Waterloo Bridge (1940)

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Starring Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Virginia Field, Lucile Watson, C. Aubrey Smith, Maria Ouspenskaya.

Doomed romance between a ballet dancer (Leigh) and a soldier (Taylor) who meet on Waterloo Bridge during the first World War. Told through flashback from the emotional wreckage of Taylor’s aging officer upon the outbreak of World War II—a detail obviously missing from Robert Sherwood’s 1930 play, no doubt added to stir the emotions of British moviegoers on the eve of the Blitz—the specifics of the tragedy may not be immediately clear, but the pall of heartbreak keeps the viewer at safe emotional distance. On the one hand, there’s not much in the way of maudlin manipulation; on the other hand, the gears of the plot creak and the instant love connection isn’t entirely persuasive. Taylor is unyielding, afraid to give in to the soft invitation of giddiness and yearning, but Leigh’s rosy bloom and alert gaze compensate. Sentimental but classy. James Whale helmed his own version of the story back in 1931, and it was remade again in the 50s as Gaby. Halliwell Hobbes appears unbilled as a priest.

68/100