THE SAND PEBBLES [1966 / 2013] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ is a Rousing Adventure!
Nominated for eight Academy Awards® and including Best Actor for Steve McQueen and Best Picture. ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ blends explosive action with stirring drama as it tells the tale of war-torn China in 1926 and an Eight-year American veteran machinist sailor Jake Holman [Steve McQueen] is caught in the middle, who has given up trying to make peace with anything – including himself.
The USS San Pablo Gunboat on the Yangtze River of China and stationed in 1920s China and strives to maintain the U.S. interests in that country and is used in a power game between rival warlords in this sprawling adventure saga. The boat's Captain Collins [Richard Crenna] has the difficult job of controlling the crew through long months on the river and justifying their presence in that country.
The USS San Pablo Gunboat has been ordered to protect Americans, including schoolteacher Shirley Eckhart [Candice Bergen], and Jake Holman and the gunboat crew are unwittingly drawn into a bitter nationalistic feud that holds grim consequences.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1967 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Picture for Robert Wise. Nominated: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Steve McQueen. Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mako. Nominated: Best Cinematography in Color for Joseph MacDonald. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration in Color for Boris Leven, John Sturtevant, Walter M. Scott and William Kiernan. Nominated: Best Sound for James Corcoran (20th Century-Fox SSD). Nominated: Best Film Editing for William Reynolds. Nominated: Best Music for an Original Music Score for Jerry Goldsmith. 1967 Golden Globes: Win: Best Supporting Actor for Sir Richard Attenborough. Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Best Director for Robert Wise. Nominated: Best Actor in a Drama for Steve McQueen. Nominated: Best Supporting Actor for Mako. Nominated: Most Promising Newcomer for a Female for Candice Bergen. Nominated: Best Screenplay for Robert Anderson. Nominated: Best Original Score for Jerry Goldsmith. 1967 American Cinema Editors: Nominated: Eddie Award for Best Edited Feature Film for William Reynolds. 1967 Directors Guild of America: Nominated: DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Robert Wise. 1967 Laurel Awards: Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Drama. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Male Dramatic Performance for Steve McQueen. Nominated: Golden Laurel Award for Male Supporting Performance for Richard Crenna. 1967 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Win: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing for Dialogue. 1967 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Written American Drama for Robert Anderson.
FILM FACT No.2: Former child actor and career naval officer Frank Coghlan, Jr. [Bald Bespectacled Man at Red Kettle Bar] was the technical advisor to the film regarding the U.S. Navy, and made an uncredited appearance as one of the American businessmen. For years Robert Wise had wanted to make ‘THE SAND PEBBLES,’ but the film companies were reluctant to finance it. ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ film was eventually paid for, but because its production required extensive location scouting and pre-production work, as well as being monsoon – affected in Taipei, its producer and director Robert Wise realised that it would be over a year before principal photography could begin. At the insistence of the film company, Robert Wise agreed to direct a "fill-in" project, ‘The Sound of Music,’ a film that became one of the most popular and acclaimed films of the 1960s.
Cast: Steve McQueen, Sir Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen, Emmanuelle Arsan, Mako, Larry Gates, Charles Robinson, Simon Oakland, Ford Rainey, Joe Turkel, Gavin MacLeod, Joe Di Reda, Richard Loo, Barney Phillips, Gus Trikonis, Shepherd Sanders, James Jeter, Thomas H. Middleton, Paul Chun, Tommy Lee, Beulah Quo, James Hong, Stephen Jahn, Alan Hopkins, Stephen Ferry, Ted Fish, Loren Janes, Glenn R. Wilder, Frank Coghlan Jr. (uncredited), Colleen Cosgrove (uncredited), Larry Duran (uncredited), Robert Emhardt (uncredited), Robert Kelly-Schleyer (uncredited), Jon Lormer (uncredited), Ko Pa (uncredited), Gil Perkins (uncredited), Walter Reed (uncredited), Henry Wang (uncredited) and Ben Wright (uncredited)
Director: Robert Wise
Producers: Charles H. Maguire and Robert Wise
Screenplay: Richard McKenna (novel) and Robert Anderson (screenplay)
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography: Joseph MacDonald, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Color by DeLuxe)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Panavision)
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
French: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
Dutch: 5.1 DTS-HD Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, French SDH, German, German SDH, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish and Dutch
Running Time: 182 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: The film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ [1996] was a Robert Wise directed war melodrama with few equals. Based on Richard McKenna’s best seller, the story is centralized in China circa 1920; a turbulent paradise plagued by political strife and home grown revolutions between opposing loyalists on either side.
‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ was a major career achievement for director Robert Wise, though he was denied an Oscar nomination. The film, which was adapted from a novel by Richard McKenna, features stunning visuals and one of Jerry Goldsmith’s finest film scores. The acting was also notable, with especially fine performances from Steve McQueen and Mako.
Into this turbulent mixture come outside forces with hidden agendas; the British, the Americans and the missionaries, each superficially dedicated to bringing peace to the Far East; though at what price?
The screenplay by Robert Anderson remains relatively faithful to Richard McKenna’s book. China’s political climate circa 1960s precluded director Robert Wise and his company from shooting on actual locations. Hence, Taiwan and Hong Kong are stand-ins for the Yangtze River of China. Nevertheless, the set dressings by Boris Levin and sumptuous cinematography from Joseph MacDonald are quite successful at recapturing a ‘fake realism’ for both the region and the period in which the story takes place.
The film opens with the arrival of engineer Jake Holman [Steve McQueen] aboard the USS San Pablo Gunboat, which is a patrolling American vessel overseen by the ineffectual Captain Collins [Richard Crenna]. Jake Holman is an unassuming loner who prefers the company of steam pistons and crank shafts to his fellow crewmates, though eventually he develops a friendship with first mate, Frenchy Burgoyne [Sir Richard Attenborough].
Jake Holman’s relations on board are strained with his Chinese engine crew who all but run the internal machinery of the USS San Pablo Gunboat. After the chief engineer is killed in an accident, both the American and Chinese crew regards Jake Holman as a curse. Perhaps in part to lessen these tensions, Jake Holman promotes one of the Chinese, Po-Han [Mako] to chief engineer and then spends the first half of the patrol training Po-Han in his general maintenance duties.
A rather awkward romance blossoms between Jake Holman and missionary Shirley Eckart [Candice Bergan] who is stationed at a mission near China Light. At the same time, Frenchy Burgoyne has begun to favour his affections on Maily [Emmanuella Arsan], a captive in the brothel of corrupt Oriental pimp, Victor Shu [James Hong]. After bidding for her freedom, Frenchy Burgoyne and Maily escape Victor Shu’s wrath and are secretly married. Their joy together, however, is very sadly short lived.
Threatened with retaliation from the marauding forces of Chiang-Kai-Shek, the crew is confined to the USS San Pablo Gunboat for the duration of their journey. Po-Han is captured and quartered by revolutionaries, forcing Jake Holman to shoot him before the torture is completed. This mercenary act brands Holman a murderer in the eyes of the Chinese and very nearly results in a mutiny aboard the USS San Pablo Gunboat.
There is much more to this lengthy narrative, best left absent from this review for the first time viewer to discover. In hindsight, the most impressive aspect of the film is its pictorial backdrop and starkly contrasted and conflicting cultures caught in maelstrom of danger and intrigue. The most outstanding performance in the film belongs to Steve McQueen – a sustained tour de force that, perhaps, more than mirrors the actor’s own aloof nature. The only negative aspect of this film to my opinion was to have Sir Richard Attenborough trying to do an American accent and to me it was very embarrassing and really surprised this British actor thought he could pull it off and I am also surprised he did not complain about this or even turned down the part, still we will never know the truth on this subject and I am very surprised critics did not give very negative reviews about this particular aspect of the film.
