The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 film which tells the story of an American gunboat plying the rivers of China in the 1920s. It stars Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen, Makoto Iwamatsu, Emmanuelle Arsan, Simon Oakland, Ford Rainey and Gavin MacLeod.
The movie was adapted by Robert Anderson from the novel by Richard McKenna. It was directed by Robert Wise.
The film deals with the racism and colonialism of the era. Both in the small scale of how the American sailors treat Coolies on the boat and bar girls on shore and in the large scale of how gunboat diplomacy was used on under-developed China. The film is considered a commentary on the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Steve McQueen), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Mako), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Music Score, Best Picture and Best Sound.
