The Sand Pebbles tells many stories. It's the story of China, a slumbering giant that rouses itself to the cries of its people -- and of the Americans who are caught in its bloody 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. 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. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for McQueen, The Sand Pebbles blends explosive action with stirring drama and romance to form "engrossing entertainment of a special and memorable sort." (The Hollywood Reporter).
General Note
Based on the novel by Richard McKenna.
Originally produced as a motion picture in 1966.
Special features: Disc 1: commentary with director Robert Wise and actors Candice Bergen, Mako, and Richard Crenna; isolated soundtrack with commentary by music producer Nick Redman, film music historian Jon Burlingame, and Lem Dobbs, film historian and screenwriter of The limey and Dark city. Disc 2: Introductions by Robert Wise and Richard Zanuck; the Making of The Sand Pebbles featurettes: Weighing anchor; cast & characters; Rough seas; McQueen on deck; sound & image; A worthy vessel ; side bars: Steve McQueen remembered, Robert Wise in command, China 1926; from the Fox vault: A ship called San Pablo, narrated by Richard Attenborough; The secret of the San Pablo, narrated by Richard Crenna; radio documentaries narrated by Richard Attenborough: Changsha Bund and the Streets of Taipei; A ship called San Pablo; radio spots; original theatrical trailer; still galleries; MAD Magazine's The Sand Pebbles.