The Sand Pebbles (film)

The Sand Pebbles
Theatrical release poster
by Howard Terpning
Directed byRobert Wise
Screenplay byRobert Anderson
Based onthe novel
by Richard McKenna
Produced byCharles Maguire
(associate producer - second unit director)
Starring
CinematographyJoseph MacDonald, A.S.C.
Edited byWilliam Reynolds, A.C.E.
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • December 20, 1966 (1966-12-20)
Running time
  • 182 minutes (Original release)
  • 196 minutes[1] (Roadshow)
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Mandarin
Budget$12.1 million[2]
Box office$30 million[3]

The Sand Pebbles is a 1966 American epic war film directed by Robert Wise in Panavision. It tells the story of an independent, rebellious U.S. Navy machinist's mate first class, aboard the fictional river gunboat USS San Pablo, on Yangtze Patrol in 1920s China. The production was filmed on location in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The film stars Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna and Candice Bergen, and features Marayat Andriane, Mako and Larry Gates in supporting roles. Robert Anderson adapted the screenplay from the 1962 novel of the same name by Richard McKenna.

The Sand Pebbles was a critical and commercial success during its general release. It became the fourth highest-grossing film of 1966 and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Steve McQueen, his only Oscar nomination, and eight Golden Globe Awards, with Attenborough winning the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

  1. ^ "THE SAND PEBBLES (A)". British Board of Film Classification. February 24, 1967. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  2. ^ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p254
  3. ^ "The Sand Pebbles, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2012.