Waterloo Bridge (1940 film)
Encyclopedia
Waterloo Bridge is a 1940 remake of the 1931 film of the same title
, adapted from the 1930 play of the same title
.
The film was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, directed by Mervyn LeRoy
and produced by Sidney Franklin
and Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay
is by S. N. Behrman
, Hans Rameau and George Froeschel
, based on the Broadway
drama by Robert E. Sherwood
. The music is by Herbert Stothart
and cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg
. The film stars Robert Taylor
and Vivien Leigh
, her first film after the success of Gone with the Wind
. MGM bought the 1931 version from Universal when they did this remake.
Waterloo Bridge tells the story of a dancer and an officer who meet in a chance encounter on Waterloo Bridge
. This initial encounter occurs during an air raid in World War I
. But because of the Hays Code, which had not been in effect when the 1931 film version was made, the plot of the 1940 version had to be changed and somewhat sanitized. In the original play and film, Myra is an ordinary chorus girl of easy virtue, and Roy is too naive to realize this until near the end. In the 1940 version, Myra is a ballerina in a prestigious dance company, who descends into prostitution after mistakenly believing that Roy has been killed. In the first film, Myra is accidentally killed; in the 1940 version, she commits suicide in order not to involve Roy in a scandal.
Waterloo Bridge was a success at the box office and nominated for two Academy Awards
— Best Music
for Herbert Stothart
and Best Cinematography
. It was also considered a personal favourite by both Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor.
has just broken out and a soldier stops on Waterloo Bridge
to reminisce. The film then cuts to a flashback to World War I
with the young soldier Roy Cronin (Taylor) who has stopped on the bridge. An alarm sounds signaling an air raid and a group of girls pause on the bridge, arguing about what they should do. They turn to Roy and he tells them they should find cover. One of the girls in the group, Myra Lester (Leigh), drops her purse in the road and dangerously retrieves it, along with her good luck charm, a billiken
. Roy chastises her and the two run for the underground.
Once in the underground, Roy and Myra talk together and Myra invites Roy to her ballet performance. Roy declines, stating he has a dinner with a colonel, and expresses his regret. They part as Myra gives him her good luck charm. However, he dismisses the colonel's dinner and attends the performance. Afterwards, he sends a note to Myra asking her to dinner. The note is taken by Madame Olga Kirowa (Maria Ouspenskaya
). Madame Kirowa orders Myra to write Roy a note declining the invitation. Meanwhile, Roy is waiting anxiously for word and, receiving the letter, begins to walk dejectedly away. However, Kitty (Virginia Field
) stops him and arranges the date for Myra.
Myra and Roy spend a pleasant evening together, ending with a kiss. As they part, Roy explains he is to return to the battle-front. The following day, Myra, dejected, looks out her rainy window and sees Roy standing beneath it. She runs to him and the two agree to marry. She does not attend her ballet performance. Instead she goes to the train station to say farewell to Roy, as she may never see him again, upon her return to the theater Madame Kirowa dismisses her from the ballet. Kitty stands up to Madame Kirowa, to explain the situation, and is also dismissed.
Myra and Kitty rent a small apartment and Myra receives flowers from Roy. While waiting in a tea shop to meet Roy's mother (Lucile Watson
) for the first time, Myra reads in the paper that Roy has been killed. The proprietor of the tea shop gives her wine to revive her. Moments later Roy's mother arrives and a distressed Myra appears to behave apprehensively and impudently towards her, and slightly drunk into the bargain, while actually keeping from her the news of her son's death. Dejected, Roy's mother leaves and shortly thereafter Myra faints. Back at her apartment Myra grows depressed and Kitty buys her medicine with income she earned as a prostitute. Kitty lies to Myra and tells her that she has been working as a performer. Myra attends the performance of the play in which Kitty is supposedly acting, and comes back to the apartment, asking questions about the play. Myra then confronts Kitty. Kitty confesses and Myra, too, becomes a prostitute as a means of coping with their financial circumstances.
