JohnHowardReid NOTES: Oddly, despite Vivien Leigh's box-office power following her triumph in Gone With The Wind, this picture failed to become the tremendous domestic hit M-G-M hoped for. It did ignite the U.K. box-office, winning the number 4 spot for the most popular films of the year. In Australia, it did even better coming in third. Only Gone With The Wind itself and Mr Smith Goes To Washington sold more Oz tickets. But as far as M-G-M and Hollywood generally were concerned, overseas triumphs, no matter how bountiful, were at most the cream on the pudding. The wishes of the great American public were all that really counted. American filmgoers had failed to warm to Miss Leigh, so she was let go. She was not invited back to Hollywood until 1951, for A Streetcar Named Desire. And after that she made only one more Hollywood movie, her last, Ship of Fools (1965). The stage play opened on Broadway at the Fulton on 6 January 1930. June Walker, Glenn Hunter and Cora Witherspoon starred. Reviews were at most lukewarm, and the play lasted only 64 performances, returning its backers less than 50% of their money. Sherwood did manage to sell the screen rights to Universal who produced a film version in 1931. M-G-M made a third screen version in 1956 called Gaby. COMMENT: Robert E. Sherwood's update of Romeo and Juliet has become a classic in Australia. It was always popular in Oz. When M-G-M re-issued the movie with a spectacular season at Sydney's prestige Liberty Theatre in the 1950s, it took even more Oz money than on its initial release. It's not hard to understand why. Most everybody, including Australians, love well-told tales of star-crossed lovers. Waterloo Bridge, with its powerful plotting, believable characters, remarkably stylish direction and absolutely lavish production values, is probably the best ever made. Perfectly cast, Vivien Leigh makes a most appealing heroine. In a difficult role, she superbly brings off a compelling, richly shaded portrayal. Co-star Taylor is convincingly earnest, whilst Virginia Field is so moving, she almost steals the picture. Other supporting players who are not outdone include Lucile Watson, who figures in one of the film's strongest dramatic scenes; C. Aubrey Smith, always a delight; and the rivettingly cruel Ouspenskaya.A war not so much between two families as two classes, here we have Shakespeare brilliantly transposed to wartime England. Field is Juliet's nurse. There's even a friendly but impotent friar ("I'm sorry, but it's the law!") and much talk about honor - though the hero has no Tybalt to defend it. When it comes to technical expertise, it's hard to excel M-G-M (except of course for sound recording). This Waterloo Bridge is a class production, produced with taste and style. Evocatively photographed - every black-and-white image is a masterpiece of attractive lighting and composition - in marvelously detailed sets, with powerfully skillful film editing - as in the climax where lumbering ambulances are made to loom out of the mist like ravaging monsters - and a superlatively atmospheric music score.