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Blu-ray Image Quality – 20th Century Fox presents the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Panavision aspect ratio. This is a very good transfer, with a clean print that shows some grain, but not to an extreme degree. The image has good depth, with improved detail, especially in close-ups. I wouldn’t call the detail crystal clear, but this is much enhanced over the standard release. I found the colours to be spot on, especially with bright and natural hues, while contrast yields accurate, consistent black levels. This is a good looking transfer, one that should satisfy fans and make it easy to toss those inferior DVDs release out.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – 20th Century Fox brings us the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ with a very impressive 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience and a massive improvement over the inferior DVD standard release. The surrounds have more depth and separation, so this doesn’t sound like mono pushed through the various channels. The surround presence isn’t just in the more action driven scenes either, even dialogue is placed in proper fashion. So if someone is to the right, that is where the vocals will originate, quite cool indeed. In short, one of the much better updated soundtracks compared to the older inferior DVD release I’ve heard, and now is simply a terrific audio upgrade done by 20th Century Fox. As an added bonus, the film is presented with its overture and intermission music intact for all your film buffs of this film.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Robert Wise, Richard Crenna, Mako and Candice Bergen: First up to introduce himself is director Robert Wise and welcomes us to this audio commentary for the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and unfortunately it was a job to hear what Robert Wide was saying, as he tended to mumble and slur his words in a strange way and was also very quiet when he spoke and I had to crank the sound up, but what I did hear was him talking about the Road Show films he directed and of course they were ‘The Sound of Music,’ ‘West Side Story’ and ‘STAR’ because they all had overtures at the start of the films, which again was a whole different period in making film in those periods and of course as you would of seen that ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ also has an overture at the start of that film. Robert Wise talks about meeting the author Richard McKenna before doing the screenplay because of his book “The Sand Pebbles” because Robert Wise loved the book and was eager to make the film and Robert Wise says the author was a big hulk of a man, but sadly passed away before he could view the finished film. Next up to talk about the film is Richard Crenna and tells us that the start of the film was his introduction to the film on the day this was being shot and talks about how he and Sir Richard Attenborough or as some call him Dickie, both arrived on the same day and went to the top of the building where they were shooting the opening shot of the harbour and really soaked up the atmosphere of the shoot and was so amazed how they were able to create a realistic looking Shanghai in 1926, and Richard also said to Dickie, “Oh my, we are going to be in a Robert Wise film” and felt very honoured. Next up is Mako talking about how he was signed to be in the film and informs us that when he got there, most of the actors were waiting for him to start filming, as well as with all of the extras. Mako also informs us that when you see Steve McQueen arrive for the first time in the bar, the girl hooker who comes up to him, was in fact a make-up assistant and was about 18 years of age at the time of filming. Mako also informs us that Steve McQueen would always call Candice Bergen “candy bar.” Richard Crenna talks about the actress Candice Bergen, who was not sure whether to become an actress, especially being 19 years of age in this film, so was a little naïve at the time and especially what to do with what career to pursue, because originally Candice Bergen wanted to be a professional photographer. Next up is Candice Bergen and informs us that she was 19 years of age at the time of appearing in ‘THE SAND PEBBLES,’ and before that had done the film ‘The Group’ [1966] that was directed by Sidney Lumet, and also talks about the film ‘The Sound of Music’ that had just been released and was of course a huge success, and in doing so got a call from Robert Wise to do a screen test for the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and especially with Steve McQueen and of course got the part, and especially at the time was unsure of what to do with her career, as at the time had no intention of pursuing her career in acting, but after the screen test was flown out to join everyone in Taipei to start filming straight away, and had to borrow an electric toothbrush from Robert Wise as all of her luggage had been lost, but on top of all that, where they stayed in the hotel was very crude and the plumbing was horrendous and very crude, and even worse was the fact that sewage was running through the city and was a miracle no one ever got seriously ill. On the other hand, Candice Bergen informs us that Steve McQueen was put up in a house where its other resident was a goose that was assumed to be there to eat any snakes that were in the grounds of the house. Candice Bergen also talks about Steve McQueen and his very conflicting