Both the 1931 and 1940 films of 'Waterloo Bridge' are very good and well worth watching in their own way. Some elements are done better in one than the other if one must compare, but despite being in the shadow of the 1940 film the 1931 version is much underrated.The 1931 version is darker, grittier, steamier and more ahead of its time (plus more faithful to the original story), but this reviewer leans a little more towards the more lavish and even more poignant 1940 film, despite it being tamer and more romanticised. There is one element that is preferred personally in the earlier version than here and that's the male lead.Robert Taylor is certainly dashing, shares a very tender chemistry with Vivien Leigh and has very rarely been more handsome, but he is also a little stiff and dull in places for my liking (Leigh apparently wanted Laurence Olivier for the role and he would have been a better choice) and Kent Douglass was more effective bringing out the character's naivety.On the other hand, it is very lavishly produced with sumptuous costumes and sets with immaculately directed. Mervyn Leroy directs with elegant simplicity, atmosphere and momentum always consistent, while Herbert Stothart's music score is even more memorable, more lush and more haunting, in perfect keeping with the more "melodramatic" feel.'Waterloo Bridge's' (1940) script is intelligent and surprisingly multi-faceted, and the execution of the story is what gives this version the slight edge over the earlier film. Despite being tamer, lacking the darkness and grit of the 1931 film due to code constraints, the story did move me a little more and the ending is less erratic, less random and less abrupt - it's incredibly moving too- if ever so slightly contrived still.The characters are very well written, and the chemistry between the two leads is remarkably tender. There is a sterling supporting cast, with a scene stealing and charmingly loyal Virginia Field, a sly C. Aubrey Smith and a sympathetic Lucile Watson. Vivien Leigh's heart-breaking performance- to me she and Mae Clarke are about equal- is the one that dominates and it one for the ages and every bit as good as her performances that garnered her Oscars.In summary, such a beautifully done and tear-jerking. If you're asking which of the 1931 and 1940 films to watch, check out both of them, they are well worth it. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Robert Taylor (Roy) asks his taxi driver to stop at Waterloo Bridge on his way to enlist for WW2. There, he pulls out a lucky charm and reminisces about his whirlwind romance with Vivien Leigh (Myra) during WW1. The bridge is significant as it is the location that they met during an air raid. It is also the location where tragedy struck… This is a romantic war story that does leave you with some memorable moments, eg, the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" as couples dance the Farewell Waltz. The orchestra plays and gradually extinguishes more and more candles until we are left with dark silhouettes dancing. There is no dialogue and the whole sequence is hauntingly romantic. The film is well directed, eg, the scene where Leigh waits for her encounter with Taylor's mother Lucile Watson ((Lady Margaret). She has a newspaper with an update of the names of those soldiers who have fallen. Dare she look? Vivien Leigh evolves from ballerina good girl to prostitute and it's unfortunate that shame plays such an important part in this film. I used to know someone who worked as a high-class escort girl, ie, prostitute, and she raked in the cash for doing very little. One of her customers liked to get all his Nazi memorabilia out including books and toy tanks and ask her to watch him while he masturbated over it. That was it - £500, thank you very much. Leigh could have made a financial killing in the wartime with customers like that.The supporting cast are all excellent with standout performances from ballet company director Maria Ouspenskaya (Madame Olga) and Vivien's friend Virginia Field (Kitty). I'm not sure that the story is entirely realistic as Robert Taylor wouldn't be smiling over his reminiscences. It feels like it's all water under the bridge to him. The film has a rather 'Anna Karenina' ending to proceedings.

I have a very bad habit when watching old films (something I do most evenings) in that I rarely pay much attention to who the director was. As I began watching this film, which I inexplicably had never seen, even as the opening credits passed by I thought it reminded me of the opening credits for my second favorite film (after GWTW) -- "Random Harvest". And then there's the classical music, which is common to both films. I jumped up to check the computer and realized that, yes, the same director for both films -- Mervyn LeRoy.I do think that LeRoy made one mistake in this film. For the first 58 minutes it's a simple love story of a soldier (in this case officer Robert Taylor) who quickly falls in love with a young woman during World War II. The fling went on for so long that I began to wonder if there was actually much of a plot. Then, just about an hour into the film you finally begin to realize what the plot is going to be. That left less than 50 minutes for the real meat of the story -- the mistaken belief that Taylor has been killed in the war, the turning of Vivien Leigh's character into a prostitute, the realization that Taylor is not dead, her attempt to hide her past...for a while, his search for her, and her suicide. The appetizer portion of the film should have been shortened by at least 15 minutes so that the meat of the film could have had more depth.One of the most interesting aspects of this film is that despite the fact that the plot hinges on prostitution, and because of the censorship code in force at the time of the filming, the word prostitution (or any synonym) is never mentioned, only implied.Was Robert Taylor ever more handsome or suave? Vivien Leigh was striking, of course, although even in GWTW, I always felt that a certain dark nature was evident, and of course that was true in her later real life. There's not much opportunity to savor supporting actors here...all their parts are key, though their screen times were minor. C. Aubrey Smith is always a delight, as is Maria Ouspenskaya. Lucile Watson as Taylor's mother was wonderful, and so much more could have been done with her role, had the film been reorganized a bit. But if one costar stood out, it was Virginia Field, as Leigh's friend, fellow dancer, and fellow prostitute.It was tempting to give this film a 9, but the weak, overly long first hour's story line makes me reduce it to an 8. But this is a film that should not be missed.

This is what I call a "procrastination movie". In other words, it is a one of those "must see" films that your friends told you to see, and you wound up "putting it off" for a long period of time for one reason or another. When you finally took the time to see it ... you wind up "kicking" yourself for waiting for so long to see it. Dumb me! I did the same thing with films like "North By Northwest" and "Glory. Vivien Leigh plays Myra, a ballerina, who meets Captain Roy Cronin, Robert Taylor on Waterloo Bridge during an air raid in London. The two are forced by fate to share several hours together. Sound familiar? Kind of like Rhett Butler's fateful situation of sleeping on a couch and running into Scarlet O'Hara after a conversation with Leslie Howard. Yep! It's Gone With The Wind all over again .... two people madly in love finding themselves surrounded by the chaos of war as they suffer the trials and tribulations of separation and reunion placed by circumstance. It is also my understanding that Vivien Leigh had to agree by contract to make this film when she signed for the role of Scarlet O'Hara in "Gone With The Wind". What a great flick this is! There is no question in my mind that this is Robert Taylor's greatest performance, and Vivien Leigh's 2nd best performance. How could she or anyone possibly top her Scarlet O'Hara? How does it end? I'll never tell ... but I wills tell you this .... Maria Ouspenskaya, who plays Leigh's Balarina Mentor, makes Bette Davis and Joan Crawford look like Girl Scouts when it comes to playing a "queen bee".