The Sand Pebbles

[9w1911]

I used to watch this a lot as a kid, along with another movie called Mr Roberts, I take that back there were three: Von Ryan's Express(I made a mistake and confused it with Kelly's Heroes which has too much of a 70's peace flair for me to like as much as these three), The Sand Pebbles and Mr Roberts.
Last night I was working as I work from home, and I decided to watch the Sand Pebbles for the first time in about 25 years. What an amazing movie!! Just cannot make a film like that anymore.

[RED333]

Yea Buddy, great movie, we caught "The Great Escape" today.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Steve McQueen was in both flics is why they were good movies.Robert

[monadnock#5]

Earlier this year when I was nursing my ribs I watched a Charlton Heston movie I had never seen before. 55 Days At Peking, about The Boxer Rebellion and The Empress Dowager Cixi. A great movie starring a great American, within an historical context.

[9w1911]

55 Days At Peking--I will check this out!!

I am not sure there was not a cooler dude than Steve McQueen.

[monadnock#5]

At the very beginning of the movie, as the cavalry enters the city, the director picked a head shot of Heston in all his stony visaged grandeur. This is the face you would want for any organization.

McQueen had the "cool factor" all sewed up. Heston was in a league of his own.

[dg31872]

If you get a chance, catch "Bullit". One of my favorites.

[500MAG]

Love Steve McQueen and I've got my 13 year old boy hook on his movies. I think it's important for them to see GOOD movies and not all this special effects junk they put out.

[Echo]

If you get a chance, catch "Bullit". One of my favorites.

Someone said that McQueen played that role with clenched hair...

[HollandNut]

Cool Hand Luke was another great McQ movie

55 days at Peking I will have to check out as well

another one that I really liked was Bridge Over the River Kwai , it was a true story , but many former English POW's were very angry because it portrayed the Japanese in a good light , they said being a POW there was hell ..

What was the one where they carried the explosives to the bottom of a dam ??

[searcher4851]

Cool hand Luke was Paul Newman.

[HollandNut]

yep you are correct in my error !! I dunno where my pea brain was at

[searcher4851]

As far as the explosives in the dam, are you talking about Force 10 from Navarone with Robert Shaw?

Another Steve McQueen film I enjoyed was Nevada Smith, although I can't seem to remember any of his I DIDN'T enjoy.

[HollandNut]

Could very well be Force 10 from Navarone

[scaevola]

McQueen made a lot of great movies; if you're trying to see them all add these 2:
Hell is for Heroes
The War Lover

[9w1911]

My old man tuned me onto all those old flicks when I was young I owned all the ones on vhs

[kootne]

For me, "Sergeant York", "The Light Horsemen" and "Searching for Private Ryan" are my all time favorite war movies. Each from a different generation of film making, each top notch. I did remember liking "Sand Pebbles" as a teen-age boy, watched it with my Dad when it came out. Dad never said much, but when he did, I had learned to pay attention. He remarked during the scene with the BAR that it was a very realistic portrayal of what a good BAR man could do.
kootne

[CastingFool]

I remember watching 55 days in Peking at a movie theater when I was about 14. Enjoyed it then. Seen the Sand Pebbles on TV. All Steve McQueen's films were good.

[richhodg66]

For me, "Sergeant York", "The Light Horsemen" and "Searching for Private Ryan" are my all time favorite war movies. Each from a different generation of film making, each top notch. I did remember liking "Sand Pebbles" as a teen-age boy, watched it with my Dad when it came out. Dad never said much, but when he did, I had learned to pay attention. He remarked during the scene with the BAR that it was a very realistic portrayal of what a good BAR man could do.
kootne

The Light Horsemen is a great movie, too bad it's hard to find in the states. Truly a well done movie in every respect.

The Sand Pebbles is a favorite of mine too. Steve McQueen was great.

