those who feel McQueen and Crenna stand out. The character of the captain could have been a rigid cliche, but Crenna gives us a person, a man to whom duty and service is everything, yet who is keenly aware of the needs and temperament of his crew, and who yearns to leave his mark in history. As for McQueen...his physical presence dominates the film. His understated style is perfect for Holman, a man who only wants to be left alone to do his work, and yet who will fight against injustices done to others. His facial expressions, especially in his eyes, allow us to share his thoughts and feelings throughout the movie.

The most memorable element in "The Sand Pebbles" for me is the musical score by Jerry Goldsmith. Alternately stirring and heartrending, it complements each scene absolutely brilliantly, and is the most evocative score of any motion picture I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the 1966 Oscar went to "Born Free", a mediocre picture whose title song was a hugely popular hit.

I feel privileged that I was able to see "The Sand Pebbles" in a theatre, where it is meant to be seen. This DVD version finally does justice to what I regard as an unparalleled achievement in filmmaking. There are other films that I have a stronger attachment to for various reasons, but none of them hit a home run in every department the way that "The Sand Pebbles" does.

"Water belong dead stim -all same dead stim"

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.

"The Sand Pebbles" is an epic war movie set during the 1920s in China.

Steve McQueen delivers one of his strongest performances as Jake Holman, the sailor responsible for the engine room of the U.S.S. San Pablo gunboat.

There are uncomfortable scenes in the film. The 1920s were not a time of political correctness and the treatment of the Chinese "coolies" on board the ship, and the bargirls on shore, is shocking.

Richard Attenborough plays the romantic Frenchy Burgoyne, who falls in love with the local bar's new hostess, Maily (Marayat Andriane).

The beautiful soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith is memorable.

8 out of 10.

A long, spectacular, long, good-looking, long, and well-written and long and well-acted production that puts Steve McQueen's usual insubordinate malcontent in the unusual setting of Shanghai in 1926 (and more than twenty years after 'The Purple Heart' provides a nostalgic return to the big screen by Richard Loo as a vengeful oriental).

Based on Richard McKenna's 1962 novel and reminiscent of '55 Days at Peking'. At least director Robert Wise didn't have to leave the production in a wheelchair as Nicholas Ray had on the earlier film. But after such an arduous shoot he was reluctant to be ruthless in the editing room and at over three hours the end result is almost as exhausting to watch as it was to make.

Wise later said the subplot involving Richard Attenborough and Maryat Andriane (recalling that with Red Buttons & Myoshi Umeki in 'Sayonara') was the most expendable component in the film. But it also gives the film it's heart, so fortunately it stayed.