Richard Schiekel's Life magazine review, which can be found at thesandpebbles.com, makes the same point. In it, he notes
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iguanadan — 16 years ago(January 23, 2010 03:36 AM)
I watch this movie every time is it shown on cable. I can't get enough of the fine acting performances, cinematography, music, production values and direction. It is shot in an epic scale reminiscient of the Great Escape, etc.
Steve McQueen's performance was incredible, subtle yet powerfully portrayed. A perfect role for him, and a great supporting cast, from Crenna's Capt. Collins to Attenburough's Frenchy.
The only part that I found a bit slow was the romance between Frenchy and Maily. Other than that, a tour-de-force performance by SM and the rest of the cast. You actually believe it is 1926 China and you are on-board with the crew. -
phillipsdan83 — 12 years ago(March 06, 2014 10:09 AM)
Even Robert Wise himself wondered whether the Frenchy/Maily subplot was necessarybut it's resolution is what lands Holman in hot water with the Nationalist Chinese, who are all too happy to frame him for murder. Collins' refusal to hand Holman over(though strictly on the basis of Homan being a symbol of America) is what provokes the near mutiny, which leads to Collins' willingness to pick a pointless, possibly suicidal battle with the Chinese. What lands Holman in hot water in the book wouldn't have been filmed due to charges of animal cruelty and points up how different Chinese culture is from America's (Holman frees a pig restrained by wires through it's eyelids in a marketplace and the murder charge is purely trumped upto Holman it's animal cruelty).
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EastCoastMariner — 14 years ago(March 31, 2012 06:28 PM)
When I first saw this movie, I was around 16 and watched it from start to finish, with some pauses to stretch and get food. Years later, I appreciate it because while it is long, it is careful and thoughtful in the development of the characters, setting and mood. I love it.
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anghmho — 14 years ago(April 02, 2012 12:19 PM)
I recommend that you read the book (IF you can find it in your local library; otherwise, used copies are available for peanuts). Then watch the movie again. Maybe that will help it come together for you.
Don't expect the film to contain all the elements of the novel; that would have been impossible. But "The Sand Pebbles" is a terrific film. And the novel is a great book from a very gifted writer who died too soon. By the way, McKenna, the author, was an old salt who served in what before World War 2 used to be called the "Asiatic Fleet" and he did painstaking research, so he knew of what he wrote. -
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rwsmith29456 — 12 years ago(October 19, 2013 02:57 AM)
Fascinating time in history with a lot of personal, cultural and patriotic (both sides) conflicts that get resolved in various ways, with the great performance by McQueen and the rest of the cast. Great movie that many people would find foreign and uninteresting. I'm not one of those people.
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rready4198-693-489748 — 11 years ago(June 11, 2014 06:48 PM)
I believe the American public is so use to "Instant Gratification" and do not like to sit around. I grew up in a time when movies like "The Sand Pebbles," "West Side Story," "Ben-Hur," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Sound of Music," "My Fair Lady," "Ten Commandments," "Camelot," "Cleopatra," "Fiddler On The Roof" and some others were met to be shown in theaters twice a day during the week and maybe three times on Saturday and Sunday. You knew you were going to see an Epic when you went to see them, you knew they were going to be long plus it was by reservation only. They were SPECIAL and that is the way they were treated. The theater was full and everyone had fun. They even had programs you could buy about the movie and I still have the ones I got for "My Fair Lady," "Camelot" and "Fiddler On The Roof."
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rj-27 — 10 years ago(August 20, 2015 10:18 AM)
There are lots of ADD people out there, and more every day.
They are the people who think Fast and Furious is the greatest film of all time.
LOL!
Democracy is the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H.L. Mencken