Waterloo Bridge (1931)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

James Whale

Writers:

Benn W. Levy (writer)
Tom Reed (writer)

Release Date:

1 September 1931 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

In World War I London, Myra is an American out of work chorus girl making ends meet by picking up men on Waterloo Bridge...

Plot Keywords:

London England | Canada | Prostitution | Bombing | Chorus Girl

Cast

Mae Clarke	...	Myra Deauville
Douglass Montgomery	...	Roy Cronin (as Kent Douglass)
Doris Lloyd	...	Kitty
Frederick Kerr	...	Major Fred Wetherby
Enid Bennett	...	Mrs. Mary Cronin Wetherby
Bette Davis	...	Janet Cronin
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Hobley, Landlady
Rita Carlyle	...	The Old Woman (as Rita Carlisle)
Ruth Handforth	...	Augusta, the Maid

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Filming Locations:

Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

God Save the King

Waterloo Bridge- The Original-Gritty and Forceful ***

Mae Clarke does a remarkable job in the same year that James Cagney put a grapefruit in her face in "Public Enemy." Miss Clarke is quite effective as the heroine of "Waterloo Bridge."

As a prostitute working the streets of London during World War 1, Clarke gives a tour de force as a woman who can be loving one moment and difficult to handle in the next.

The story deals also with class warfare when during an air-raid, Clarke meets a wealthy Canadian serving in the British army. He falls for her and she loves him but she knows that their differences would prevent them from true happiness. Brought to his country estate, his kindly mother, played by a charming Enid Bennett, warns against such a liaison. Fred Kerr, as his step-father, provides comic relief as a deaf elderly British officer.

One weak link in this film is Kent Douglass, who portrays the young man. Naive and kind, the chemistry is really not there between himself and Miss Clarke. He is only effective briefly in a scene with veteran actress Ethel Griffies, who portrays a greedy, conniving landlady.

The film has worn well through the many years and is worth seeing due to Miss Clarke's excellent performance. Am sure that Vivien Leigh and Leslie Caron, who both starred in the remakes, learned a lot from Miss Clarke. Look for Bette Davis as Douglass's sister. This was her first film and it is interesting to see how she evolved into the great talent that she was.