La canonnière du Yang-Tsé

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.

This film begins in 1926 with a navy sailor by the name of "Jake Holman" (Steve McQueen) reporting for duty to the U.S.S. San Pueblo which is stationed near Shanghai, China. Since his last assignment was with the Asiatic Fleet he now looks forward to being on a smaller ship as he will now have complete control over the engine room without anybody interfering with his duties. At least, that is what he initially thinks. However, he soon learns that everything on board the ship is run by Chinese workers and this causes an immediate problem between him and the main engine room coolie named "Chien" (Tommy Lee). It also doesn't help his situation that the captain of the ship "Lieutenant Collins" (Richard Crenna) has taken an immediate dislike for him either. And these two issues become even more serious as the political situation in China begins to really explode. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a very well-made film which captures the political climate in China before World War II in a very fine manner. It also has some very good performances by both Steve McQueen and Richard Crenna as well. That being said, I thought that this was a pretty good movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

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 first saw this (the 182 mins version) in the early 90s.

Revisited it few days back but again the 182 mins version.

Tried very hard to get the 196 roadshow version but to no avail but was lucky to come across all the deleted/roadshow version scenes on YouTube uploaded by BossHossGT500.

McQueen deserved an Oscar for this movie and his anti hero/rebel character is an epitome of a cool rebel.

The movie has some amazing picturesque images.

For a war film, The Sand Pebbles features very little war/action scenes but that shouldn't deter u from watching this classic movie.

The last scene with the dialogue: I was home. What happened? What the hell happened?

The last scene is very poignant, surrealistic n far ahead of its time in terms of the horrors of war.

I get tired of hearing how "they don't make them like that any more," but it's hard to imagine THE SAND PEBBLES being made today. If a current movie is three hours long, you can bet it's because the director has fallen in love with himself, not because the material merits it. THE SAND PEBBLES succeeds on just about every level: It is a compelling and complex story; it is beautifully filmed; the acting is mostly excellent; and there is a tremendous score. (Can you imagine a film today having an overture? Rampant adult ADD prohibits it.) The three hours gives you time to get to know the characters, sink into the Chinese setting, and become involved in the story. Just a little thing to notice, right at the start: Watch how McQueen fiddles with his napkin in the formal dining room. He's out of place, and doesn't know what to do with it; it's the kind of physical bit that McQueen does so well to elaborate his character. Credit must also be given to the late Richard Crenna. His captain of the San Pablo is a complex and conflicted character, and Crenna, while carrying off a largely formal role, delivers a very nuanced and moving performance. THE SAND PEBBLES is a movie for grown-ups, largely forgotten today but well worth your time.