The Sand Pebbles

"This is the heroic story of the men on the U.S.S. San Pablo who disturbed the sleeping dragon of savage China as the threatened world watched in breathless terror."

1966 3h 16m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 296

DramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Engineer Jake Holman arrives aboard the gunboat USS San Pablo, assigned to patrol a tributary of the Yangtze in the middle of exploited and revolution-torn 1926 China. His iconoclasm and cynical nature soon clash with the 'rice-bowl' system which runs the ship and the uneasy symbiosis between Chinese and foreigner on the river. Hostility towards the gunboat's presence reaches a climax when the boat must crash through a river-boom and rescue missionaries upriver at China Light Mission.

“This is the heroic story of the men on the U.S.S. San Pablo who disturbed the sleeping dragon of savage China as the threatened world watched in breathless terror.”

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Cast

Steve McQueen
Jake Holman
Richard Attenborough
Frenchy Burgoyne
Richard Crenna
Captain Collins
Candice Bergen
Shirley Eckert
Mako
Po-han
Larry Gates
Jameson
Charles Robinson
Ensign Bordelles
Simon Oakland
Stawski

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Wise
Writers: Robert Anderson
Languages: Mandarin, English
Countries: United States of America, Taiwan, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 196 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Taiwan, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Wise, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Editor William Reynolds shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough and Richard Crenna carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Wise directs. Joseph MacDonald behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. William Reynolds cuts. A long sit — settle in. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Taiwan, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 196 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
260 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Mandarin, English.
4International production across 3 countries: United States of America, Taiwan, Hong Kong.
5Directed by Robert Wise, shot by Joseph MacDonald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor William Reynolds shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough and Richard Crenna carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "This is the heroic story of the men on the U.S.S. San Pablo who disturbed the sleeping dragon of savage China as the threatened world watched in breathless terror.".
10IMDB entry: tt0060934 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.