‘Waterloo Bridge’ (1940) Blu-Ray Review – Vivien Leigh Illuminates The Screen In Stirring Melodrama

Myra and Roy meet and fall in love on Waterloo Bridge during an air raid. Their love will be one of the war’s unspoken casualties. Heartbroken after Roy is reportedly killed in action, Myra turns to prostitution to make her way. The report, however, is false. Roy later returns from a POW camp, eager to begin life anew with his beloved. But Myra’s shattered spirit may no longer hold any room for happiness. Vivien Leigh plays Myra, at once winning and breaking viewers’ hearts in this exquisite melodrama. In a compassionate performance that was his all-time favorite, Robert Taylor is gallant Roy. Under Mervyn LeRoy’s astute direction, they make Waterloo Bridge a meeting place for lovers.

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Video Quality

Warner Archive debuted Waterloo Bridge on Blu-Ray in 2020 with a fantastic 1080p transfer sourced from a new 4K restoration of the best-surviving nitrate elements. We do not believe the Original Camera Negative was fully intact, but fans are unlikely to notice a difference given the top-tier work from the restoration team. There are fleeting moments when you may spot a dip in quality, but this is as consistent of a transfer as one could wish. 

The transfer is fetching with no serious signs of wear and tear or specks of damage. The various settings provide dynamic textures and clarity. Black levels are robust with the foremost stability throughout, and the highlights never get close to blooming. The black-and-white photography from Joseph Ruttenberg retains a significant amount of natural film grain that resolves well. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are completely absent. Warner Archive has put forth the desired level of care here. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that holds up well for a film of this vintage. Exchanges come through clearly without being trounced by other elements. Dialogue and environmental texture flow out with particular accuracy along with the score from Herbert Stothart. This track presents every individual element with respectable fidelity. The clean-up has eliminated instances of deficiencies in the track such as humming, popping, and dropouts, although you may still put some fragility in the peaks. The audio presentation makes a fine showing thanks to the careful preservation efforts. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included in the feature film.

Special Features

• Screen Director’s Playhouse Radio Broadcast – 9/28/51: An hour-long radio adaptation of the story featuring Norma Shearer.

• Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Waterloo Bridge is an impactful melodrama that plays our emotions like a fiddle throughout. Vivien Leigh is so beguiling and makes the audience fall in love with her alongside Robert Taylor. Our romantic heart cannot bear some of the narrative developments near the end of the film, but we understand that times and values are different than the modern perspective. Mervyn LeRoy provides a confident eye behind the camera that makes this one land squarely on target. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that features a pleasing A/V presentation and a couple of fine special features. If you are a fan of stirring melodramas, give this a whirl. Recommended 

Waterloo Bridge can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.