Reflections From A Distant Shore - The Sand Pebbles

[@garys5146]

Thank you so very much for putting this up on youtube I am a huge fan of Robert Wise and the Film Brings back so many memories when I was young

[@Wormhole798]

I saw the movie in 1968. I read the book in 1975 while I was on a WESPAC cruise aboard ship in the US Navy. Ironically, I began reading it two weeks before we went to Hong Kong. Great book! I need to reread it again.

[@michelleayres5608]

I had a similar experience. My family traveled to China several times in the 60's. I probably read the book and saw the movie about the same time you did. What I remember the most is hungry people. Seeing the movie again as an adult the "other point of view" crept up on me. As a child, I never felt unwelcome in any country. People always seemed kind. Reality is harsh.

[@johnappleby405]

Thanks for making this excellent documentary available. The background information and the numerous interviews are fascinating.

[@dennisclark8766]

I was stationed there six months after they completed the film. Spent 18 months in Taipei and loved every minute of my stay.

[@michaelsix9684]

compelling movie, still holds up well even now

[@alecfoster4413]

Especially now. Most films these days are hyped garbage that insult the audience's intelligence. You just don't see well written and crafted epics like "The Sand Pebbles" anymore. But, yes, compelling is a great description.

[@timfronimos459]

Thanks to the poster of this video. This film influenced my life. I became a commissioned officer US Navy in part due to this film.

[@markroberts1301]

I was a career West Pac sailor in the Navy, the China fleet was long gone, but many of the lessons from this film were observed during my time in Asia. As a Boiler Technician, I used the Live Steam, line often. Great movie. Your comment "The movie had a huge impact upon me. Maybe in more ways than even I know, or can explain." rings true for me as well. I know I was influenced by many of the characters in this film. Not just Jake but Frenchy, the Captain, even the "coolies" I always tried to see a story from the perspectives of all, not just my view... Thanks for sharing!

[@kentisraelpettersson8450]

Thank you Russell, this film have had a strong impact on me seeing it as a 10 years young Swede.

[@brettharsanye5939]

Saw the movie at Lockboure AFB Columbus Ohio with I was a kid. It always has an impression on one of my favorite movies. I'm 63 now I watch it at least once a year. PS I also saw Patton at the base theater at Lockboure AFB.

[@ChinWah77]

Best film ever! Can't wait to read the book.

[@Kikilang60]

Richard Kenna wrote one of the best books about the military ever written. He writes about the good, bad, and the horrible aspects of the military. He show not only has an internal understand of the military, but it's affect on the civilian life. It's sad it's not a better know book. The Historical aspect of, "The Sand Pebbles" is accurate, but it also reflects the emotional aspect of this time. I hope in time, this book be looked on more favorably.

[@WesleyHarcourtSTEAMandMORE]

My favorite movie, and book of all time. McKenna also wrote a series of short sailors stories compiled in 'Left Handed Monkey Wrench' another great. Shame he died so young.

[@briandubois-gilbert8182]

Appreciate the honesty of this video retrospective of the “behind the scene” look of how this classic period film came about. It’s a superb complement to this movie. I was a Hollywood movie buff and I remember seeing this movie in the late ‘60s, and it had a profound effect on the audience because of its tragic ending which went against the Hollywood “happy ending” so popular at that time. The movie gave us a glimpse of human drama in a period of history (pre-WW2) caught in a maelstrom of socio-geo-political events that’s larger than the individual characters in the story. It was fascinating, riveting and thought provoking all at the same time…similar to the themes tackled on films like “South Pacific”, “Lawrence of Arabia”, “55 Days in Peking”, and “The Last Samurai” when East meets West in terms of culture and history. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@gmakepiece]

Wow! This is so enjoyable and informative. I lived in Taipei and loved the film. A BIG thanks!

[@russellcampbell9198]

McKenna even looks like McQueen. It's strange how the film is not often mentioned when great film lists are made.

[@oneleggoalie]

Thank you sir...for the upload.

[@KAYA2COOKS010]

Good documentary. What's odd, and maybe I missed it, Kenna served on a gunboat U.S.S. Luzon. They mention the U.S.S. Ashville , but maybe he had served on both. My Dad was a Yangtze River Rat. He served on the U.S.S. Parrot and the U.S.S. Luzon, from 1931 to 1935, when he transferred to the Pacific Fleet and the U.S.S. Lexington (CV2). He has an Orient Photo album of his time in China and I'm in the middle of going through his album and restoring it. I know he had a lot of fondness for his time on the river.

