Richard Crenna on Steve McQueen's performance
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Sand Pebbles
Homang-come-down — 13 years ago(August 17, 2012 07:50 AM)
Crenna was in awe of McQueen's utterly intuitive, physical performance and it's a pleasure to hear his commentary on the DVD.
Here's just one of his observations: "Watch Steve carry his sea bag up the gangplank to the
San Pablo
. The way he's carrying it, you know that guy has carried that gear a hundred times to a hundred ships in a hundred different ports in the world.
Steve has never been better than he is in this film. You hear the comment 'born to play a role.' He was born to play this role. His use of props, his use of weapons, his use of the engine - the engine becomes an integral part of the story, the engine was a character and Steve plays with that character as if he's with another actor. He just brings such a realism to what he does. It's incredible He's always been a physical actor, his movement is very athletic, very sure, very strong. Even stationary, Steve is moving." -
ScopeWatcher — 10 years ago(May 13, 2015 08:27 AM)
Having liked both actors very much since my childhood early in
their
careers, I was very pleased by Crenna's assements of McQueen's performance and talents within that audio commentary. But I'll share a "consumer" story of my own.
THE SAND PEBBLES is one of my top-10 favorites; and once in the early '90s I showed my 16mm print to two friends who had never seen the film. During the first reel change I mentioned that I had forgotten to tell them that McQueen received his only Oscar nomination for this picture and didn't win. The husband said, "Gee I wonder why," to which I heard the wife giggle.
I had not been in the same room with them while I was rethreading the projector; but when I stuck my head through the doorway, I saw they were both grinning at me. During the five or six years we had known each other, I had enjoyed a number of film conversations with them both but I never knew until they confirmed right then that both shared a low opinion of McQueen's range as an actor.
Well, that's a very
un
informed opinion to hold, and I simply couldn't resume the movie without trying to set them straight. We were only a quarter of the way into the film, but I told them they would not appreciate it fully if they couldn't understand why McQueen had been a BRILLIANT actor: how he conveyed more emotions, thought, and attitude
physically
, through eyes, face and body, posture and movement, than many performers could get across through a page of dialogue and how the Jake Holman role was a specifically introverted character to start with. Then I pointed out a few different moments they had seen so far to demonstrate what I meant.
Then, to resume my role as a good host I apologized for interrupting the movie for that lecture, and we resumed the film. We had no more conversation before the picture ended; and I'm glad to relate that by then, both husband and wife agreed that the movie had gained in strength and that McQueen's performance WAS better than they had first believed.
We could all remain friends.
But now comes a still happier epilogue: Very late that evening after my guests had gone, I got a phone call from a friend in California. Because he was then writing a "bio-bibliography" of director Robert Wise, I recently had lent him my pressbooks and roadshow souvenir programs for SAND PEBBLES and STAR TREK - THE MOTION PICTURE for his convenient, pre-Internet reference.
In fact, he was phoning me to tell me that just that week
he
finally had watched THE SAND PEBBLES for the first time, from a letterboxed laserdisc. From past conversations I knew he hadn't seen it because in his youth, he had expected it would be "three hours of people sitting around talking on boats." But because for years my friend had known MY love of the movie, he wanted to share that there had been moments while watching it that he had asked himself: "Am I looking at the greatest actor who ever lived?"
I explained to him why that message had come at
just
the right time for me!
Most great films deserve a more appreciative audience than they get
. -
tightspotkilo — 10 years ago(October 27, 2015 09:35 PM)
As is famously known, McQueen was in fact a former US Marine who served at sea with distinction, decorated in fact for his sea duty. He knew what to do in this role.
Get the facts first - you can distort them later! -
belgol5671 — 9 years ago(December 27, 2016 11:31 AM)
Listening to the commentary on the dvd gave me a whole new insight into this film that I've loved for many years.
McQueen's best? .. Maybe, but Love With A Proper Stranger has to also be considered as his best.
Crenna's best? .. Maybe, but The Flamingo Kid has to also be considered as his best.