Waterloo Bridge (1931, James Whale)

I'm pretty certain James Whale is one of my favorite directors. Potential pulp trash like "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein", and "The Old Dark House" were elevated to near-masterpieces (and in the case of the latter, a true masterpiece in my humble estimation) thanks to brilliant screenplays and Whale's wonderful, tasteful direction and sensibilities. "The Invisible Man" is still one of the best science fiction films ever made, and quite possibly the best Wells adaptation around, with the possible exception of "Island of Lost Souls". "Remember Last Night?" is a daring, hilarious, fascinating slice of unexpected social satire in the guise of a mystery-comedy, and remains woefully under-seen.

"Waterloo Bridge" is yet another immensely satisfying Whale film, and while (this being his second film) his technique is not at the same level as some of his later films, the film is still directed tastefully and often creatively, and is very well-shot as well. This was a pre-code film and hence I imagine is less sanitized than the 1940 Vivien Leigh/Robert Taylor version of the story. Mae Clarke is absolutely incredible here as a chorus girl-turned-prostitute who meets a naive 19 year old Canadian in wartime London. The writing is fantastic and the film, while melodramatic, is also subtle and tasteful in many regards. The humor (which is present in nearly all Whale films) is a lot of fun, and doesn't clash with the otherwise serious tone of the film.

"Waterloo Bridge" avoids the pitfalls of many melodramas by remaining a very human story about love at its core. The ending is really over-the-top, perhaps even a bit laughable, but it doesn't ruin what came before: a really great pre-code melodrama, and another exceptional film directed by James Whale. It's a good production (although the Waterloo Bridge set is not very convincing now, of course) with excellent direction, good cinematography, great writing, and a wonderful cast, especially the two leads Mae Clarke and Douglass Montgomery, but also the wonderful character actor Frederick Kerr in a smaller, more humorous role.