[@michaelsix9684]

glad this film was made

[@roberttreborable]

A great review of a great film... IMO, One of the best films ever made, it stands with Laurence of Arabia, and Dr Zhivago. Films that told real deep complex stories.

[@RussellGraystone]

Author Richard McKenna was himself a 'China Sailor'. The movie, The Sand Pebbles. is based on his book of the same name. It was a big hit in its day. It became a 'cult classic' for many sailors in many navies. I was 16 Years Old and had been in the Royal Australian Navy for exactly one year, when on Leave and Draft to my first ship, about to sail on my first Dep[loyment to the Far East Station. I went to the movies and saw it. It was Xmas 1969. It was a very controversial time in history. The movie had a huge impact upon me. Maybe in more ways than even I know, or can explain.

[@duckscrubber07]

+Russell Graystone: My grandfather was in China during the Second World War with the U.S. 14th Air Force. This was his all-time favorite movie and he would always say that even though he was in China twenty years later, it captured his time in China very well. I still have his copy of the novel -- it's one of my treasured possessions.

[@RussellGraystone]

+Todd Wilkinson There were many things still the same when I arrived in the Far East in March 1970. We carried onboard what was called 'The Unofficial Chinese' which included Laundrymen, Bootmakers (aka,wackatac) and Tailors (aka, Sew-Sew). The Boss 'Coolie' ran a small shop from the compartment he was allocated. He sold watches, batteries, cameras and other assorted stuff. He also gave credit! When we 'secured' from work in the afternoon we would go down to the mess where our freshly laundered and pressed clothes would lie neatly in place on our respective bunks! The tailors made everything. Our uniforms were 'classy'. Whites made from 'Sharkskin'. The hand made Sea Boots were legendary. It was a great life and I was to become good friends with many of them. When alongside in Hong Kong for extended periods of self maintenence we employed Chinese 'coolie' labourers to do all manner of jobs. The Royal Navy at HMS Tamar had all female, local chinese 'Side Parties' who would be contracted to visting ships to carry out paint and ship's husbandry duties daily. These young girls were mostly orphans who were looked after by a Mamasan (Suzie & Jenny) who raised them properly and provided a good home and education for them. They would collect the food scraps by standing outside the ships cafe at meal times and collecting the plates of uneaten food off the sailors before it was ditched and sorting it and placing it into 'kerosine' tins. Later to be taken aft and consumed in a big nosh-up. I was still only 16 years old and this stuff was all straight out of the movie, even though it was 40 years on! I fell in love with the life and did deployment after deployment, year after year. Too many stories. The Bars and drinking, Prostitution, The 'Rooftops' and the 'Sampans', The Girlfriends etc. .... not a lot different in my day. Although I never cared for these terms and never used them, Sailors of the RAN (and RN) during this era referred colloquially to the Chinese as 'Chokey's'. This changed pretty much because of the Sand Pebbles Movie and by the early 70's the popular term in the RAN had become 'Slopehead', long before the Australian civilian population at large adopted it.

[@jessicastreet2922]

My family were missionaries during this time and escaped with their lives just barely. My great great grandmother had 4 young children in this area and it was all too much to bare for her as she jumped to her death for fear of this war. Her children safely made it back to the u.s. with my great great grandfather. We still have a plate that stopped a bullet while they were crossing the yangtze river to get to the navy boats.

[@WesleyHarcourtSTEAMandMORE]

​ @jessicastreet2922 that is an incredible story and a terrible tragedy. I'm sorry for the loss of her, but glad the rest of your family made it out so you are here to tell the story today.

[@brucewarren3562]

One of my favorite movies if not THE favorite.

[@limomangeno]

My Grandfather service in the Navy .South Pacific Fleet in the 1920s.He was in China and help rescue the people of Tokyo, Japan in 1923 when it was hit by a earthquake that killed ove 100,000 people. He passed away in 1982 served in the Navy and Army.WW1 ,WW2 and Korean War ,German Occupation. Boy he had some stories to tell.

[@michaelsix9684]

battle at the river boom was quite a battle

[@jjahsepuyeshd]

The part where the battle ensign/American flag unfurls, and all the sailors stop and look up at it.. Not jingoistic, but patriotic. I was oversees back in the 1960s, and I can remember going by the American consulate and feeling that pride/home, that you used to get with that flag. Uh, well..things may be a little different now.

[@timzahniser2102]

a masterpiece! and steve mcqueen's best movie imo!!

