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Reviewed by Steve Rogers
Film:	B
Video Quality:	A+
Audio Quality:	B-
Special Features:	A
DVD Review:	A-

I've never been the biggest fan of The Sand Pebbles, Robert Wise's 1966 epic drama about an American gunboat patrolling the Yangtze River in 1926 China. The pace was a little slow, there was a dearth of action, the Asian characters were poorly drawn, and the film just seemed to darn long. But Fox's new 2-disc special edition, the latest release in its wonderful Cinema Classics Collection series, comes very close to making me a believer. It features the standard theatrical trailer version and the Roadshow edition (the latter from a faded 70mm print with substantial color distortion), a wealth of special features, and cute extras like a reproduction of the original roadshow program and (miniaturized) lobby cards.

The centerpiece of The Sand Pebbles has always been Steve McQueen, who stars as Navy sailor Jake Holman in a classic anti-hero role. Holman joins the crew of the San Pablo at a critical juncture just as the Chinese nationalist revolution is really hitting the fan. I'm not so sure this is the quintessential performance by the "King of Cool", as many McQueen fans and scholars claim, but his unique acting style is always a joy to watch and seeing his character unfold over the course of the three-hour running time allowed one to really absorb the genius of McQueen's inherently physical approach to acting. As is pointed out repeatedly on the disc's interviews, McQueen could communicate more with a single gesture or facial expression than most actors could in a 10-minute monologue. And I'd forgotten the strong performance of Richard Crenna as the gunboat captain. Crenna was an underrated actor throughout his career and succeeded greatly in a variety of roles. The dramatic interplay between McQueen and Crenna, as the political tension mounts during the film, is the dynamic that holds your interest as the drama heads to the climactic battle scenes in the movie's finale. While the romantic subplots still lack depth and drag on the movie's pace, the on-screen charisma of McQueen and Crenna adds an extra dimension I'd previously not noticed.

So I think the film at this point can surely stand as a sterling example of epic filmmaking. Robert Wise, fresh off his enormous success with The Sound of Music, was certainly the perfect choice to direct this sweeping historical drama on the big canvass provided by the then new Panavision widescreen process. It is beautifully filmed with a fantastic attention to detail almost unimaginable today, considering the hundreds of extras and trying location shoots involved in the making of the movie.

Ultimately though, one can't discuss The Sand Pebbles without acknowledging the bold audacity of Wise's political version. The film is still a pointed commentary on the inherent dangers of ill-advised American interventionist policies, and this theme is nowhere near as subtle as I had recalled. The "message" is as relevant in 2007 as it was in 1966 and The Sand Pebbles has stood the test of time well. With the consummate professional Wise at the helm, and bravura performances by Steve McQueen and Richard Crenna, it's hard to see why I ever doubted its virtues.

Video Quality

The theatrical version boasts a transfer that is simply one of the best I have ever seen, particularly considering the age of the film. Picture quality is crisp, the colors are vibrant and lifelike, and there's nary a speck of grain visible in the finished product. I can't comment on the video quality of the lengthier Roadshow version, since the source was obviously compromised, but I commend Fox for including it, if only to satisfy purists and the curious.

Audio Quality

Both versions of the movie offer 4.0 and 5.1 Dolby surround mixes. I listened with the 5.1 mix as is my custom but was unable to detect any significant use of the rear channels. I'm not sure why they even bothered to remix these older films since the effect is usually negligible save for the scores (and The Sand Pebbles' is a beauty). The separation across the front channels however was impressive and engaging.

Special Features

This DVD is packed with special features. "The Making of Sand Pebbles" provides a wealth of incisive and interesting segments on the entire filmmaking process, and includes interviews with numerous cast and crew members. Other featurettes include "Steve McQueen Remembered" and "China 1926". The theatrical version offers two commentaries, one from the original 2001 DVD release with Wise, Crenna (who does most of the talking), Bergen and Mako. The other is an isolated music track with three film historians offering a virtual biography of the great filmmusic composer Jerry Goldsmith. My favorite among the extras is a 1968 MAD Magazine parody of the movie, which is a hoot. The only complaint is the virtual absense of commentary or interviews with McQueen. Surely there must be more in the archives than the one or two audio blurbs presented here.

Summary

Fox scores big with this deluxe edition of The Sand Pebbles. It's pretty much got everything you'd ever want or need to know about this grand scale epic. While not the cinematic classic some have claimed, the film and its themes have withstood the test of time and it represents a pinnacle in the careers of Robert Wise and Steve McQueen, no small feat. It's a film that should not be missed by movie aficionados. They simply don't make them like this anymore.