MovieChat Forums > The Sand Pebbles (1966) Discussion > Captain COLLINS is very difficult to und...

Captain COLLINS is very difficult to understand

posted 16 years ago by jeffyoung1
18 replies | jump to latest

Much has been written about the brilliant portrayal of Chief Petty Officer Jake Holman by Steve McQueen.
But I would like to ask anyone, especially you guys with any Navy military career experience, to tell me your opinion of the San Pablo's skipper, Lieutenant Collins.

Lieutenant Collins, the captain (skipper) of the San Pablo, is possibly the most complicated character in the movie.

Skipper Collins successfully portrays himself just enough of the straight-laced, stiff-backed, starched collar military martinet - just enough - to keep the men in line and to maintain respect, but he obviously knows when to bend just a little at the right time. And captain Collins does indeed care for the sailors under his command and these men are more than just disposable military personnel assets to Collins. In his own way he can show a subtle paternalism for his men. I felt extreme appreciation for his canny wisdom in not threatening or pressing his men during a critically stressful time, and as they bordered on mutiny, his wisdom proved appropriate. The youthful executive officer and the master chief remembered the skipper's advice and quietly turned their backs. As the frightened, near-mutinous men began to hear Holman shoveling coal alone in the depths of the gunboat, they quietly returned to their duties.

What I don't understand is how Lieutenant Collins can allow a situation where his military gunboat vessel would be unofficially crewed by a large number of Chinese nationals, even with the knowledge this all started long ago by giving those desperate and starving Chinese food and some gainful employment. This would never do in today's Navy. The only way I can figure this was tolerated was because of the San Pablo's extreme isolation...out of sight, out of mind, so to say. Also, the San Pablo plied the same, limited waterways in central China. So it's route and dock were always predictable. I would expect a straight-laced skipper like Collins to absolutely oppose the 'shadow crew' arrangement that occurred in his gunboat. I do remember one historical facet of that time period in which it was common for virtually any Westerner with money to hire as many Chinese servants as he or she could afford. At the time the Chinese people were in desperate economic and social straits and any employment was welcome. So nobody would think twice for the sailors and officers of the San Pablo to hire Chinese workers to do the menial tasks on the gunboat ship.

I was very sorry to see skipper Collins die what I thought was an unnecessary death of self-sacrifice at the movie's end. It was unnecessary for Collins to sacrifice himself like that. I suspect that starting with the almost mutiny earlier in the movie, Collins started breaking under the mental stress. His judgment wasn't the same afterwards. He was starting to act in a more reckless, aggressive, kamikazie way.

[–] anghmho 14 years ago

It easier to understand where Lt. Collins was coming from if you read the book. If you want an even better understanding of Lt. Collins and what the Navy was like back in those days, read Richard McKenna's other book, "The Left-Handed Monkey Wrench." You can still find copies. At your local library, if you're lucky.

[–] BilligerVogel 13 years ago

This is a quote from my Dad, retired Navy, who was in China in the forties on a Tin can.
He asked the Cap' 'What the hell are we doing here?'
The Cap' replied 'So they can see what we have.'
Dad's response, 'Do you think they give a damn of what we have?'

Only a Corpsman could get away with this...

Studios do not care if the population likes it, as long as they are paying to see it. blackmamba

[–] phillipsdan83 11 years ago

Collins definitely cracked under the strain, and doesn't completely recover even at the end of the movie. His sense of honor and duty has been challenged to the point where he feels he can erase the stain on his reputation and that of the ship by dying in honorable battle. The novel's Collins finds out that practical reality doesn't work that way...Bronson points out to him that if they left him behind to die, the former would be in trouble with Mr. Bordelles, and Bordelles would be in trouble with the Admiral in charge of the Yangtze gunboats, and Holman, with nothing left to live for with the China Light dream gone and recognizing that by even visiting prostitutes, he himself has oppressed Chinese in a sense, deliberately volunteers for the potentially suicidal job of holding off the Chinese. The movie's Collins is openly challenged by Holman just before the Chinese show up, then, in a crisis, puts Holman in charge of getting Shirley and the other Sand Pebbles to safety. But he's still just looking for a glorious death in battle and is soon killed, leaving Holman no choice but to step into his shoes.