The Sand Pebbles

Sales Rank: 149161
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Product Desc: Amazon.com
Following the success of The Sound of Music, director Robert Wise chose to film Robert McKenna's prize-winning 1962 novel, The Sand Pebbles--an ambitious choice for a director at the peak of his career. Shot in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the film combines historical sweep and intimate human drama in several parallel stories, all revolving around U.S. Navy machinist's mate Jake Holman (Steve McQueen). Holman is a skillful but fiercely independent sailor who joins the "sand pebble" crew of the U.S.S. San Pablo, a Navy gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River on the eve of the Chinese revolution in 1926. The San Pablo's inexperienced captain (Richard Crenna) obsessively defends the Navy's mission--however unnecessary or unwanted--to protect American missionaries and businessmen, blind to the more dangerous implications of American involvement with China's opposing political factions.

Holman is a defiant voice of humanity in this clash between outmoded values and inevitable change; his final line of dialogue ("What the hell happened?") is a tragic summation of misguided policy, expressing the film's criticism of the Vietnam War. Rather than preach, however, Wise lets McKenna's potent drama emerge from finely-drawn relationships--between Holman and a young American teacher (19-year-old Candice Bergen, in her second film); between Holman and the Chinese "coolie" (Mako) whose heartbreaking fate transcends all issues of racial or political difference; and between crewmate "Frenchy" Burgoyne (Richard Attenborough) and the Chinese woman he's sworn to love and protect at all costs. Combined with the film's colorful supporting cast, adventurous scope, and climactic battle scenes, these personal dynamics bring substance and spirit to a complex story of good intentions gone awry. --Jeff Shannon

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Amazon.com
Following the success of The Sound of Music, director Robert Wise chose to film Robert McKenna's prize-winning 1962 novel, The Sand Pebbles--an ambitious choice for a director at the peak of his career. Shot in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the film combines historical sweep and intimate human drama in several parallel stories, all revolving around U.S. Navy machinist's mate Jake Holman (Steve McQueen). Holman is a skillful but fiercely independent sailor who joins the "sand pebble" crew of the U.S.S. San Pablo, a Navy gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River on the eve of the Chinese revolution in 1926. The San Pablo's inexperienced captain (Richard Crenna) obsessively defends the Navy's mission--however unnecessary or unwanted--to protect American missionaries and businessmen, blind to the more dangerous implications of American involvement with China's opposing political factions.

Holman is a defiant voice of humanity in this clash between outmoded values and inevitable change; his final line of dialogue ("What the hell happened?") is a tragic summation of misguided policy, expressing the film's criticism of the Vietnam War. Rather than preach, however, Wise lets McKenna's potent drama emerge from finely-drawn relationships--between Holman and a young American teacher (19-year-old Candice Bergen, in her second film); between Holman and the Chinese "coolie" (Mako) whose heartbreaking fate transcends all issues of racial or political difference; and between crewmate "Frenchy" Burgoyne (Richard Attenborough) and the Chinese woman he's sworn to love and protect at all costs. Combined with the film's colorful supporting cast, adventurous scope, and climactic battle scenes, these personal dynamics bring substance and spirit to a complex story of good intentions gone awry. --Jeff Shannon

The Sand Pebbles Motion Picture Website - Established January 1998 The Sand Pebbles Multi-media Website. Comprehensive source of movie photos, lobby cards, multimedia and other information. Amazon.com: The Sand Pebbles: Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough ... Synopsis: Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the Yangtze in the middle of exploited and revolution ... The Sand Pebbles (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 American period war film directed by Robert Wise. It tells the story of an independent, rebellious U.S. Navy Machinist's Mate aboard the ... The Sand Pebbles Trailer and Cast - Yahoo! Movies Epic tale about the lives of crew members aboard a US gunboat, patrolling China's Yangtze River in 1926, that eventually gets caught up in the middle of that country ... The Sand Pebbles: Information from Answers.com The Sand Pebbles Genres: Rock Biography The Sand Pebbles were formed by drummer Piet Collins, bassist Chris Hollow, and guitarist Ben Michael X, who met The Sand Pebbles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Sand Pebbles is a 1962 novel by American author Richard McKenna about a Yangtze River gunboat in 1926. It was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post for the ... Amazon.com: The Sand Pebbles (Two-Disc Special Edition): Steve ... Following the success of The Sound of Music , director Robert Wise chose to film Robert McKenna's prize-winning 1962 novel, The Sand Pebbles --an ambitious choice for ... The Sand Pebbles (1966) With Steve McQueen, Candice Bergen, Richard Attenborough. Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat U.S.S. San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of ... The Sand Pebbles (1966) - IMDb Director: Robert Wise. Actors: Steve McQueen: Jake Holman Candice Bergen: Shirley Eckert Richard Attenborough: Frenchy Burgoyne Richard Crenna: Captain ... sand pebbles Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos sand pebbles's official profile including the latest music, albums, songs, music videos and more updates.