Waterloo Bridge (1931)

In a period of Hollywood when stories had to have happy endings Universal's Carl Laemmle would bring to the screen a touching and heartbreaking tale that ends in sorrow. Unlike most other pictures that filled American cinemas across the nation, the story shared in Waterloo Bridge would stay true to the original tragic play from which it was inspired. It was common practice in movies to be inspired by stage or previously printed material, and when such material ended on a sad note Hollywood would come up with a softer or happier ending, as to not upset the audiences that filled the theaters during the great depression. But Carl Laemmle saw something special in the short ran Broadway play, so much so he would purchase the rights to the story and turn it into prestige picture, something that wold not be common for the studio who would be most known for its horror movies including Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy. Though a tragic tale, it would be one of hopes and the undying feelings of care and love.

Waterloo Bridge is the story of a struggling American chorus girl in London during the Great War whom has succumbed to prostitution to get by in life when she meets an American soldier who falls in love with her without his knowledge of her worldly profession. Myra (Mae Clarke), a former chorus girl turned street walker, meets Roy (Douglas Montgomery, billed as  "Kent Douglas"), a soldier on leave in London, during an air raid. They become found of each other, in fact love each other, with Roy even insisting to financially aide the obviously struggling Myra. She is torn, for she too loves Roy, but doesn't want to hurt him with the fact that she is t a prostitute, thus in attempt to protect Roy she continually tries to run away from him. Roy's chivalry and love keeps him chasing to be with and protect Myra until she finally gives in to undying love, with promise of marrying him before he has to go to the battlefield. The two profess their love for each other as they part during yet another air raid hitting London, this time tragically claiming the life of the beautifully flawed Myra on Waterloo Bridge.

The picture is a wonderful tragic tale of love and lose. Despite the rather slow pace of the film, due to the source material being a previously produced Broadway production and simply it being made in a time period where films are usually slower, this drama and love story keeps you rooting for the two to be together. Its a film based around the internal struggle of Myra as she comes to love the naive and noble Roy, wishing only the best for him. Unfortunately what Myra thinks is best for Roy does not include her, a London prostitute who walks Waterloo Bridge trying to pick up soldiers. Douglas Montgomery plays the youthful soldier very well despite being older than Mae Clarke, whom portrays a soul that has seen far more than what she wanted to see in her life. The continual struggle of Myra running away and Roy continually finding her starts to get a little old when the film reaches its sorrowful conclusion. Just when you see happiness crack into the life of Myra, tragedy strikes. Here the ending concludes beautifully with the audience filling in the story with their minds as we see "The End" appear on screen. It is a very intriguing ending manifesting how an ugly war brought two people together only to eternally rip them apart, leaving you with the feeling of lose and the question of "what if?" This is a fine Universal picture, very different from their normal film line up, but remains along the lines of one of their all time great pictures, another World War I drama, All Quiet on the Western Front.

Directed by James Whale at the very beginning of his career, Waterloo Bridge would help propel both he as a filmmaker, as well as Universal Pictures. After a theater career where he had done some directing, Whale would find himself in the movies as an uncredited co-director in the Howard Hughes epic Hell's Angels, where Whale directed the dialogue sequences when the picture was being turned into a talking film. With the success of Waterloo Bridge, and even more importantly for Universal coming in well under budget, Whale was given freedom to produce any film Universal had rights to. Of all the possible prestige ideas Whale would decide rather to direct Frankenstein. Here Whale would create images that would last through the ages, directing the definitive version of a classic tale. Frankenstein would prove to be his pinnacle achievement as his future works would take a sharp decline in success, which included many cheaper horror sequels to both Frankenstein and Dracula.

The cast of Waterloo Bridge would all do fine work for the film. Star Mae Clarke, who's most famous role to this point, beside being in United Artists' The Front Page, was having the infamous grapefruit shoved in her face by James Cagney in The Public Enemy. After Waterloo Bridge, Clarke would be given a major role in Frankenstein by Whale. Douglas Montgomery, or "Kent Douglas" as he would be credited in this film, played the role his face was meant to play, his youthful looks made him perfect actor for the naive soldier, Roy. His lack of experience warranted much work by Whale during production, and Montgomery's career would be satisfactory one, peeking with his role in 1933's Little Women. The supporting cast included Doris Lloyd as a cockney fellow prostitute which could come off as a little annoying at times, just one of her many small roles through the years, as well as a young Bette Davis just beginning her Hollywood career.

Waterloo Bridge would be a financial and critical success for 1931. The picture would cause a be it of a stir for its adult subject matter, but it would be because of the film's maturity that critics would praise it. Despite the main character being a woman of ill favor and the film's sad ending, the picture would seem like a breathe of fresh air as not all stories should have happy endings. The adult themes of the film would make the picture impossible to reissue after the enforcement of the production code came in just a few years later. Despite this drawback, MGM would purchase the rights to the successful film and story allowing them to remake it in 1940 with Vivien Leigh (of Gone with the Wind fame) and Robert Taylor. A third version by MGM would follow in 1956 with the setting shifted to WWII, entitled Gaby.

For Universal Waterloo Bridge would prove to be a very important film in the storied studio's history,. but not directly for the film itself. With the initial success, the picture would help propel Whale into producing Frankenstein, further entrenching Universal into the world of the monster movie films of the 1930s, for which the studio would be infamous for. The story would be a invaluably touching one spawning its two remakes, but the original would be stored away for years because of the production code in Hollywood. Thankfully it would brought out of storage in 1975 for all to enjoy and appreciate. Despite being a lesser known version of the film, it is plain to see how this film had a lasting mark on the history of Universal pictures and Hollywood.