A drama set during WWII. A tale of adultery & desertion.

REVIEW:

-"Waterloo Road" deserves to be better known than it is. If, like me, you were born after the war, it is a fascinating glimpse of a time gone by, but don't watch it for that alone. It is a story about ordinary people in wartime, without heroics and melodrama, but with an abundance of character and incident. The characters struck me as being true to life, and I didn't find a jarring line of dialogue or a scene which dragged. John Mills gave a fine performance as a soldier gone AWOL, and Stewart Granger as the cad out to seduce his wife. All in all, a wonderful little film.

-Waterloo Road, made towards the end of World War II, tells the story of a young squaddie played by Sir John Mills, who having heard about his wife running around with a no good local operator, goes AWOL to basically find his erring wife and give the chap in question a good old thick ear.

Despite that being the entire plot in a nut shell, it is a fantastic piece of wartime nostalgia and a rather entertaining and charming little film to boot.

It is chockablock full of air raids, wardens, shelters, old fashion saloon bars, and its cast list is practically a cinematic who's who of British Wartime cinema, although it is the two male leads that really steal the film.

Stewart Granger is a thoroughly unlikable fellow in this film as the draft dodging spiv with a million brave guys wives to chose from and he plays his part magnificently, although at times his cockney slang-ridden accent does slip into his more characteristic well spoken Britisher.

Sir John Mills was never really used much in the guise of a physical tough guy, and after watching Waterloo Road it is not too hard to understand why. Despite the consummate and expert actor he undoubtedly was, he was on the whole, officer/ministry material and the fisty cuffs he displays in Waterloo Road, although well choreographed is not how the most majestic of our British acting knights should be perceived or indeed behave.

The final outcome of the Mills/Granger bout was also a little unbelievable, which is why they probably had Granger clasp his heart halfway through, as I'm sure in reality, Granger would have torn him to shreds, with the audience all to aware of the fact.

But still a pleasant little wartime ditty in to South London. Give it a go.


Director:
Sidney Gilliat
Writers:
Val Valentine (story), Sidney Gilliat

CAST
John Mills ... Jim Colter
Stewart Granger ... Ted Purvis
Alastair Sim ... Dr. Montgomery
Joy Shelton ... Tillie Colter
Alison Leggatt ... Ruby
Beatrice Varley ... Mrs. Colter
George Carney ... Tom Mason
Leslie Bradley ... Mike Duggan
Jean Kent ... Toni
Ben Williams ... Cpl Lewis
Anna Konstam ... May
Vera Frances ... Vera Colter
Wylie Watson ... Tattooist
George Merritt ... Air Raid Warden

Country:UK
Language:English
Release Date:5 February 1945 (UK)
Also Known As:A Estrada de Waterloo
Filming Locations:London, England, UK
Runtime:73 min
Sound Mix:Mono (BAF Sound System)
Color:Black and White