SPARROWS CAN'T SING is a kitchen sink comedy drama from the early 1960s, a film I'd never heard of before watching but one which turns out to provide fitting snapshot of the era. James Booth plays a sailor who returns home to find his home demolished (the clearing of the slums plays an important backdrop role here) and his wife Barbara Windsor gone. He proceeds to hunt for her, but this narrative takes a backseat to the various interactions between larger-than-life supporting characters. Much of it is played for laughs, with Windsor only slightly more serious than in her CARRY ON roles and Roy Kinnear providing plenty of chuckles. The supporting cast is quite extraordinary and packed to the brim with familiar faces. Surprisingly enough this was co-written by Stephen Lewis, who has a small role playing a familiar type of character for him.
12 Reviews
Sparrows Can't Sing chirps Cockney rhyming slangs without an unflappable story.
TheMovieDiorama23 June 2020
"'E didn't say, "Dear, you're divine". Nor did 'e say, "Darling, be mine". So why do I see in 'im everything. Well, sparrers, poor sparrers, pretty sparrers can't sing". Love is ever eternally complicated. A personable journey of adoration. Those externally looking at a relationship, judging on what has outwardly happened, including domestic violence, will criticise. Yet the two individuals comprising of the relationship realise the true potential and experience the abundance of feelings they have for one another. The same can be said for Cockney sailor Charlie, whom returns home to the East End of London after a long voyage, only to find his wife living with another man. His usual foul temper is tested as he attempts reconciliation with Maggie in order to pursue a new loving life with her.
Littlewood's adaptation of the '60 kitchen sink play relishes in representing Cockney life. From the community of Jewish tradesmen, spivs and youthful "tarts" to iconic establishments such as local pubs. All capitalising on Lewis' dialogue-intensive screenplay that blends Cockney rhyming slang ("dog and bone"), London Yiddish ("bubbe") and thieves' cant ("bowsing ken"). Streamlining a plot that originally revolved around improvisational techniques to produce the quaint comedy that plagued 60s productions. For those unaccustomed to such language, it is undoubtedly difficult to follow. An infamous challenge that made history by being the first English language film to be released with subtitles in the United States. Whilst the babble of slang is often incomprehensible, particularly the comedic moments, it provided authenticity to the cobbled streets of Limehouse. Accompanied by Littlewood's locational set pieces, Sparrows Can't Sing truly embodied East End life by sifting through each character to create a sense of community. A time when everyone would say "alrite mate?" to each other instead of shrouding themselves in ignorance. Arguably a happier time.
The problem with the constant shifting of character focus, is that there really is no direction from a cinematic perspective. The central story between Charlie and Maggie is so menial and derivative due to the avoidance of confrontation, that Littlewood spends most of the runtime exploring the East End by showcasing conversations from other individuals residing in various backgrounds. Fred, Bridgie and Charlie arguing amongst themselves in a family dispute. Nellie being enchanted by two blokes named Georgie and Chunky. Jack wandering around with his canary. Lewis himself portraying a prudish caretaker, and a plethora of other characters all yearn for the spotlight. When the feature decides to eventually realign its focus towards Maggie and Charlie, it's too little too late. Their character development was almost non-existent by the concluding argument, not to mention the definition of loyalty being a product of its time (no way would she go back to an abuser now...).
Windsor offers a sterling and commanding performance as the metaphorical sparrow whom cannot sing, nearly exerting her legendary giggle from the 'Carry On' franchise. Although, would've preferred a "Get outta ma pub!" attitude. Booth exudes devilish charm with unpredictability, similar to Del Boy in the popular sitcom 'Only Fools and Horses'. In fact, the supporting cast were well suited to the East End life with their poignantly exaggerated slangs.
However the insignificance of the central story, equipped with brashly edited quick cuts and false whimsicality, grounds this sparrow to a subterranean level of engagement. A watchable breezy adaptation that appreciates the setting more than the characters. Lewis' kitchen sink play functions better as a theatre production than it does a cinematic endeavour.
Littlewood's adaptation of the '60 kitchen sink play relishes in representing Cockney life. From the community of Jewish tradesmen, spivs and youthful "tarts" to iconic establishments such as local pubs. All capitalising on Lewis' dialogue-intensive screenplay that blends Cockney rhyming slang ("dog and bone"), London Yiddish ("bubbe") and thieves' cant ("bowsing ken"). Streamlining a plot that originally revolved around improvisational techniques to produce the quaint comedy that plagued 60s productions. For those unaccustomed to such language, it is undoubtedly difficult to follow. An infamous challenge that made history by being the first English language film to be released with subtitles in the United States. Whilst the babble of slang is often incomprehensible, particularly the comedic moments, it provided authenticity to the cobbled streets of Limehouse. Accompanied by Littlewood's locational set pieces, Sparrows Can't Sing truly embodied East End life by sifting through each character to create a sense of community. A time when everyone would say "alrite mate?" to each other instead of shrouding themselves in ignorance. Arguably a happier time.
