The Sand Pebbles (1966) - 10/10. China in the 20s: a U.S. gunboat: McQueen: a decent score: helmed by director-producer Robert Wise. What's not to like? Although not a great artist, Wise was a consummate craftsman: even when working on the most wretched of projects (The Sound of Music, say), his technical virtuosity gave his work interest. When employed on material more worthy of his talents, as was the case on The Sand Pebbles, his skills raised the film to the level of a masterpiece. Every shot in this movie is a thing of beauty, and the editing (Wise started as an editor) is immaculate. Even more significant is Robert Anderson's screenplay, which wastes nothing, has several exciting set pieces, builds wonderfully to a powerful climax, and is able to delineate at least five genuine character-like characters. And all five characters, over the course of three hours (which speeds by) change (and do so credibly). When you place it beside Wise's other films, this is the one that shines brightest. But comparisons with the other widescreen, color, historical epics of the 60s favor it as well. This film is certainly better than The Alamo, El Cid, Lawrence, Mutiny on the Bounty, the beautiful but vacuous Zhivago. Probably the only film of its type it does not exceed is Bondarchuk's War and Peace, which really should be considered 2 (or more) films. GBU vs. The Sand Pebbles? Let's say those two films are at par.And we are exceedingly blessed to have a Blu-ray edition worthy of this great film. I can't wait to watch this again.
It's really good, but 10/10 seems a bit much. This is definitely McQueen best performance, and the battle at the end is incredible. I don't really like the Attenborough subplot though.
I liked the fact that it wasn't over-milked, and that it tied in (finally) with the main storyline. And his death comes as a shock (none of the major catastrophes are telegraphed: the audience is always just as surprised as the characters by what happens).
I'm convinced that that film can only be properly appreciated when seen in a cinema.
American Gangster (2007) - 8/10Scott's best since Gladiator, but there isn't much competition, is there?
What happened to your new religion called Blu-Ray?
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) - 7/10. This film has one of the most impressive 30-minute openings of any film of its era, but then the whole thing goes south. Welles always blamed the studio for screwing things up, and no doubt they compromised what could have been a better work, but I've pretty much come round to Robert Carringer's way of thinking: the property, which was essentially an adaptation of a Welles radio play (of a Booth Tarkington novel), needed more work than Welles alone could have given it (there was no co-writer on this one). After all, the story is about a spoiled mama's boy who annoys everyone for 80 minutes and then finally gets his comeuppance. Citizen Kane this ain't. Cool sets, costumes, and, of course, elaborate camera work, but, in the end, a very trivial subject.
