Waterloo Bridge (1940)

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Robert E. Sherwood (play)
S.N. Behrman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 May 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War | Romance

Plot:

On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he...

Plot Keywords:

Ballet | Officer | Bridge | Love | Ballerina

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Vivien Leigh	...	Myra
Robert Taylor	...	Roy Cronin
Lucile Watson	...	Lady Margaret Cronin
Virginia Field	...	Kitty
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Madame Olga Kirowa
C. Aubrey Smith	...	The Duke
Janet Shaw	...	Maureen
Janet Waldo	...	Elsa
Steffi Duna	...	Lydia
Virginia Carroll	...	Sylvia
Leda Nicova	...	Marie
Florence Baker	...	Beatrice
Margery Manning	...	Mary
Frances MacInerney	...	Violet
Eleanor Stewart	...	Grace
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lowden Adams	...	The Duke's Butler (uncredited)
Harry Allen	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Cockney in Air-Raid Shelter (uncredited)
Phyllis Barry	...	Second Girl at Estate Dance (uncredited)
Colin Campbell	...	Groom (uncredited)
Rita Carlyle	...	Flower Woman on Bridge (uncredited)
Leo G. Carroll	...	Policeman (uncredited)
David Cavendish	...	Generous Man at Estate Dance (uncredited)
David Clyde	...	Barnes - Cronin's Butler (uncredited)
Kathryn Collier	...	Barmaid (uncredited)
Tom Conway	...	(voice) (uncredited)
Frank Dawson	...	Vicar's Butler (uncredited)
Connie Emerald	...	Waitress at Restaurant (uncredited)
Gilbert Emery	...	Colonel at Luncheon (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Commissionaire (uncredited)
Maria Genardi	...	Dancers' Italian Mother (uncredited)
Douglas Gordon	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Denis Green	...	Sergeant on Bridge (uncredited)
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Clark - Landlady (uncredited)
Bobby Hale	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Winifred Harris	...	Dowager at Estate Dance (uncredited)
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Vicar at St. Matthews (uncredited)
Harold Howard	...	Ticket Collector at Waterloo Station (uncredited)
Charles Irwin	...	Candlelight Club Announcer (uncredited)
Bill James	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
George Kirby	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Eric Lonsdale	...	Soldier at Waterloo Station (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Elderly Huntsman at Estate Dance (uncredited)
Dan Maxwell	...	Cockney in Air-Raid Shelter (uncredited)
James May	...	Cockney in Air-Raid Shelter (uncredited)
Florine McKinney	...	Viola - First Girl at Estate Dance (uncredited)
Charles McNaughton	...	Mack the Waiter (uncredited)
Frank Mitchell	...	Father (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Dance Floor Extra (uncredited)
Leonard Mudie	...	Thomas Parker - Roy's Driver (uncredited)
Judith Nelles	...	Gertrude - Tart at Waterloo Station (uncredited)
Gordon Orbell	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Tempe Pigott	...	Cockney in Air-Raid Shelter (uncredited)
John Power	...	Toff's Companion (uncredited)
Elsie Prescott	...	Cockney in Air-Raid Shelter (uncredited)
Jean Prescott	...	Third Girl at Estate Dance (uncredited)
Clara Reid	...	Mrs. Bassett - Estate Dance (uncredited)
Fred Sassoni	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Paul Scardon	...	Backdoor Stage Doorman (uncredited)
John Graham Spacey	...	British Officer at Luncheon Table (uncredited)
Wyndham Standing	...	Toff (uncredited)
Harry Stubbs	...	Proprietor of Eating House (uncredited)
William Tetley	...	Boy Opening Taxi Door (uncredited)
Cyril Thornton	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	First Cockney in Air-Raid Shelter (uncredited)
Norma Varden	...	Hostess at Restaurant (uncredited)
Pat Welsh	...	(uncredited)
Martha Wentworth	...	Tart on Bridge at the End (uncredited)
Frank Whitbeck	...	Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Head Waiter at Candlelight Club (uncredited)
Robert Winkler	...	Boy Delivering Flowers (uncredited)
Douglas Wood	...	Vicar at Estate Dance (uncredited)

Directed by
Mervyn LeRoy

Writing credits
Robert E. Sherwood		(play "Waterloo Bridge")
S.N. Behrman		(screenplay) &
Hans Rameau		(screenplay) and
George Froeschel		(screenplay)

Produced by
Sidney Franklin	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart

Cinematography by
Joseph Ruttenberg		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
George Boemler

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)
Gile Steele		(costumes: men)
Irene		(uncredited)

Production Management
William H. Cannon	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Shenberg	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Urie McCleary	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Music Department
Fred Dolys	....	French lyrics
Charles Hot	....	lyrics
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Ernst Matray	....	ballet stager
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1940) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1944) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (16mm print)
• M.P.E.A. (194?) (Austria) (theatrical)
• M.P.E.A. (1949) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (194?) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Emerald (2012) (Argentina) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6168) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | Australia:PG | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Bath, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Of her films, this was Vivien Leigh's personal favorite.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Myra reads the list of 'Fallen Officers', there are names with the ranks of Sergeant (Sgt) and Gunner (Gnr). These are not Officer ranks.

Quotes:

Kitty:If I don't feel sorry for myself, who will?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Carol Burnett Show: Episode #6.18" (1973)

Soundtrack:

Candlelight Waltz

You're naive,Lady Margaret!

"Waterloo Bridge" is one of my ten favorite melodramas ,in the same league as "imitation of life", "magnificent obsession" (2 versions each)or "to each his own" .

I'd always thought that "That Lady Hamilton" was Leigh's third best performance (after "GWTW" and "a streetcar named desire" )but I've got to make amends :After watching Le Roy's nugget for the third or fourth time yesterday ,I think this is one of the pearls on the crown of Mrs Leigh's too small filmography.

"Waterloo bridge" is close to perfection ,so beautiful it can grab even people who do not care much for melodramas.The cinematography is dazzling,stunning:I will only mention this scene when the two lovers arrive in Cronin's desirable mansion ,it looks like a fairy tale.

There are so many unforgettable scenes in " Waterloo bridge" it's impossible to talk about all of them:

"The Farewell Waltz ",when they snuff a candle each time the dancers go round the dance hall,is one of the most romantic scene you have ever watched.

The ball ,in the manor,where Mara looks a bit like Cinderella ,with her ugly "sisters" exchanging gossips behind her back.

The search ,in all the low dives of London town,and Roy beginning to understand ...

All the cast is incredibly good:Vivien Leigh had everything going for her: acting genius,beauty,charm;Robert Taylor is ideally cast as the young dashing officer every girl dreams of.

The supporting actresses are up to scratch too:Madame Oupenskaya we have seen in Frank Borzage' s works ("the mortal storm")is extraordinary as the ruthless ballet mistress;Virginia Fields portrays a girl who sacrifices her own life for her friend's happiness;that's what friends are for :she shows compassion and emotion;we feel for her Kitty as much as we do for Mara ,it speaks volumes about this actress's talent.Lucille Watson is equally impressive as Lady Margaret ,the aristocratic lady with a big heart.

One should not forget the use of music either: the three pieces which are heard during the movie always come at the right moment: "Auld Lang Syne" (the farewell waltz) which really belongs here ,"Swan Lake" and "Let me call you sweetheart" .

Although completely different,"Waterloo Bridge" is as strong as Le Roy's earlier works "I'm a fugitive from a chain gang" or "they won't forget" .