The Fallen Sparrow (1943)

I persist in my fascination regarding WWII films made during WWII. The Fallen Sparrow, edited by Robert Wise (!) and directed by Richard Wallace, ​is well plotted and moves quickly. So much had happened by the end of the first 10 minutes, I was astounded by the amount of information we’d already gotten and had to look at my watch.

The best thing about this minor piece of anti-Nazi propaganda, though, is John Garfield. Despite the fact that The Fallen Sparrow was made as a vehicle for Maureen O’Hara, he’s just so good!  The camera loves him, and he’s a completely dynamic performer, immediately lovable despite his tough exterior. This film gives him some beautiful material to work through, including an intense monologue about torture in act one (of all places)! The monologue needs to be in act one because it needs to set up the psychological tension of the plot's twists and turns as well as the traumatic residue for the character.

Anyway, this is great. It's on the Criterion Channel until January 31st as part of a series celebrating Garfield's mostly underappreciated work as a performer.