Posted on 08/30/2016 9:14:06 AM PDT by pabianice
“What happened? What the hell happened!?”
asa663@verizon.net
These are the final words spoken by Jake Holman in the magnificent movie, “The Sand Pebbles.” Holman, played by Steve McQueen, serves as the protagonist in the 1966 movie, a movie about the Chinese Communist Revolution set in 1926 (although about Vietnam). Holman has just been shot to death by Communist soldiers as he gives his life to save his love interest and the lives of fellow crewmen from the gunboat USS San Pablo. Making the movie was a two-year ordeal and McQueen has said that making it “made up for all the bad things he had done in his life.” McQueen’s character – delinquent youth, poor fatherless family, sentenced to the military during World War I to avoid jail -- is a machinist’s mate first class (MM1) and in his Navy career has been obsessed only with being the best engineer he can be, to the detriment of human relations and political awareness. Upon reporting aboard, Holman goes directly to the engine room, looks around with a smile, and says, “Hello, engine. My name is Jake.”
Holman, along with the entire crew, is caught-up in the violence of the early Chinese Revolution and although the ship is stationed along Chinese back-waters, is soon involved. The story accurately depicts river patrol duty being done by the U.S. and European countries at the time. Because of his naiveté, Holman is unjustly accused of murder by the Communists and the following events spell his doom. But the bewilderment of the situation very well mirrors the state of the United States in this election year. “What the hell has happened?”
Today’s voters are far more bewildered by events than in the past. Politics has supplanted thought. Political affiliation is no longer to a party, but to whatever cult appeals more to the voter. Hillary Clinton, after 40 grasping years of avarice and congenital lying has her voters who are uninformed, bigoted, and want lots more free stuff from the government (re. us taxpayers). They are oblivious to fact or reason. Donald Trump, who spent 40 years single-mindedly amassing as much money and property as he could, now asks voters to “help make America great again” by essentially returning civic and government discourse to 1958. Trying to move a sense of country back in time is bound to allow progressive opponents call him every nasty thing in the book. From the relatively small number of independent thinkers we hear, “What the hell happened?”
At 240 years, the government of the United States is one of the oldest in the world. Is its time running out?
Its been a while since I saw the movie, but it was the Boxer rebellion, not the commies. It was set in 1926. Not 1946.
YES
MY FAVORITE MOVIE!!!!! Thanks for posting. Let it not be us saying “what happened” in November......
It's already run out. This ain't your Founding Fathers' US.
I really liked this movie and have seen it several times - every time it comes back on. Even in my lifetime of 67 years I am constantly saying to myself “what the hell happened?”
The Boxer Rebellion was in 1900, not 1926. The movie is about Communism.
The Boxer Rebellion was at the turn of the century; it was more likely during the pre-WWII struggle between Nationalists and Communists (which was put on hold during WWII, then concluded a few years after that war ended).
I believe the Charlton Heston movie was set during the Boxer Rebellion (100 Days in Nanking?)
It’s the people.
Lazy, greedy, thieving, lying, cowardly people are not going to have a great country.
Smoke another joint and wonder what happened.
To the author:
You and your “relatively small number of independent thinkers” are among the main reasons we’re in this position, you twit.
I am not sure I understood the movie but I really liked it.
It could not have been the Boxer Rebellion because that was in 1899 or so.
I think it was Sun Yat Sen and both the Nationalists and Communists.
I wasn’t sure who to root for but the audience cheered when the San Pablo attacked the river boom.
What the hell happened?
We let people who aren’t paying for the government decide how the government will spend our money.
We let the government take on powers that are not legitimately authorized to it, because somebody claimed it was a good idea.
We let government become the province of government professionals.
What crap. Journalists are pure evil.
One of my favorite movies, I’ve seen it many times over the years.
“Its been a while since I saw the movie, but it was the Boxer rebellion, not the commies. It was set in 1926. Not 1946.”
Boxer Rebellion ran from 1899 and 1901. Chinese Communists fought the civil war for more than two decades. I think it’s actually Nationalist soldiers who attack the mission, however.
You are a quarter of a century too late for the Boxer Rebellion. The communist - Kuomintang split occurred in 1927, and the communist forces began building up in 1928.
One of my all time favorites. Remember watching it on the fantail in Mayport. Yeah, I was the IC guy who ran the projector and did the movie runs. “Holman come down. Holman come down.” “Live stem.”
Not all Americans are sleazebags as you opine. Trouble is the glommy middle that doesn't even see the difference between the two groups.
Parallel would have to be the American Revolution, where the two sides were quite different, but the gloms were a significant minority.
Can't say I like the way the author sneers at "1958" as if it was a contemptible era in our history. Truth be told now is the most worthless our society has ever been.
Not worth the powder to blow it to hell.
Anyway, I pray for Trump, and I pray there is enough will among the good people to take up CW2 when that becomes necessary.
When I first heard the phrase “vote for your own self interest”, I knew the slide had begun.
I have always voted for my Country’s self interest, and I still do.
Bank Robbers rob Banks for their own self interest. You don’t need a Tommy Gun nowadays, just vote Democrat.
You will rewarded handsomely with no risk of being incarcerated.
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