personality, when talking to him one to one, and informs Candice that he was very abused, especially with nasty punishments in a home for boys, and of course was a very guarded person, but helped that his wife and family were there to give him support, as for Sir Richard Attenborough and Richard Crenna and their families also stay in the same hotel as Candice Bergen. Richard Crenna informs us that seven years after the film was released, they would have a reunion with several of the cast and met at a Chinese restaurant, also while the film was being shot, they made a lot of friends, families were created, there were births, married ceremonies were performed, and there were sadly deaths. Mako informs us that the head Chinese Coolie who gets crushed, both of them have worked together in other films, and Robert Wise really praised both of these actors and said they were really good, but Mako’s greatest praise was that he felt Sir Richard Attenborough and Steve McQueen were really wonderful actors. Richard Crenna was contacted by Robert Wise and offered the part of the Captain Collins, but could not give the go accept the part as he was in a TV series, that was nearing the end of the season, and was initially offered to appear in a second TV series, but Robert Wise was really keen to offer him the part in the film, so told the TV executives that he was not going to sign up for a second series and was so pleased to accept Robert Wise’s offer and was honoured to appear in the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and in the end the TV executives cancelled the second series and when Richard Crenna entered 20th Century Fox and finally met Robert Wise to sign the contract and felt he had met a great man and made Richard very welcome, and Robert Wise told Richard to get his injections and then they will be ready to ship out to start shooting the film. Richard Crenna also praises the cinematographer Joseph MacDonald.as he feels every shot is so beautiful and really gives you the atmosphere of China in 1926 and also praises Steve McQueen and felt they worked well together and also got on well with the actor and Richard thought Steve McQueen was a really great guy, but equally Richard thought Steve had a very complicated personality and when Steve McQueen was not in a good mood, it was always best to keeps ones distance from him, but despite this, Richard still felt Steve was a very professional actor, and also feels he was at the top of his game with this film and felt he was born to play his character in the film. Richard Crenna read up a lot on China in 1926 and feels the film captures the atmosphere really well, and was equally helped by the superb script, and even after the film was released, Richard Crenna kept in regular contact with several of the actors, especially Sir Richard Attenborough whenever he flew to England to see what Dickie was doing with new projects, but on the other hand, he says sadly a lot of the other actors has since passed away, like Larry Gates who played Jameson and Gus Trikonis who played Restorff and once directed a film ‘The Evil’[1978] which Richard Crenna appeared in it as C.J. Arnold. Richard Crenna also thought the long scene in the engine room with Steve McQueen and explains to Mako how the steam was producer, and especially it was a very long scene, and thought it was very well executed. When we get to the boxing match scene, Mako informs us that it took over a week to choreograph the fight scene, to make it look really realistic, but it did not help that the shoes he was wearing were made of cloth and of course kept losing his footing as you see in the film. When we see the three servicemen from the USS San Pablo Gunboat enter the Chinese compound to talk to the father and daughter missionaries, Candice Bergen again felt she was very naïve when it came to acting in front of the camera, because director Robert Wise pointed out that foreign western women in China in 1926 did not wear nail varnish, and of course Candice Bergen quickly had to remove the nail varnish, that is why Robert Wise was the director, as he notices thing other people do not. When we see Mako trying desperately to get back to the USS San Pablo Gunboat because he was being chased by all of the Chinese extras, and all of the commentators said that it was really upsetting watching that scene where Mako is strung up and cut by the sword so he would bleed to death, but of course it was not real, but even so it was still upsetting viewing that scene, and of course in reality you would understand why Steve McQueen would shoot Mako to end his suffering at the hands of the inhuman mob. Richard Crenna tells a very funny anecdote about how nearly every other day they would go with Robert Wise to a theatre to watch the latest dallies, but because the project had no sound, they had to watch the dallies in silence, wo what they use to do was start speaking their lines out loud, but after a while they would started speaking very rude expletive swear words, that would not be very conducive to parents and their children and Robert Wise did not interfere. One this that was quite ironic, was the fact that while they was shooting ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and of course you forget that in 1996 the nasty evil Vietnam War conflict was in its 12th year and everyone working on the film forgot about it, it was only when Robert Wise and some of the actors dined at The Officers mess, that they noticed US Green Berets was also dining there and