THE SAND PEBBLES (1966)

China in 1926 is a land of turmoil. Communists, nationalists and local warlords are in conflict (a British observer calls the country "a patchwork quilt of bandits, warlords, mobs, rape, loot and chaos") and American gunboats have been patrolling the waterways for years as "peacekeepers." But now Captain Collins of the U.S.S. San Pablo has been ordered to stay out of local conflicts and to use military force only to protect direct American interests, including a group of missionaries led by Rev. Jameson and his young assistant, teacher Shirley Eckert. The men of the San Pablo, nicknamed "sand pebbles" (a local mangling of the name of the ship) are both bored and tense, and there are simmering problems with the Chinese coolies who run things below deck. Into this situation comes Jake Holman, a newly assigned engineer. Jake's innocent enthusiasm for his job is greeted with cynicism by most of the sailors. He makes some enemies fairly quickly, but also a couple of friends, including a sailor named Frenchy--who has a Chinese mistress onshore--and a coolie named Po-Han who Jake quickly promotes to an important position to replace a troublesome supervisor. As the local situation deteriorates, the San Pablo finds itself stranded not just in terms of its duty but literally in low river water; despite some threats from the Chinese, the captain insists they stick to their neutral stance. It's obvious from the start that this film can be read as a metaphor for America's involvement in Vietnam, so it's clear that things will not turn out well for the Sand Pebbles.

This Robert Wise epic (three hours long, shot on location, and presented in theaters as a reserved-seat roadshow with an intermission) is alternately boring and engrossing. Though the political context may not always be clear if you're not already aware of Chinese history of the 20s, the main plot lines are character-driven and hold the viewer's interest. I've never been a fan of Steve McQueen (though I liked him the underrated Ibsen adaptation AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE) but he is excellent here as the loner with simmering internal conflicts who takes heroic stands when needed. Richard Attenborough is just as good as the likable Frenchy. Both men try and but are unable to save their friends--Jake's buddy Po-Han and Frenchy's mistress both meet tragic ends (Po-Han's last scene is almost unbearable to watch). The final conflict, with Jake helping the missionaries escape the local mayhem, is satisfying, and McQueen's famous last line ("What happened? What the hell happened?") serves as a final comment on the Vietnam parallels. All the acting is solid, including Mako as Po-Han, Richard Crenna as the conflicted captain, Charles Robinson as the captain’s right hand man, Candice Bergen as the mission teacher, and Simon Oakland and Joe Turkel as sailors. For a three-hour movie, a lot happens, but there are also some long stretches of philosophizing and exposition--the movie might have been more effective if it came in a half an hour shorter. A good movie for a long Saturday afternoon, as long as a downbeat ending won't spoil your weekend. Pictured are McQueen and Bergen. [DVD]