The Sand Pebbles (1966)

Set in 1926 China when the country was in turmoil, torn between their own war lords from within and the interference of foreign countries from without. A sailor (Steve McQueen) on a rundown gun boat is a loner but the circumstances of both the political situation and personal attachments overwhelm him and force him into a destiny that he is ill prepared for. Based on the best seller by Richard McKenna (with a screenplay by TEA AND SYMPATHY's Robert Anderson), Robert Wise's three hour epic is a potent multi tiered look at western imperialism that manages, at least until the very end, to avoid preachiness. The film is populated with several engrossing story lines and characters and (with one exception) well acted. As the misfit machinist's mate, McQueen gives his best performance and was justifiably rewarded with an Oscar nomination. Richard Crenna, Richard Attenborough and Mako (also Oscar nominated) give strong performances with only Candice Bergen still unable to overcome her awkwardness as an actress at this early point in her career. Jerry Goldsmith contributes one of his very best scores. With Marayat Andriane (who would retire from film and write erotic Emmanuelle novels) as Attenborough's love interest, Larry Gates, Simon Oakland, Charles Robinson, Gavin MacLeod, Richard Loo, James Hong and Beulah Quo.