were forbade from talking to them to find out how the conflict was progressing in Vietnam. Candice Bergen says that in-between filming, you would end up with cabin fever, there were a lot of Chinese military soldiers about and causing restrictions, even if you tried to go to the beach, on top of all that, there was no television, no computers and no phones to access outside Taiwan, so again were really isolated and could not find out what was happening outside Taiwan. As we near the end of the film and the audio commentary, most of what you hear is just general talk about the film of scenes you are watching and all talk about logistic problems they experienced, like a very heavy monsoon weather that damaged the boon you see in the film, that really got damaged and had to be rebuilt, also they experience a massive strike with the boats that carried passengers, as they put the price up by a penny, also Candice Bergen could not understand that at the 1967 Academy Awards® ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ was Nominated for Best Picture for Robert Wise, but not for the director Robert Wise, but the bonus is that the critics gave a good review of the film, and whenever the film appears on the television the viewing figures goes up, because its message is still relevant to modern audiences. So to sum up about this audio commentary, some of it was good, other times it was okay as such, but out of all the people involved with the audio commentary, Richard Crenna definitely gets a five star rating, because you could hear every word he said and was equally really fascinating to hear what he had to say, whereas the others had soft voices, especially Robert Wise who was the worst in not being able to hear most of what he was saying, and he tended to slur his words as well. But despite the slight negative comments, it is still worth listening to, as you hear a lot of fascinating information about ‘THE SAND PEBBLES.’
Special Feature: ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ Trivia Track: This runs the full length of the film and provides viewers with 182 minutes’ worth of wonderful facts and trivia as they pertain to the film, and especially with some real fascinating in-depth facts which appear at the bottom of the screen.
Special Feature: The Making of ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ [2007] [1080p] [1.37:1] [63:41] This special feature includes video clips most of the surviving cast and crew, and is divided into six “featurettes” of various lengths and covers in fine detail nearly every aspect of the film's production, release and lasting legacy. We also get to hear in the background the use of the late great Jerry Goldsmith's emotional film music score. We also get informed about the USS San Pablo Gunboat used in the film, and was the largest prop ever built and in 1996 it cost $200,000 to create fully fitted and if built today would be an estimated cost of $20,000,000, and the steam engine set was built on one of the 20th Century Fox’s sound stage. They say that Steve McQueen was keen to play his character Jake Holman, because he wanted to be his own man and especially being on his own down in the engine room, and would also rather show different expressions, instead of words, because he identified with machines, than people. Sir Richard Attenborough was keen to play his character Frenchy Burgoyne in the film; because of working with Steve McQueen in the film ‘The Great Escape’ and everyone on the film set said that that both actors worked well together. Sir Richard Attenborough also comments that he was so pleased also to work with Candice Bergen, even though at the time Ms. Candice Bergen was only 19 years of age and was slightly nervous for a big massive blockbuster of a film and the two of them became very good friends. Everyone really enjoyed working with actor Richard Crenna, who was a very accomplished and very professional actor, who knew all of his lines, but at the same time was very funny and stopped people getting very frustrated between filming. When we get to the section entitled “Rough Seas,” they talk about how tough it was to shoot ‘THE DAND PEBBLES’ as it was a logistic nightmare, especially filming on location in Taiwan and Hong Kong and took over 8 months location shooting and they also had to endure horrendous monsoon type rain in November, on top of all that, there were riots in Hong Kong and the hotel they were staying in caught fire. Despite the rigors and travails of the production, some cat and crew had very fond memories. As we come to the end of this documentary, they reflect that for an American, they will be rightly embarrassed by the film today, and it is entirely consumed with dignity of an individual, and the lasting quality and what is great about the film, that we are going to cherish it for years to come and it tried to say that people were not quite ready to hear perhaps, of exploring the dark side of the so called “American Dream,” and its politics of today. As usual we get to view lots of rare publicity images and of course we get lots of clips from the film. Contributors include: Richard D. Zanuck [Film Producer], F.X. Feeney [Film Critic], Robert Wise [Director], Robert Relyea [Film Producer/Steve McQueen’s Business Partner], Steve McQueen [Archival audio], Neile Adams [Steve McQueen’s wife 1956 – 1972], Sir Richard Attenborough [Frenchy Burgoyne], Candice Bergen [Shirley Eckert] and Charles Maguire [Associate Producer of ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’].