The problem with the constant shifting of character focus, is that there really is no direction from a cinematic perspective. The central story between Charlie and Maggie is so menial and derivative due to the avoidance of confrontation, that Littlewood spends most of the runtime exploring the East End by showcasing conversations from other individuals residing in various backgrounds. Fred, Bridgie and Charlie arguing amongst themselves in a family dispute. Nellie being enchanted by two blokes named Georgie and Chunky. Jack wandering around with his canary. Lewis himself portraying a prudish caretaker, and a plethora of other characters all yearn for the spotlight. When the feature decides to eventually realign its focus towards Maggie and Charlie, it's too little too late. Their character development was almost non-existent by the concluding argument, not to mention the definition of loyalty being a product of its time (no way would she go back to an abuser now...).
Windsor offers a sterling and commanding performance as the metaphorical sparrow whom cannot sing, nearly exerting her legendary giggle from the 'Carry On' franchise. Although, would've preferred a "Get outta ma pub!" attitude. Booth exudes devilish charm with unpredictability, similar to Del Boy in the popular sitcom 'Only Fools and Horses'. In fact, the supporting cast were well suited to the East End life with their poignantly exaggerated slangs.
However the insignificance of the central story, equipped with brashly edited quick cuts and false whimsicality, grounds this sparrow to a subterranean level of engagement. A watchable breezy adaptation that appreciates the setting more than the characters. Lewis' kitchen sink play functions better as a theatre production than it does a cinematic endeavour.
Enjoyable slice of real.life
marktayloruk6 November 2020
As distinct from East Enders PC version..Get the impression that things really were like that in a neighbourhood where people still.spoke and looked English! Would like to see Lionel.Bart's musical version and wish Joan Littlewood had made more films!
Awful stuff. Painful to sit through.
ffa011 April 2019
I've never watched a movie with more shouting in it! Why does ever actor shout his lines?
James Booth's character is a boorish oaf. God knows what Windsor's character was supposed to have seen in him.
Only reason it gets two starts is because of the location shooting.
James Booth's character is a boorish oaf. God knows what Windsor's character was supposed to have seen in him.
Only reason it gets two starts is because of the location shooting.
A Comedy and a Nostalgia Trip
tfdill3 April 2000
I saw this film when it first came out; it got very bad reviews at the time and most of my friends hated it, but I loved it then and have been haunted by the theme song ever since. For a while it was impossible to find any references to it--in fact, this is the first database where I have found the title or any information about it, though I have checked a number of commercial sites trying to find it on video. I still remember it as a charming (somewhat sentimental) and very funny comedy of a type that the British film industry did very well at that time. More recently their best work is more in a surreal or caricatural mode (such as _Cold Comfort Farm_, which is brilliant in its own way), but _The Full Monty_ caught some of the charm of the kind of comedies of everyday life that I think _Sparrows Can't Sing_ was one of. Now I just wish I could see it again.
Sparrows Can't Sing
CinemaSerf25 September 2022
Well it all starts rather inauspiciously with Barbara Windsor singing the Lionel Bart penned title song. Good? Well, no - not very. Thereafter we discover that she ("Maggie") used to be married to "Charlie" (James Booth) who has just returned from being at sea. Thing is, their marital house has been demolished and she has moved on to a new life with bus driver "Bert" (George Sewell) and he is determined to get her back. The whole thing has a made for television look to it and though there is a formidable array of British comic acting talent on display, I found the writing to be really weak with the limitations of Miss Windsor as an actress being writ large as she really struggles to carry this (very lightly) comedic enterprise - riddled with innuendo and stereotype - for ninety minutes. It perhaps doesn't help that the narrative centres around life in a fairly pedestrian East End (of London) community and that after a short while there are so many suds you could run a Chinese laundry for a fortnight. It may well have resonated better in 1963 when it offered a plausible depiction of life in a small, tightly knit, community within a big city, but I am afraid now it has lost what potency it had. Cinema nostalgia it probably is if Cockney is your natural dialect. For the rest of us, it's just all rather dull.
non stop believable banter and jesting
christopher-underwood9 July 2009
Derived from her own Stratford East stage show, this Joan Littlewood film apparently did no better than its non celluloid counterpart. Now it appears fresh, confident and so evocative but I have never seen it before and like many, I suppose, wouldn't have been the slightest bit interested at age 16 in 1963 with the Beatles and all that was to follow. Seen now, however, with all that location shooting and streets that are gone depicted so well. And what irony! The fabulous extended opening shows our hero/villain returning from sea to find his wife and cannot even find his house. Bulldozed slums, replaced by brand new 18 storey blocks of flats and even they bulldozed in turn in 2000. Back to the film and it is non stop believable banter and jesting. The film does not let up once and only in the final splendid sequence in the pub do we see a trace of the theatrical origins. For anyone who has ever visited or lived in London, absolutely essential. For every one else, well worth seeing to get just a glimpse of the old East End and just an inkling of what it really was once like when everybody seemed to know almost everyone else.
