Years after his untimely passing, it's hard to watch a Steve McQueen film and not be completely mesmerized by his presence in the film. The man simply exuded coolness and as his career progressed his performances became more nuanced and he became much more than his persona. Such is the case with THE SAND PEBBLES (Robert Wise, Fox, 1966), a film in which McQueen received his only Academy nomination. That isn't to say this film only revolves around McQueen. Besides his nomination the film garnered seven others although it didn't win any of them. Still, eight nominations including Best Picture speaks volumes.
In every category the film received a nomination in the film stands out extraordinarily. The film has epic style and composition to it, and this is reflected in the categories it was nominated in. The cinematography was done on a grand scale and there are moments of brilliance. The films final shot, as Wise pulls away from the dead Captain Collins (Richard Crenna), Holman (McQueen) and the missionary Jameson (Larry Gates) is not only beautiful but closes the film with an emphatic statement about colonialism and it future in the east. The film also has an outstanding score again lending to the epic scope of the film as a whole.
Ultimately, the film belongs to McQueen who is outstanding in his role as Jake Holman. He takes a part that doesn't offer much and makes us watch him. Holman is a loner and not very personable. He has a mundane job and his one love interest doesn't exactly provide sparks (love interest is a very young Candace Bergen). Yet McQueen infuses Holman with his essence and that makes the world of difference between the role being dry and boring and eminently watchable. This film is not going to be for everyone, especially fifty plus years after its release. Still, anything with the "king of cool" is well worth the time!
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