Holman quickly runs afoul of both the captain and fellow sailors, but he does have one close friend, Frenchy (Richard Attenborough). Holman particularly makes an enemy of Stawski (Simon Oakland), a hissable bully. The sailors spend shore leave at a bar and brothel that has a new arrival, virginal Maily (Emmanuelle Arsan). Frenchy and Stawski both vie for her, but Holman instead has eyes for kindly missionary's daughter Shirley (Candice Bergen).
Unrest in China endangers all Westerners there. The San Pablo has to initiate military action against Chinese forces to rescue Shirley and her ungrateful father (Larry Gates). The relative failure of this rescue created unintentional parallels with the then-current Vietnam War. Based on a 1962 novel by Richard McKenna, who died during the film's lengthy pre-production.
How others will see it. Classic movie fans will enjoy seeing familiar faces McQueen, Attenborough, Crenna, Bergen, and Oakland. Future "Love Boat" captain Gavin MacLeod shows up in a minor role. At three hours, the movie is lengthy, yet the slow moving first half is more worthwhile than its action packed but increasingly preposterous final hour.
Most will find this movie interesting, and will choose to overlook the obvious: the characters, dialogue, and situations often lack credibility. More on this later.
The Sand Pebbles was nominated for eight Academy Awards, losing all of them to another historical drama, A Man for All Seasons. Although The Sand Pebbles was a costly production, it fared well at the box office, and technically continued the winning streak of Robert Wise (The Sound of Music, West Side Story).
How I felt about it. The Sand Pebbles is loaded with moments that don't seem right. For example, captain Crenna takes extreme risks with his own life on several occasions, all for the sake of defying orders to recover a recalcitrant missionary. Po-han (Mako) wins a boxing match against a much bigger man despite hardly trying. Frenchy takes unusual interest in securing freedom for Maily, who, like him, is completely pure at heart despite the absolute corruption that surrounds her.
One wonders why Crenna decides to board the blockading vessels, thus getting half his crew shot, when The San Pablo was doing much better blasting the outmatched Chinese junks from a comparatively safe distance. Earlier, the crew is on the verge of full mutiny, but within minutes the tension is defused, despite nothing having changed. Frenchy deserts his ship within sight of Holman and the captain, and neither man does anything about it.
The timing of events is also improbable. Stawski is knocked out just as the ship's whistle blows for all to board. Po-han is captured by Chinese extremists within sight of The San Pablo. Holman visits Maily in her apartment, just in time to be assaulted by another group of extremists. A small group of armed sailors reach the mission, just in time to be confronted by a Chinese militia. It is as if the director cannot transition from one scene to another without bookending crises.