Myra works at Waterloo Station and, in the midst of attempting to pick up potential customers, sees Roy coming from the train. He greets her warmly and takes her to lunch where she acts strangely towards him. He assumes their engagement will go on as planned and Myra accepts his offer after his questions on whether or not she has moved on. The two go to his home in Scotland where she again meets his mother. His mother apologizes for leaving Myra at the restaurant as she had not known that Roy had falsely been reported as "dead". Myra and Roy’s mother become friends. Myra dances at a ball and speaks with Roy's uncle who tells her they are a proud and esteemed family, the Cronins, and that a sweet ballerina will be the perfect wife for Roy. Myra feels guilty and speaks with his mother, telling her the truth of her position. Myra then decides she can no longer carry on her facade. Roy sees her one last time and tells her of his excitement, before returning her good luck charm, stating that now that they will be married it doesn't matter which one of them has it.
Myra leaves and Roy, frantic, looks for her. He recruits Kitty's help and she takes him to Myra's haunts. He soon learns of her double life, but he still wishes to marry her and continues searching frantically for her. Myra, meanwhile, is on Waterloo Bridge and, seeing an approaching convoy of army ambulances, commits suicide
by walking into their path.
The film cuts back to Roy, years later, standing on the bridge, holding the good luck charm, and reminiscing of a love lost.
, first on January 12, 1941 with Brian Aherne
and Joan Fontaine
, second on September 9, 1946 with Barbara Stanwyck
and Robert Taylor. It was also presented as a half-hour broadcast of Screen Director's Playhouse
on September 28, 1951 with Norma Shearer
.
Waterloo Bridge (1931 film)
Waterloo Bridge is a 1931 American drama film directed by James Whale. The screenplay by Benn Levy and Tom Reed is based on the 1930 play of the same title by Robert E. Sherwood....
, adapted from the 1930 play of the same title
Waterloo Bridge (play)
Waterloo Bridge: A play in two acts is a 1930 play by Robert E. Sherwood. It premiered on Broadway January 6, 1930 and ran until March 1930. It was the basis for three separate films: Waterloo Bridge , Waterloo Bridge , and Gaby...
.
The film was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer and sometime actor.-Early life:Born to Jewish parents in San Francisco, California, his family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake...
and produced by Sidney Franklin
Sidney Franklin (director)
Sidney Franklin was an American film director and producer. His brother Chester Franklin also became a director during the silent film era best known for helming the early Technicolor film Toll of the Sea....
and Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
is by S. N. Behrman
S. N. Behrman
Samuel Nathaniel Behrman was an American playwright and screenwriter, who also worked for the New York Times.-Early Years:...
, Hans Rameau and George Froeschel
George Froeschel
Georg "George" Froeschel was an Austrian screenwriter best known for Mrs. Miniver, Quentin Durward, and The Story of Three Loves, while working for MGM in the 1940s and 1950s. Before working in film he was a lawyer and journalist.-Biography:Georg Froeschel was born in 1891, the son of a Jewish...
, based on the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
drama by Robert E. Sherwood
Robert E. Sherwood
Robert Emmet Sherwood was an American playwright, editor, and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in New Rochelle, New York, he was a son of Arthur Murray Sherwood, a rich stockbroker, and his wife, the former Rosina Emmet, a well-known illustrator and portrait painter known as Rosina E. Sherwood...
. The music is by Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart was a song writer, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for nine Oscars, winning Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz.-Biography:...
and cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg
Joseph Ruttenberg
Joseph Ruttenberg, A.S.C. was a photojournalist and cinematographer.Ruttenberg was accomplished winning accolades. At MGM, Ruttenberg was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography ten times, winning four. In addition, he won the 1954 Golden Globe Award for his camera work on the...
. The film stars Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
, her first film after the success of Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
. MGM bought the 1931 version from Universal when they did this remake.
Waterloo Bridge tells the story of a dancer and an officer who meet in a chance encounter on Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815...
