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| The Sand Pebbles | 
 enlarge | Director: Robert Wise
Actors: Steve Mcqueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen, Emmanuelle Arsan
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: Video
List Price: $12.98
Buy New: $0.99
You Save: $11.99 (92%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $0.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  (87 reviews)
Sales Rank: 15150
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Original Recording Reissued, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: VHS Tape
Running Time: 185 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 3.9 x 1.1
UPC: 024543013211
EAN: 0024543013211
ASIN: B000059HGZ
Release Date: May 15, 2001
Theatrical Release Date: December 20, 1966
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Description
"The Sand Pebbles" tells many stories. It's the story of China, a slumbering giant that rouses itself to the cries of it's people - and of the Americans who are caught in its blood awakening. It's the story of Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a crewman on the U.S.S. San Pablo who kidnaps his Chinese bride from the auction block. It's the story of Shirley (Candice Bergen), a teacher and her first unforgettable taste of love. It's the story of Captain Collins (Richard Crenna), ready to defy anyone for his country's defense. Most of all, it's the story of Jake Holman (Steve McQueen), a sailor who has given up trying to make peace with anything - including himself. McQueen gives what is probably the best performance of his career. It's not surprising that he, Mako and the movie were up for Oscars. Portraying a character with conflicting loyalties to friend and flag, McQueen expertly conveys the confusion that leads into his final line: "What the hell happened?" It's to his credit that we already know.
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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| Customer Reviews: Read 82 more reviews...
 They don't make them like this anymore! December 24, 2008
A great adventure movie with a little romance thrown in. Great for any history buff that knows about fuedal China in the 1920's.
 Great epic/adventure/romance November 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Sand Pebbles is a Steve McQueen vehicle, no doubt one of his best movies, but it is also the unacknowledged epic of the sixties, when the genre began to decline as a mere Hollywood spectacle and was becoming a more thoughtful, more complext adventure that took on momentous themes--like the emergence of China as an independent country and world power. Add Candice Bergen, at her freshest, Richard Attenborough emerging as a key figure in movies, and several Hollywood veterans, like Richard Crenna, and you have a mix that offers both entertainment and a thoughtfully staged adventure, replete with exotic locales, suspenseful clashes, and a gripping ending. Longish, but nearly flawlessly directed by Robert Wise. The blu-ray edition restores it to its original glory.
Movie: 3.75/5 Picture Quality: 4.25/5 Sound Quality: 3.25/5 Extras: 4/5 September 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Version: U.S.A / Region A
Title: The Sand Pebbles
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
MPEG-2 BD-50
Running time: 3:02:33
Movie size: 33,29 GB
Disc size: 39,45 GB
Average video bit rate: 18.02 Mbps
DTS-HD Master 5.1 3705Kbps (48kHz/24-bit) English
DD AC3 4.0 320Kbps English
DD AC3 1.0 224Kbps English / French / Spanish
Subtitles: English / Spanish / Cantonese / Korean
Special Features
#Cast and Crew Commentary
#Isolated Film Score and Commentary
#The Making of The Sand Pebbles (SD, 64 minutes)
#Side Bars (SD, 34 minutes)
#1966 (SD, 27 minutes)
#Road Show Scenes (SD, 14 minutes)
#Radio Documentaries and Production Photos (20 minutes)
#Trivia Track
#Radio Spots (2 minutes)
Sand Pebbles September 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I had never seen it before. As a former Navy man, I enjoyed that aspect too. That was an interesting time in history. I really appreciated the Special Feature with the commentary by Robert Wise, Richard Crenna, Mako, and Candace Bergen. I have watched it several times. It gives a whole new appreciation for the detail that went into the movie.
Cracker jack July 18, 2008
I had forgotten how great this movie was so seeing it again made my day. Steve McQueen wasn't the first choice for his part, but he was a 10+. Worth every $$$. Hope you enjoy.
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