The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray]

The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray]
by Robert Wise

The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray]

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Candice Bergen, Emmanuelle Arsan, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Steve McQueen
Director: Robert Wise
Brand: FOX
Writer: Richard McKenna
Writer: Robert Anderson
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 182 minutes
Published: 2008-06-01
Blu-ray Release Date: 2008-06-03
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product features:

Condition: New
Format: Blu-ray
AC-3; Color; Dolby; DTS Surround Sound; Dubbed; Subtitled; Widescreen

Movie Reviews of The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: Roadshow vs. Theatrical Versions Inclusion: The Best of Both Worlds
Summary: 5 Stars

For a fan of The Sand Pebbles this presentation is a no-brainer. I've seldom seen DVDs that give you so much value for-money as this one: a masterpiece movie, beautifully transfered (the theatrical version), plentiful extras and additionally, the complete original roadshow version, granted with flaws, but hey, at least now we have it on DVD. I'm sure there were technical (or economical) reasons for not restoring the roadshow version; it's a shame because it's the preferred one. In the first place it's badly faded (skin tone is reddish, the sea is generally gray or brownish, and scenes are dark overall) and if you've watched the theatrical version first with its clear and beautiful transfer, only real fans will be interested in sitting through the 3-hour-16-minutes run time. In the second place, and as if the bad picture wasn't bad enough, the roadshow version is cropped from 2:35:1 to 2:20:1. This may sound like nitpicking, but if you've watched the theatrical version, you'll notice loss of information at the sides - for example Chapter 29, the scene where the San Pablo is received by a hostile crowd with banners that read "Give Up Murderer Holman" only half the message of the banner can be seen. In other scenes characters lose half of their backs or heads; this becomes pretty annoying if you're used to the full image. Some other scenes have complete characters missing from the picture, as in Chapter 4, when Shirley and Mr. Jameson are watching Jake from the boat overlooking the dock. When the camera switches to Jake the full image should show him feel that Shirley and Mr. Jameson are watching him from the boat at the top right edge of the picture, in the roadshow version the cropping loses Shirley and Jameson. On the good side (I'm not sure it compensates the bad), we get 13 minutes that are cut from the Theatrical Version giving us the original Director's Cut. Does the restored footage make a difference? I guess it's not essential to the flow or understanding of the story as presented in the Theatrical Version, but at least a couple of restored scenes give a better insight into the motivation of the characters: 1) In Chapter 24 Shirley asks Jake to show her around town; they have a talk in a restaurant where Shirley gives Jake reasons to leave the Navy, and although he resists Shirley's "digging in deep", the seed of desertion has been planted by Shirley. 2) Another interesting scene is the conversation between Capt. Miller and Bordelles in Chapter 28 where Miller gives his reasons for not being stricter with the crew; the line "I have authority only as long as I don't try to exercise it" was edited out, I think the line's important to understand Miller's actions. In any case I can't see any reason to cut the 13 minutes of footage other than to make the film 13 minutes shorter which really doesn't make that much difference in the running time. This DVD presentation is an example of how the available film material of classic films should be released to the fans: include all the essential material available. Fans will want to watch the Roadshow Version for the complete running time of the movie (plus the Intermission music) and/or may want to watch the Theatrical Version for its crystal-clear transfer and un-cropped image presentation. To complement, the forthcoming Blu-Ray version should put to rest any further demands from fans. Highly Recommended.

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Summary of The Sand Pebbles [Blu-ray]

Synopsis:
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: NR
Street Date: 06/03/08
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
LanguageENGLISH
Foreign Film: no
Subtitlesno
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve Please note: This supplier will be closed on 11/24, 11/25, 12/26, 1/2 for the holidays. The shipping cut off is 12/10 to try and have the products delivered by Christmas.

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