[@timfronimos459]

Never forget USS Panay, She was sunk by Japanese in 1937

[@MrRobster1234]

Thanks Russ, That was the most honest thing I've seen come out of the US in a long time.

[@emiralamsyah9668]

Classic type warship, but is manned by skilled crew and a tough commander. Great!

[@andrews527]

Great book, great movie. US military actions in China and post-revolution Russia are not enough explored.

[@3dartistguy]

i wished Holman had made it back to the Ship.

[@jimmusa1671]

So do I, but it portrayed Reality. Not everyone made it when the bullets started fling. A lot never made it back from Nam'

[@3dartistguy]

@@jimmusa1671 the movie wasn’t about Vietnam but about World War One and even Steve McQueen didn’t like the ending

[@michaelsix9684]

it was a hard ending, but justified, sometimes the hero doesn't survive

[@jeromebesson]

Post WWII Chinese rule over Japanese Formosa: “MUCH OF 1964 TAIWAN REFLECTED 1920s CHINA” At 10:05/41:31 Narration: “As they arrived in Taipei, the entire cast and crew entered a different world from the one they knew. Richard D. Crenna (Lieutenant Collins, captain of the San Pablo) : “ You have to remember, in those days in 1964, Taiwan was dirt streets, vey few facilities that we would call modern, rickshaws, oxen inthe street. Ans so, you became a part of that atmosphere.” Narration: “Much of Taiwan reflected the world of the 1920s that “The Sand Pebbles” would bring to life in the course of the production.” When, out of spite against Japan, you want your Taiwan Chinese…!!

[@michaelsix9684]

Steve was very good with machinery and firearms, he was in his element here

[@alecfoster4413]

Yes! He was made for a BAR! Everyone I have known who used that weapon in battle loved it.

[@michaelsix9684]

@@alecfoster4413 it was heavy and you needed another man to carry ammo for you

[@daveshively3606]

I've probably watched the movie 10 times. Much of this documentary also relates to the island nation of Hawaii.

[@MrRobster1234]

It's the uniform; gets them every time 🙂

[@jjahsepuyeshd]

I don't think people ever really connected this with USA versus China relations. This thing always screamed VIETNAM!!, and southeast Asia American involvement "the UGLY AMERICAN on a river... Principal filming of this movie started in October of 1965. The battle of Ia Drang (We were soldiers), occurred just a few weeks later on November 14-18, 1965. The movie was released December 20th, 1966. At least Wise admitted here he corelated it to Vietnam. It's tragic ending, its similarities to our mess in Vietnam. It's almost perfect timing as a warning. Was chilling back then and over 50 years later still is.

[@KMN-bg3yu]

Narrator sounded familiar but I can't place the voice

[@raybin6873]

Narrator is Burt Reynolds - shown in list of credits at the end.

[@kevinfarrell523]

A WISE FILM.

[@mailbagman]

The Sand Pebbles is McQueen's best.

[@robcochran6213]

An unknown actress by the name of Candice Bergen? Yeah nobody ever heard of Edgar Bergen daughter, lol

[@TWS-pd5dc]

She was unknown then as an actress. This was her first movie.

[@jimmusa1671]

And Steve McQueen said she was a HOT Number. She was Well Liked by the crew that filmed the movie. Some of them even got a Personal autograph from her. 🙄

[@SDMarineConsulting]

@@TWS-pd5dc She was 19 when filming started. I heard she did not get along with McQueen off set, she was finishing school, he was school of hard knocks.

[@chuckfrost5624]

The ending Bob Wise used was the right choice. The cruel evil nature of war was shown in this film. The blind stupid patriotism on the part of the captain caused death and suffering.

[@coiledsteel8344]

Not Blind Patrioism But Doing His Mission With Courage And Bravery. IF You've Never Been In Military, You'll Never Understand Mission. Watch The End Again.

[@paulrevere2379]

Richard Kenna wrote better than the vast majority of contemporary "educated" people today with their pathetic Masters degrees and more. I suspect that he was also a more accomplished reader than they are.

[@michaelsix9684]

being on small gunboat in China would be very scary

[@FooFahFoeFum]

If you enjoyed this movie and want more information, then check out www.thesandpebbles.com .....

[@3dartistguy]

The Author had he lived to see the movie might have been annoyed the Holman dies the end of the movie.

[@brentlund2272]

DO NOT MAKE ' BIG SCREEN " MOVIES LIKE THIS ! ANYMORE......

[@elchoya8770]

was this story narrated in a cave.

[@brettharsanye5939]

No