"Awful stuff, Painful to sit through" - in agreement.
theauthorteddytunstall11 May 2022
"Awful stuff, Painful to sit through" - I agree. This has nothing to make it worth watching other than a few period details, such as the prices on the fruit and veg stall, the the outside lavatory (Roy Kinnear uses it) and the streets, although people of a certain generation who enjoyed "On The Buses", "Man About The House" and George & Mildred" might like seeing the early work of the actors who appeared in those television series.
Memorable mainly as a time capsule.
mark.waltz29 March 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Some interesting eccentric characterizations makes this version of a short-lived British play slightly entertaining but obnoxious in its characterizations. The story of a returning sailor (James Booth) finding out that his wife Barbara Windsor has shacked up with a another man and is pushing around a baby of unknown fatherhood is unpleasant, and the nosey characters interfering in the situation makes it even more difficult to have any sympathy for anybody here. not only is his wife not where he left her, the place where he left her is not where he left it. it is an interesting look at London's East side in the 1960s, but unless you have an interest in this type of culture, finding interest within this film will be very difficult to maintain.
The nosy characters start with the big apartment building's doorman, a character so vile that he takes glee in seeing visitors cars towed, offering unsolicited advice when it is not wanted, and basically never shutting up. Older nosy neighbors do pretty much the same thing, making unwanted comments as people knock on her neighbor's door, and eventually, it becomes quite tiring to deal with this over and over. reality maybe a slice of life here, but it is not a sweet slice. the location footage is interesting however, but that's not enough to make this into a good movie.
The nosy characters start with the big apartment building's doorman, a character so vile that he takes glee in seeing visitors cars towed, offering unsolicited advice when it is not wanted, and basically never shutting up. Older nosy neighbors do pretty much the same thing, making unwanted comments as people knock on her neighbor's door, and eventually, it becomes quite tiring to deal with this over and over. reality maybe a slice of life here, but it is not a sweet slice. the location footage is interesting however, but that's not enough to make this into a good movie.
This is a Mockney - Free zone.....,the real life of Eastenders.
ianlouisiana30 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Having loaned out their club to the company those naughty boys from Vallance Road did poke their noses around the sets whilst "Sparrers can't Sing" was in production but,like the celebrity gangsters of the 21st century,all they wanted was to be famous.A few quid changed hands and they ambled off,satisfied with the "respect" that had been shown.This was the old East End,a far cry from the emasculated P.C. neverland presented to us by the BBC's flagship soap.Not too many Mockneys in the cast either,young Londoners,bursting with energy and talent filled many of the major roles.Miss Barbara Windsor is outstanding as the female lead.What a tragedy it is that she has turned into a caricature of a caricature in the ensuing 43 years,for in SCS she was sharp,sexy and funny.She also sang the title song in a very pleasing voice,indeed she is still singing today,I recently heard some songs she recorded with Terry Seabrook on piano and very good they are too. Theatre Workshop veteran Miss Joan Littlewood was the brains behind SCS. Based at the Theatre Royal in nearby Stratford she believed in making drama accessible to people other than those who frequented West End plays. She had a spectacular success with "Fings ain't wot they used to be" and hoped to follow it up with SCS but failed to take into account the fact that the success of "Fings" was largely due to a clever and tuneful Lionel Bart score.The book,written by ex-crim Mr Frank Norman,has its wry moments,but Mr Bart's contribution was the greater. As more or less a straight play SCS could not compare to its predecessor.It was written by Mr Stephen Lewis,later to create the great "Blakey" in "On the Buses",who appears in a small part in the film. It is set on the shiny new estates where high rise mixed with prefab on the site of the old slums,long before the discovery of "concrete cancer" and "tower block ennui".It is sad to reflect that the Londoners' optimism with their brave new world was not destined to last. On it's release SCS was not seen as anything special and for some reason it rarely turns up on TV so it is not widely known except to moviegoers of a certain age.Made less than 20 years after the second world war it features a community rather than a "community".If the distinction either annoys or escapes you perhaps you had better give it a miss for these Eastenders live a very different life to the armchair cockneys of Albert Square.Miss Littlewood is not presenting the East End as she believed it should be,she is presenting it as it actually was.The occupants of her East end might not get New Labour's seal of approval, but they represent humanity with all its marvellous faults and virtues, not some milquetoast trawl through the pages of "Spotlight".
Time Capsule
johnmann-493979 February 2020
Well you don't own the freehold!!
jonathanburns-ncl16 June 2020
Wonderful British kitchen-sink comedy/drama from Joan Littlewood. Wonderful, beautiful Barbara playing the titular Maggie makes this film a true delight and a snapshot of the East End in the early 60s. Was it really like this? Who cares. A thoroughly enjoyable and repeatable watch.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