Special Feature: Road Show Scenes [1996] [1080i] [2.40:1 / 2.35:1] Here we get to view a generous collection of 13 deleted scenes which is a rare treat on the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ released in 1996. Some will argue these cuts should have been retained in the final film, and they deliver some decent subplot expansions and they are as follows: Sew Sew [0:41]; Under the Floor Plates [0:46]; Local Bandits [1:01]; Stopped for Repairs [1:08]; Arrival in Changsha [0:12]; After the Bet [0:52]; Looking for Jameson [0:53]; Requesting Transfer [0:18]; Escorted Back [0:45]; “Two Loose Twigs” [1:18]; Dinner with Shirley [2:27]; “Stay Clear of Them” [0:47] and Fire on the Deck [2:50].
Special Feature: Side Bars: Here we get to view three special features related to ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ film and they are as follows:
Steve McQueen Remembered [2007] [1080p] [1.37:1] [10:58] Takes a look at the varied career of star Steve McQueen through the eyes of his colleagues who have worked with him and knew him outside the film industry. We also get to see some very rare publicity photos of Steve McQueen and some clips of films he has appeared in. Contributors include: Norman Jewison [Film Director], Robert Relyea [Film Producer/Steve McQueen’s Business Partner], Candice Bergen [Shirley Eckert], Neile Adams [Steve McQueen’s wife 1956 – 1972], Richard D. Zanuck [Film Producer], Sir Richard Attenborough [Frenchy Burgoyne] and Loren Janes [Stunt Coordinator].
Bob Wise in Command [2007] [1080p] [1.37:1] [10:37] Here we get to view a retrospective of the legendary filmmaker and who have experienced his directing style and the very genuine and thoughtful personal side of Robert Wise. We also get to view lots of rare film footage of Robert Wise with rare behind-the-scene footage on set and also enjoying himself when not directing films. Contributors include: Robert Relyea [Film Producer/Steve McQueen’s Business Partner], Richard D. Zanuck [Film Producer], Julie Andrews [Actress], Marsha Mason [Actress], Norman Jewison [Film Director], Robert Mitchum [Actor], Sir Richard Attenborough [Frenchy Burgoyne], Ernest Lehman [Screenwriter], Rita Moreno [Actress], Candice Bergen [Shirley Eckert], Robert Wise [Director], F.X. Feeney [Film Critic] and Loren Janes [Stunt Coordinator].
China 1926 [2007] [1080p] [1.37:1] [12:53] Here we get to examine the history of China in 1926 around the period during which the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ takes place. We also get lots of rare black-and-white newsreels of Chine in 1926, as well as clips from ‘THE SAND PEBBLES,’ as well as rare clips of the cast and crew when not filming. Contributors include: J.A.G. Roberts [Author & Professor of Chinese History] and Merle Goldman [American Author & Professor of Modern China].