[mikeym1a]

I've been in poor health the last week, and discovered yesterday that I have a kidney stone. Fortunately, I have the meds to control that pain. As i dozed off and on today, I decided to watch a flick on cable. Wasn't sure I would like it, but watched it anyway. 'Lone Survivor', starring Mark Walburg. I did not doze at all during the film. If any of you have not seen it, I recommend it. Be sure to watch through to the credits. mikey

[youngmman]

"The Wild Bunch", "Sand Pebbles", "55 Days In Peking", "The Searchers"................The list is endless and it is awful this quality of movie isn't made these days. There aren't the caliber of actors today.

[richhodg66]

There are still good movies being made and there were also some real stinkers from that era too. Classics stand the test of time.

I wish someone would consider a re-make of the Searchers, my second favorite western (the 1969 True Grit being first). The novel it is based on by Alan Lemay is much darker and harder edged than the movie, audiences just weren't up to it then, it seems. I think it is one example of where modern movie making could possibly improve on the original. Lemay's other novel, The Unforgiven, which is every bit as good a book as The Searchers, maybe even better, was made into a movie that sucked so bad I heard John Houston tried to have it pulled from being released after it was made. It had a great cast, they just took too much artistic license with the story line in the screen play.

[gnoahhh]

Seeing "Sand Pebbles" as a kid was what sparked my desire for an '03 Springfield, and haven't been without one to this day. Steve McQueen + the '03= cool actor + cool rifle. Of course his use of the BAR later in the movie sparked the same response, but that itch was never scratched...

After getting past the "coolness" and the weaponry and action scenes, I later settled down and re-watched it in later life and was impressed by the true premise of the movie, which was a poke at bigotry and prejudice.

Don't forget to include "LeMans" and "The Getaway" in a list of McQueen tour-de-forces.

[.45Cole]

I recorded Sand Pebbles off of PBS a few months go, but i was pretty sure it was called Gunboat. The plot of Sand Pebbles and the characters are the same though.

[500MAG]

Magnificent Seven, Papillon. Now We're talkin.

[bob208]

add heaven knows mr. Allison with Robert Mitchum.

[BrassMagnet]

Magnificent Seven, Papillon. Now We're talkin.

You have to READ!

Papillon, the book, is at least twenty times the story told in the movie. Even though it is a good movie, I find the movie boring compared to the book.
Don't forget to read Banco. Banco is about the continuing adventures of Henri Charriere after he is released from prison. Banco makes the point very clearly that you can't step outside the prison and instantly become a law abiding citizen. It takes a while and what incredible adventures Henri had on his way to becoming a law abiding citizen!

[quilbilly]

While in the military and in the hospital in Japan, I shared a room with and old man who spent several years on the Yangtze fleet (depicted in the Sand Pebbles) and calling himself a "bamboo American". When the Chinese kicked them out, he joined a U.S. Navy collier servicing the last of the coal fired destroyers in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. He shed a whole new light on the "Sand Pebbles" for me as he told his stories in the room while we recuperated. I didn't even get to read my book.

[popper]

Bridge Over the River Kwai Totally un-historical. Mothergoose is another good but substantially inaccurate one. Thin red line (original) is another, Bros. Karamazov (sp?) - totally DEPRESSING. Surprised they weren't directed by Hanoi Jane. Lone Survivor & Black Hawk down just made me MAD. I never would let the kids watch MASH.

[ncbearman]

Love Steve McQueen and I've got my 13 year old boy hook on his movies. I think it's important for them to see GOOD movies and not all this special effects junk they put out.

I agree, but the special effects nowadays are pretty awesome. Love all the modern superhero movies.

[Ed Barrett]

In the early '60's when I was in the Navy I had a Chief gunners mate, who as a young boot, was on the Yangtze river patrol. He also had a ship he was on sunk during WW II, he was picked up by a destroyer which was torpedoed two days later. Interesting stories from that guy.

[doc1876]

I caught part of From Here To Eternity last night, I am going to have to go back and watch the whole thing. Really love Lancaster and Borgnine. As far as McQueen, He was one of the best, really liked him in Magnificent 7. the things he did to tick off Yule Brenner was classic.