SAND PEBBLES, THE 267
his fellow sailors, who are lazy, but he does become close friends with a waterten-
der named Frenchy Burgoyne (Richard Attenborough). Holman discovers a serious
prob lem with a crank bearing on the boat’s engine and informs the captain,
Lt. Collins (Richard Crenna), but Collins refuses to have it repaired until his execu-
tive officer declares an emergency. Chien asks to complete the repair and is acciden-
tally crushed to death when a jack slips. The chief coolie, Lop- eye Shing (Henry
Wang), blames Holman, believing that a “ghost in the machine” killed Chien.
Holman selects Po- Han (Mako) as a replacement for Chien, and the two men soon
become friends. Po- Han is harassed by “Ski” Stawski (Simon Oakland), a brutish
sailor, and the two box while the rest of the crew places bets on the outcome. Po-
Han wins the fight, creating greater friction between Holman and the other crew
members. Lt. Collins orders the crew to refrain from any hostilities with the Chi-
nese, as they don’t want to add fuel to the propaganda fire. The boat embarks, but
Po- Han is sent ashore to avenge Chien’s death. Po- Han is run down, taken cap-
tive, and tortured by Chinese peasants while the crew watches from the boat. The
Chinese refuse to release Po- Han, and Collins shoots him to relieve his suffering.
The San Pablo moors on the Xiang River due to low water levels, and Lt. Collins
begins to fear a mutiny. Frenchy dies from pneumonia after too many swims ashore
to visit his new wife Maily (Emmanuelle Arsan). Kuomintang (Chinese National-
ist Party) army soldiers locate Holman as he tries to comfort Maily, beat him, and
drag the grieving woman away. The next day, the Chinese claim that Holman has
“murdered” Maily and her unborn baby and demand that he is turned in as a crimi-
nal. The crew worries for their safety and asks Homan to surrender, but then Col-
lins shocks the Chinese with a gunshot to their boat, and Holman is left alone. In
the spring, Collins begins river patrols anew, but is then ordered back to the Yangtze
River. Before heading to his new post, Collins steams upstream to rescue Jameson
(Larry Gates), an idealistic missionary and his schoolteacher assistant, Shirley
Eckert (Candice Bergen), from their remote China Light Mission. After a good deal
of fighting between the sailors and the Chinese near Dongting Lake, Collins leads
three sailors, including Holman, ashore. Jameson does not want to be rescued,
claiming that Eckert and he have renounced their U.S. citizenship and are com-
mitted to their post. Collins orders Holman to evacuate Eckert and Jameson, but
just as Holman declares that he is going to stay with them, Jameson is suddenly
killed by Nationalist soldiers in a surprise attack. Collins is killed trying to pro-
vide cover for Holman, leaving him in command. He tearfully parts from Eckert
and is then fatally wounded right as he goes to join the others on his boat. His last
bewildered words are: “I was home [ free]... what happened... what the hell hap-
pened?” as the San Pablo sails away.
Reception
Four years in the works, The Sand Pebbles fi nally premiered on 20 December 1966.
Proving a hit at the box office, the film grossed $30 million ($226.4 million in 2017
dollars). It received seven Oscar nominations, eight Golden Globe nominations,
and one win (a Golden Globe for Richard Attenborough as Best Supporting Actor).
Reviews were, however, mixed. Philip K. Scheuer called it “a stirring movie...