Special Feature: Radio Documentaries [Audio only]: Here we get to hear two radio documentaries and they are as follows:
Changsha Bund at the Streets of Taipei: Here Sir Richard Attenborough narrates this audio documentary and also informs and describes to us what is happening when filming ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and we also hear in the background the crew trying to get the filming started because of some logistic and technical problem, we also get to hear the atmosphere and sounds of Taipei at the time of filming. What a shame this could not of been filmed at the time for a special documentary, as Sir Richard Attenborough describes it all so extremely well.
A Ship Called San Pablo: This is a continuous audio documentary by Sir Richard Attenborough and describes all aspects of the USS San Pablo Gunboat used in the film and also explains what it was really like to film on the San Pablo boat. We also hear the cast and crew at work, especially the assistant director trying to get the filming started, but is always held up because of logistic problems, and we also get to hear the director Robert Wise also trying to get filming started because of technical problems, plus also serious problems with the very changeable weather, especially with the constant downpour of monsoon type rain. All in all, both of the audio documentaries are really interesting and very informative and Sir Richard Attenborough does a really professional job with lots of in-depth information about all aspect of filming ‘THE SAN PEBBLES.’
Special Feature: Radio Spots [Audio only]: With this special feature we get to hear three America Radio adverts of the actual Original Theatrical Trailers of the film ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and they are CUT 1; CUT 2 and CUT 3.
Special Feature: 1996: Here we get to view two very interesting documentaries about the filming of ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and they are as follows:
A Ship Called San Pablo [1996] [1080p] [1.37:1] [14:27] Here Sir Richard Attenborough narrates this fascinating in-depth documentary about the filming of ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and all the logistics involved. From 1965 through 1966, during the filming of ‘THE SAND PEBBLES,’ and a film crew documented the construction of the actual ship, the San Pablo which we see being constructed, which was by Vaughan & Yung Engineering Co Ltd in Hong Kong, and when completed was given a traditional Chinese send off and blessing. We also go behind-the-scene and chronicles the production of the motion picture, as well all the cast and crew relaxing between filming. But we also get to see the scene in the film with the blockade, but eventually near the end of the documentary we see the fond farewell of everyone after the filming had finished.
The Secret of The San Pablo [1996] [1080p] [1.37:1] [8:53] With this special documentary, here Richard Crenna also narrates this fascinating in-depth documentary about the filming of ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ and all the problems involved with the filming. Richard Crenna gives us an in-depth look again with the logistic problems of how you solve the problem of filming on location in Taiwan and Hong Kong and especially the harbour they filmed in, which looked like China in 1926, and of course talks about the San Pablo boat that was specially built for the film and is an exact replica of the real USS San Pablo Gunboat. Once gain we get to see all of the many problems with filming on location, as each day had its problems with filming especially with the very changeable weather, because each days shooting of using the USS Dan Pablo Gunboat cost $30,000 a day’s shoot, and of course you now get to see why a film on this scale took 8 months solid shooting, and again especially with the extreme changeable weather which added to the problem with days lost to no filming. When filming had finally been achieved, the question everyone asked was, what ever happened to this replica of the USS San Pablo Gunboat, well at the time of this documentary, we are informed that the San Pablo was still working in the water of Taiwan and also in the surrounding areas.
Finally, in the last analysis, ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ emerges as one of the major grand exercises in old time epic film making and no expense has been spared. Some two thousand costumes were either created or assembled for this massive and awe-inspiring production, representing an eclectic melding of American, Cantonese and Mandarin styles. Existing streets and structures were refitted with convincing facades to resurrect the look and feel of 1920s China. In all then, ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ is epic and impressive and a must see spectacle with an engaging story to propel its 182 minutes running time. ‘THE SAND PEBBLES’ was the first major American motion picture ever to be made on Taiwan. There is a small film industry on the island and Chinese films have been produced for some twenty years. Prior to that, Japanese films were sometimes made on Formosa. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
