Waterloo Bridge (1931)

A prostitute's self-loathing makes her reluctant to marry an idealistic soldier during World War I.

Director:

James Whale

Writers:

Robert E. Sherwood (from the stage play by), Benn W. Levy (adaptation) (as Benn Levy)

Stars:

Mae Clarke, Douglass Montgomery, Doris Lloyd

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mae Clarke	...	Myra
Douglass Montgomery	...	Roy Cronin (as Kent Douglass)
Doris Lloyd	...	Kitty
Frederick Kerr	...	Major Wetherby
Enid Bennett	...	Mrs. Wetherby
Bette Davis	...	Janet Cronin
Ethel Griffies	...	Mrs. Hobley
Rita Carlyle	...	The Old Woman (as Rita Carlisle)
Ruth Handforth	...	Augusta - the Maid

Storyline

In World War I London, Myra is an American out of work chorus girl making ends meet by picking up men on Waterloo Bridge. During a Zeppelin air raid she meets Roy, a naive young American who enlisted in the Canadian army. They fall for each other, and he tricks Myra into visiting his family who live in a country estate outside London, where his step-father is a retired British Major. However Myra is reluctant to continue the relationship with Roy, because she has not told him about her past.

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Plot Keywords:

bridge | zeppelin | world war one | air raid | chorus girl | 

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Taglines:

As this picture unfolds on the screen, you will find no maudlin, mushy, run-of-the-mill story, but a triumph of human emotion depicting the glamour of an all-conquering love in the sordid surroundings of a great city. (Print Ad- The Castilian, ((Castile, NY)) 8 October 1931)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Ethel Griffies played (uncredited) the Landlady in BOTH Waterloo Bridge (1931) & Waterloo Bridge (1940). She was Mrs. Hobley in the earlier version and Mrs. Clark in the later version.

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Goofs

Although the film is set in 1918 the cast are wearing early-1930s fashions

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Quotes

Myra: Oh, what's the odds?

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Connections

Version of A Ponte de Waterloo (1959)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King
Traditional; earliest known version by John Bull (1562-1628)
Sung at the music hall

User Reviews

Mae Clarke Steals the Show

Really excellent pre-code film, set in wartime London where an ex-chorus girl/current street walker (played by Mae Clarke) heads over to Waterloo Bridge to try and find herself a soldier on leave, and she meets wealthy, baby-faced, nineteen-year-old raw/green Roy and invites him up to her flat. He immediately falls in love and thinks she's a "good girl", unaware of her real walk of life. She falls for him too, but keeps putting him off, racked with guilt over her secret "career". Meanwhile he keeps pressing on, sneaking in her window, tricking her into meeting his family for a weekend of tennis, tea, and cocktails, asking her to marry him, etc. - he's completely smitten!

Top-notch acting and a good deal of chemistry between the two leads helps make this a really interesting, absorbing film. Their conversations together come across as quite realistic, and the performance given here by Mae Clarke is amazing - extremely well-done and memorable. I also enjoyed seeing a very young Bette Davis who appears here in a very small role as Roy's sister. Only one thing that bothered me about this film is, why oh why, as I have often seen done in period films made during this time, do they have the actresses appearing in modern, early 30s dresses, rather than period costume? Oh well, still a really first-rate film, well worth seeing.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1931 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Waterloo Bridge

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$251,289 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1