jacobs-greenwood Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, based on Robert Sherwood's play, with a screenplay by S.N. Behrman, Hans Rameau, and George Froeschel, this classic, tear-jerking wartime love story, starring Robert Taylor and Vivien Leigh (reportedly her favorite), was Oscar nominated for its B&W Cinematography and Original Musical Score. The second film version of Sherwood's play, after Waterloo Bridge (1931) with Mae Clarke and Kent Douglass.Leigh plays a melancholy dancer, Myra, who meets soldier Roy Cronin (Taylor) during an air raid in World War I London, just before he's to be shipped off to the front. Given a 48 hour leave, the carefree and romantic Roy, captivated by her beauty, sweeps Myra off her feet until she too (for the first time in her life?) is optimistic about their future. He receives permission from his uncle the Duke (C. Aubrey Smith) to marry her. Unfortunately, per some red tape, they are unable to wed before Roy must leave for France. Myra attempts to return to the ballet, but her stern taskmaster (Maria Ouspenskaya) refuses to accept her back into the company, and fires fellow dancer Kitty (Virginia Field) for her outburst in support of her friend.Myra and Kitty take an apartment together where they struggle to make ends meet until Roy's mother, Lady Margaret (Lucile Watson), who had been working with the Red Cross, is able to come for a visit. Just before this meeting, however, Myra reads Roy's name on a casualty list in the newspaper. Stunned and in shock, Myra is unable to make a good impression on her would-be future mother-in-law (why wouldn't she share with her what she'd just read?!). After being consoled by the restaurant's hostess (Norma Varden, uncredited), Myra returns to Kitty who supports her financially during her depression by the only way a girl who can't find a job otherwise can. Soon, Myra comes out of her funk and realizes that Kitty has been selling herself to soldiers on leave. Naturally, she then joins this oldest profession herself. Tom Conway is the uncredited voice one hears as her first client.Later, as Myra is "greeting" the latest batch of soldiers arriving from the front at the train station, she sees Roy. Apparently, there was a reporting error made when he'd lost his dog tags. Ignorant of what's transpired in her life, Roy is thrilled to see Myra and figures they'll just pick up where they left off. Promising never to leave her again, Roy insists on taking Myra to their country estate, to more properly introduce her to his family and friends. Though Myra struggles with what to tell Roy of her recent past, she also sees an opportunity to finally "make it" and promises Kitty, before she leaves, to set her up well when she returns.Though things do not go smoothly initially at the Cronin estate for Myra; some of the local families had hoped Roy would marry one of their daughters and are not very accepting of the newcomer from outside their caste. However, with help from Lady Margaret, who'd given her another chance per Roy's obvious love for Myra (and vice versa) and the Duke, who insists on a showy dance with her, Myra is accepted. It is at this point that Myra's conscience gets the best of her and she comes clean to Lady Margaret, whom she asks never to tell Roy. Myra then departs early the next morning, leaving Roy clueless.Of course, Roy must find out what happened to the love of his life. He returns to London where he finds Kitty. Convinced of his love for Myra, Kitty reveals the truth of Myra's nightlife to Roy by taking him on a search for her through one seedy bar after another. Meanwhile, Myra is on Waterloo Bridge, where she's seen giving up; she walks rapidly past several troop trucks as they drive by before she throws herself under the wheels of one of them. The film ends with (now) Colonel Roy, many years later at the beginning of World War II, fingering the good luck charm Myra had once given him.

GeoPierpont Mainly I wanted to know how Taylor found that lone lost suicide survivor, the kewpie doll. It had to have been crushed during cleanup of the accident scene but of course, he could have just purchased another good luck charm. This, among other non-sequitur questions, remain after viewing this film. Another, after reading of her fiancé's death in the paper, how could she contain her grief to Mama given that she was a dancer, NOT an actress! A simple search for her name would turn up a kid or two unless she had changed her name which most fallen women do, right? Hmmmm, doesn't make much sense to resort to this profession when so much help was available. Perhaps the unwritten script is that she secretly liked to dance naked for money? I was most impressed with how they aged Taylor over 20 plus years, a hint of baby powder on the mustache and voila! vs Leigh in "That Hamilton Woman" end scene.Despite the above mentioned issues, I really enjoyed the film immersed in it's many foibles. And, oh I forgot the dress code of the early 20th century in England, good thing Downton Abbey got it right! Have you ever fallen in love with such urgency and not just based on attraction alone? It is quite a spectacular moment in life and very rare indeed but occurs more in real life than on screen truth be told.Leigh never looked more ravishing in exquisite gowns, ballet attire, and close ups were her dearest ally. What a refreshing face, so expressive and eyes divine. Even Ol Blanche was positively lovely. A great loss to the film world with her limited productions.Be prepared for a tear jerker though, the many decisions in life that forced her to depart reality were reminiscent of that crazy unpredictable element named, Fate. Many feel they were irresponsible, rash decisions with little forethought but how easy it is to judge.High recommend for Leigh fans, a new take on a Ouspenskaya role (LOL), and several lost in dreamworld dance moments that will be retained in memory.

grantss Great romantic drama. Moving, and ultimately quite sad - certainly not your average romantic movie. Very original, even after all these years. Also quite intriguing, as you know roughly how things are going to work out, but you don't know why, until the end (my money was on the old crone from the ballet company screwing things up...).Superb performance from the beautiful Vivien Leigh. Every sentence and expression is perfectly nuanced. Solid performance in the male lead by Robert Taylor. Good support from Virginia Field and Lucile Watson.They certainly don't make romantic dramas like they used to...