. This initial encounter occurs during an air raid in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. But because of the Hays Code, which had not been in effect when the 1931 film version was made, the plot of the 1940 version had to be changed and somewhat sanitized. In the original play and film, Myra is an ordinary chorus girl of easy virtue, and Roy is too naive to realize this until near the end. In the 1940 version, Myra is a ballerina in a prestigious dance company, who descends into prostitution after mistakenly believing that Roy has been killed. In the first film, Myra is accidentally killed; in the 1940 version, she commits suicide in order not to involve Roy in a scandal.
Waterloo Bridge was a success at the box office and nominated for two Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
— Best Music
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
for Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart
Herbert Stothart was a song writer, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for nine Oscars, winning Best Original Score for The Wizard of Oz.-Biography:...
and Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
. It was also considered a personal favourite by both Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor.
Plot summary
World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
has just broken out and a soldier stops on Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge
Waterloo Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, England between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. The name of the bridge is in memory of the British victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815...
to reminisce. The film then cuts to a flashback to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
with the young soldier Roy Cronin (Taylor) who has stopped on the bridge. An alarm sounds signaling an air raid and a group of girls pause on the bridge, arguing about what they should do. They turn to Roy and he tells them they should find cover. One of the girls in the group, Myra Lester (Leigh), drops her purse in the road and dangerously retrieves it, along with her good luck charm, a billiken
Billiken
The Billiken was a charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Florence Pretz of St. Louis, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. In 1908, she patented the Billiken, who was elf-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his...
. Roy chastises her and the two run for the underground.
Once in the underground, Roy and Myra talk together and Myra invites Roy to her ballet performance. Roy declines, stating he has a dinner with a colonel, and expresses his regret. They part as Myra gives him her good luck charm. However, he dismisses the colonel's dinner and attends the performance. Afterwards, he sends a note to Myra asking her to dinner. The note is taken by Madame Olga Kirowa (Maria Ouspenskaya
Maria Ouspenskaya
Maria Alekseyevna Ouspenskaya was a Russian actress and acting teacher. She achieved success as a stage actress as a young woman in Russia, and as an elderly woman in Hollywood films.-Life and career:...
). Madame Kirowa orders Myra to write Roy a note declining the invitation. Meanwhile, Roy is waiting anxiously for word and, receiving the letter, begins to walk dejectedly away. However, Kitty (Virginia Field
Virginia Field
Virginia Field was a British-born film actress.Born Margaret Cynthia Field in London, her father was the judge of England's Leicester County Court Circuit. Her mother was a cousin of Robert E...
) stops him and arranges the date for Myra.
Myra and Roy spend a pleasant evening together, ending with a kiss. As they part, Roy explains he is to return to the battle-front. The following day, Myra, dejected, looks out her rainy window and sees Roy standing beneath it. She runs to him and the two agree to marry. She does not attend her ballet performance. Instead she goes to the train station to say farewell to Roy, as she may never see him again, upon her return to the theater Madame Kirowa dismisses her from the ballet. Kitty stands up to Madame Kirowa, to explain the situation, and is also dismissed.
Myra and Kitty rent a small apartment and Myra receives flowers from Roy. While waiting in a tea shop to meet Roy's mother (Lucile Watson
Lucile Watson
-Career:Watson began her career on the stage debuting on Broadway in the play Hearts Aflame in 1902. Her next play was The Girl With Green Eyes, the first of several Clyde Fitch stories. At the end of 1903, Lucile appeared in Fitch's "Glad of It"...
) for the first time, Myra reads in the paper that Roy has been killed. The proprietor of the tea shop gives her wine to revive her. Moments later Roy's mother arrives and a distressed Myra appears to behave apprehensively and impudently towards her, and slightly drunk into the bargain, while actually keeping from her the news of her son's death. Dejected, Roy's mother leaves and shortly thereafter Myra faints. Back at her apartment Myra grows depressed and Kitty buys her medicine with income she earned as a prostitute. Kitty lies to Myra and tells her that she has been working as a performer. Myra attends the performance of the play in which Kitty is supposedly acting, and comes back to the apartment, asking questions about the play. Myra then confronts Kitty. Kitty confesses and Myra, too, becomes a prostitute as a means of coping with their financial circumstances.
