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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Triumph of the Fallen, September 30, 2009
This is one of John Garfield's most unheralded films, in my opinion, mostly because it has been nearly impossible to see or obtain for many years. VHS copies were rare and highly-priced, bootleg copies were hard to come by, and it was rarely shown on TV or in theaters. Recently, it was made available through the Warner Vault series, and this is a really good thing for Garfield fans. In it, Garfield plays an American who had fought with the Spanish against the Nazis, was captured and then tortured and brain-washed while being held. It is plain to see he is extremely traumatized, and the film is a very accurate portrayal of PTSD in the clinical sense.
But it is first and foremost an impassioned and suspenseful war-time drama that explores the meaning of loyalty and integrity, and the need to confront and eradicate evil. Parallels between these themes are drawn in the realms of friendship, family ties, romance, and partiotism, and in this sense the film is rather complex. Still, it never stops being entertaining and engrossing. The performances by Garfield and Maureen O' Hara are solid, taut, and highly energized; I think they call it "chemistry" and there is plenty of it. Walter Slezak is perfectly despicable as the amiable villain. The film has some proto-noirish overtones in its use of voice-over narration and the evocation of nightmarish inner states, but still falls strongly in the realm of a war-time thriller, and would make a great double bill with something like 13 Rue Madeleine. It's just so satisfying when Nazis bite the dust! Would that we had that kind of clarity in today's world!!!
My only suggestion to the potential buyer is to look at the TCM website for much better pricing (under $20) than can be currently found on Amazon. But if you want to make your life easy, and just want to see a great Garfield film ASAP, click away and let this sparrow flutter on in...
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Garfield's Dark Side, February 6, 2008
This review is from: Fallen Sparrow [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Dorothy Hughes' best selling suspense novel translated into one of the best early film noir movies made. In a role originally offered to Jimmy Cagney, Garfield hit a magnificent major chord of acting. In an era before visual flashbacks of the mind, Garfield's voice-over and facial expressions nail a psychiatric basket-case destroyed by torture at the hands of the German secret police during the Spainsh Civil War. The plot is a little dated, but Maureen O'Hara gives one of her best performance and Walter Slezak is a great villian, oozing EVIL from every pore..
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Film Version of FALLEN SPARROW Flies High! Viva Dorothy B. Hughes!, October 4, 2008
RKO masterfully and faithfully adapted the 1943 movie version of Dorothy B. Hughes's novel THE FALLEN SPARROW (TFS), condensing the novel without watering it down. The film brings us into the mindset of troubled yet determined hero John "Kit" McKittrick (John Garfield). Kit's boyhood friend Louie had helped him escape the Spanish prison where he'd been tortured for two agonizing years after the Spanish Civil War. Back in New York City, Kit's stunned to discover Louie's been killed in a 12-story fall from a window at a party for wartime refugees Dr. Skaas (Walter Slezak) and his nephew Otto (Hugh Beaumont, pre-LEAVE IT TO BEAVER). Hell bent on proving Louie's death was neither accidental nor a suicide, Kit starts sleuthing. His grim goal: killing Louie's killer.
Kit's suspects include the women in his upscale circle. Was it Kit's alluring old flame Barby Taviton (Patricia Morison)? Lovely, sad-eyed refugee Toni Donne (Maureen O'Hara)? Songbird Whitney Parker (appealing Martha O'Driscoll. By the way, this character's name was "Content Hamilton" in the novel)? Kit's biggest obstacle: he has what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, haunted by the memory of the mysterious limping man who tortured Kit in his dark cell, trying to make him reveal where he'd hidden his regiment's battle standard. Kit imagines hearing the drag and thump that signaled his sadistic tormentor's arrival -- or IS he imagining it? Terror mounts as Kit realizes his enemies may have followed him home, maybe even planting their spies into every aspect of Kit's life, placing not only himself in danger, but also his friends and loved ones...
The role of Kit, a working-class, self-described "mug" in gent's clothing with a heart full of all-but-shattered ideals, fits John Garfield like a glove. Garfield's toughness, tenderness, and humor have us rooting for Kit. As Toni Donne, the guarded beauty with a terrible hold over her, lovely Maureen O'Hara is an unexpectedly effective femme fatale, conveying Toni's inner fear and regret in her poignant, soulful portrayal, winning my sympathy. O'Hara has great chemistry with Garfield. Walter Slezak's performance as Dr. Skaas is silkily sinister, though his true evil nature is telegraphed earlier than in the book, with his interest in "the cruelties of men towards other men" and "comparing modern scientific torture with the methods of the ancients." TFS keeps the paranoia percolating and the suspense simmering, even keeping much of the novel's best dialogue. Today's audiences might not understand Kit's obsession with the battle flag, even with the explanatory scene at Toni's home -- but then again, I bet the men and women fighting overseas will get the significance of a battle standard and what it symbolizes.
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