“Don’t wanna break nobody’s rice bowl.”
Steve McQueen patrols the Yangtze River in the U.S.S. San Pablo once more. This time in high definition and the film has never looked better. McQueen lights up the screen and one his one and only best actor Oscar nomination.
It’s 1926 and Jack Holman (Steve McQueen) has been assigned to the U.S.S. San Pablo. On his way to his new assignment he meets up with Jameson (Larry Gates), a missionary, and his schoolteacher assistant Shirley Eckert (Candice Bergen). When he arrives at his new ship he finds that there’s already a system in place.
The sailors live very laid-back lives and the coolies aboard the ship do all the manual labor – it’s their rice bowl after all. This leaves the sailors living the lush life and able to devote their time to the important things in life – whoring and drinking.
Holman runs afoul of the head engine room coolie and makes him his enemy on his first day. When his new enemy dies in a machine room accident the others think that there’s a ghost in the engine. Holman is instructed by Captain Collins (Richard Crenna) to train a new head and Holman chooses Po-han (Mako) to train as the late head’s replacement.
Holman’s friend Frenchy (Richard Attenborough) falls for a bar girl (Emmanuelle Arsan), but their relationship is a doomed one. The Chinese begin to an uprising against the United States’ presence in their country and the crew of the tiny San Pablo find themselves in the middle of it.
The Sand Pebbles was a tour-de-force for Steve McQueen. It not only earned him an Oscar nomination but also probably goes down as some of his finest acting. Sure he’s a great presence but this time he actually has to not only use that but develop the character as well. The film was nominated for an impressive eight Oscars, including McQueen’s, and sadly won not a one.
It’s also one of director Robert Wise’s finest directorial efforts. He peppers the supporting cast with some actors that also are memorable in their roles, including Mako, Crenna, Attenborough, Simon Oakland, and look for future Captain Stubing Gavin MacLeod and Joe Turkel (creepy barman from the Shining and Tyrell from Blade Runner) in bit parts.
The film has an epic feel to it and some even compare it to the Vietnam conflict even though the film is set in the 1920s. The film looks fantastic in high-def and I’ve never really noticed the blue of McQueen’s eyes (not wanting to sound like I’m getting a man crush) but they really stand out in this transfer.
Excellent film and one that you’ll want to add to the collection. Fox even does us a solid and brings over the special features from the two-disc DVD. Well sorta, but more on that in the special features section.
The Sand Pebbles is presented in 1080p anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary by director Robert Wise, Candice Bergen, Richard Crenna, and Mako. A great listen and since three of those commentators have passed on, Wise, Crenna, and Mako, it’s a treasure to have. Next is an isolated score track with commentary with music producer Nick Redman, film music historian Nick Burlingame, and screenwriter/film historian Lem Dobbs.
There’s also an optional trivia track that can play through the film. The rest of the features are in standard definition. The 13 “Roadshow Scenes” are presented separately on the Blu-ray where they were added back into the film on a second disc for the DVD release.
This section also features the one-hour “Making of the Sand Pebbles” documentary. The “Side Bar” section features the 10 minute “Steve McQueen Remembered,” the 10 minute “Robert Wise in Command,” and the 13 minute “China 1926” featurettes.
The “1966” section includes the vintage documentaries the 14 minute “A Ship Called San Pablo,” narrated by Richard Attenborough, the 9 minute “Secret of the San Pablo,” narrated by Richard Crenna, and the 3 minute theatrical trailer. Next are two radio documentaries, narrated by Richard Attenborough, and three radio advertisements.
The Blu-ray is missing the still galleries, a Mad magazine parody, and the introduction to the Roadshow version by Robert Wise and Richard Zanuck. These exclusions would’ve been nice to have but by no means are a deal breaker. Some will be glad that the Roadshow scenes are offered separately because their lower quality is a bit jarring when added back into the film.
The Sand Pebbles is an excellent display of Steve McQueen’s acting talent as well as his costars and the mastery behind the camera of Robert Wise. The Blu-ray is a must have for fans of classic cinema.
The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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