Myra works at Waterloo Station and, in the midst of attempting to pick up potential customers, sees Roy coming from the train. He greets her warmly and takes her to lunch where she acts strangely towards him. He assumes their engagement will go on as planned and Myra accepts his offer after his questions on whether or not she has moved on. The two go to his home in Scotland where she again meets his mother. His mother apologizes for leaving Myra at the restaurant as she had not known that Roy had falsely been reported as "dead". Myra and Roy’s mother become friends. Myra dances at a ball and speaks with Roy's uncle who tells her they are a proud and esteemed family, the Cronins, and that a sweet ballerina will be the perfect wife for Roy. Myra feels guilty and speaks with his mother, telling her the truth of her position. Myra then decides she can no longer carry on her facade. Roy sees her one last time and tells her of his excitement, before returning her good luck charm, stating that now that they will be married it doesn't matter which one of them has it.
Myra leaves and Roy, frantic, looks for her. He recruits Kitty's help and she takes him to Myra's haunts. He soon learns of her double life, but he still wishes to marry her and continues searching frantically for her. Myra, meanwhile, is on Waterloo Bridge and, seeing an approaching convoy of army ambulances, commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by walking into their path.
The film cuts back to Roy, years later, standing on the bridge, holding the good luck charm, and reminiscing of a love lost.
Production
- The film capitalized on Leigh's success the previous year in Gone with the WindGone with the Wind (film)Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
. Taylor, meanwhile, was eager to show audiences that he was more than the suave and youthful lover he had played in such films as CamilleCamille (1936 film)Camille is an American romantic drama film directed by George Cukor and produced by Irving Thalberg and Bernard H. Hyman, from a screenplay by James Hilton, Zoe Akins and Frances Marion. The picture is based on the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils...
and Three ComradesThree Comrades (film)Three Comrades 1938 is a drama film directed by Frank Borzage and produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz for MGM. The screenplay is by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edward E. Paramore Jr., and was adapted from the novel Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque...
.
- Leigh wanted Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
for the role of Roy Cronin, and was unhappy that Taylor had been cast in the part, although she had enjoyed him on the set of A Yank at OxfordA Yank at OxfordA Yank at Oxford is a 1938 British film, directed by Jack Conway from a screenplay by John Monk Saunders and Leon Gordon. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios...
. She wrote to then-husband Leigh Holman, "Robert Taylor is the man in the picture, and as it was written for Larry, it's a typical piece of miscasting. I am afraid it will be a dreary job..."
- Taylor later said of his performance, "It was the first time I really gave a performance that met the often unattainable standards I was always setting for myself." Of Leigh, Taylor said, "Miss Leigh was simply great in her role, and she made me look better."
- Of all her films, Leigh stated this one was her favorite. Taylor also felt this to be his personal favorite.
Adaptations to other media
Waterloo Bridge was dramatized as a half-hour radio play on two broadcasts of The Screen Guild TheaterThe Screen Guild Theater
The Screen Guild Theater was a popular radio anthology series during the Golden Age of Radio, broadcast from 1939 until 1952, with leading Hollywood actors performing in adaptations of popular motion pictures such as Going My Way and The Postman Always Rings Twice.The show had a long run, lasting...
, first on January 12, 1941 with Brian Aherne
Brian Aherne
Brian Aherne was a British actor of both stage and screen, who found success in Hollywood.-Early life and stage career:...
and Joan Fontaine
Joan Fontaine
Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland , known professionally as Joan Fontaine, is a British American actress. She and her elder sister Olivia de Havilland are two of the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s....
, second on September 9, 1946 with Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
and Robert Taylor. It was also presented as a half-hour broadcast of Screen Director's Playhouse
Screen Director's Playhouse
Screen Director's Playhouse is a popular radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949...
on September 28, 1951 with Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
.