Following her triumph as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, Vivien Leigh starred in the classic romance Waterloo Bridge. Taken from a play written by Robert E. Sherwood, the 1940 version of this story differs greatly from the 1931 film starring Mae Clarke. In the original film, the main character is a London prostitute who falls in love with an English officer, played by Douglas Montgomery. The prevailing film censorship of 1940 made it necessary to water-down many of the details of the original film. In compliance, Myra is shown as an innocent young ballerina who is pushed into prostitution by forces beyond her control. The story was remade a third time in 1956's Gaby with Leslie Caron. However, the 1940 Leigh/Taylor version is by far the best rendering.

Vivien Leigh stars as Myra Lester, beautiful young ballerina, who falls in love with dashing young officer Roy Cronin, played by Robert Taylor. Though Cronin is from a privileged background, the two fall in love and plan to marry--much to the dismay of his class-conscious English family. When Cronin must leave for wartime duty, Myra breaks her strict ballet company curfew to see him off. For this infraction, she is dismissed from her position as ballerina.

Since they have not yet married, she has no money and is forced to turn to prostitution to survive, walking back and forth over Waterloo Bridge to ply her trade. Later, she is mistakenly led to believe that Cronin has been killed. Full of despair and hopelessness, she continues her shameful life as a prostitute, thinking that her life is over. But, as fate would have it, her lover is not dead. He has been imprisoned in a war camp and finally returns to her. She manages to keep her past a secret for a while and they plan again to marry. However, their happiness is not to be and her past comes back to haunt her, bringing about a tragic end. The whole story is told in flashbacks as Cronin later reminisces about his bittersweet romance with Myra.

Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor exhibit as much chemistry in this film as Leigh had with Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind. Although the physical beauty of both stars is an undeniable factor, the sad and poignant mood of the story is wonderfully conveyed by the excellent acting of both. While other characters, including C. Aubrey Smith, Lucille Watson and Leo G. Carroll, certainly add the necessary support for the drama, it is the brilliant performances of Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor that make this film a classic. Although no Academy Award nominations were made for either of the stars or as Best Picture, the movie did receive well-deserved nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Musical Score.

Before Waterloo Bridge was filmed, Vivien Leigh was already the most sought-after actress in Hollywood and had considerable influence with studio executives. However, against her wishes, (she wanted her then-fiance Laurence Olivier to co-star), Robert Taylor was chosen to star as Cronin. Even Leigh was later forced to agree that it was a brilliant casting choice. At the time, Taylor was going through a decline in popularity, with his usual "lady's man" roles becoming less plentiful. However, his performance in this film gave his career a needed boost by displaying a level of acting expertise that was truly memorable.

Waterloo Bridge is a tender and sad film of love lost that endures as a tribute to the talents of both its stars.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS