An agreeably told story of the domestic upheavals on the home front during the second world war. The cast is a good one: Stewart Granger, as the war dodging Romeo who makes a play for a neglected soldier's wife (Joy Shelton); Alastair Sim as the local g.p. on hand to offer his sage advice; George Carney as the lodger, trying to dodge the warring females in the household and happiest when he's with his pigeons; Beatrice Varley as the worried mother trying desperately to make ends meet and do right by her family; Alison Leggatt as the interfering sister-in-law and Vera Francis as the nosey sister. John Mills and Shelton hold the piece together as Mr and Mrs Ordinary Man and Woman, and there is a nice comic turn from Wylie Watson as a Tattooist. Best of all we have Jean Kent, wisecracking her way through the war as Toni, the discarded girlfriend of Granger, who's done very nicely thank you, having been set up in her own hairdressing business.
24 Reviews
John Mills, Alastair Sim and Stewart Granger, quite a trio.
hitchcockthelegend15 October 2008
Waterloo Road is a tidily produced picture that is telling a pretty prickly story. The plot revolves around John Mills everyman railway worker Jim Colte, he gets called up to do his service in the army, leaving behind his recently wedded bride, Tillie. The local Lothario, Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger) has his eye on Tillie, and with Tillie feeling alone and vulnerable, Purvis may just get his wicked way with her. But Jim gets wind of this and after being refused compassionate leave by his superiors, he goes AWOL and intends to track Purvis down. We are told this story by Alastair Sim's wonderfully astute Dr.Montgomery, who has been sent a fair bit of work from previous Purvis doings.
The film plays out with Jim dodging the military police and lurching from one Purvis haunt to another, inter cut with this is us following Purvis and Tillie out on the town as the day of reckoning for all three of them draws near. When the finale comes it's well worth the wait, mighty midget John Mills (brilliant here) facing off against the tall and fulsome Stewart Granger, just as Adolf decides to bomb London! A smashing little film that is risqué with it's themes of unfaithful wives and soldiers absconding from service. 7/10
The film plays out with Jim dodging the military police and lurching from one Purvis haunt to another, inter cut with this is us following Purvis and Tillie out on the town as the day of reckoning for all three of them draws near. When the finale comes it's well worth the wait, mighty midget John Mills (brilliant here) facing off against the tall and fulsome Stewart Granger, just as Adolf decides to bomb London! A smashing little film that is risqué with it's themes of unfaithful wives and soldiers absconding from service. 7/10
Social Realism in Wartime
JamesHitchcock23 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Waterloo Road" has certain similarities with "It Always Rains on Sunday" from two years later. Both films are set in working-class districts of London, foreshadowing the later "kitchen sink" school of social-realist film-making. Both involve similar love-triangles involving a salt-of-the-earth husband, an attractive younger wife and the wife's glamorous but dishonest lover (or suspected lover). Both feature the activities of "spivs" (British slang for black marketeers). Railways play an important part in both films. (Another similarity is that both were made by companies best known for making films of a very different type, "Waterloo Road" by Gainsborough Pictures, best known for historical melodramas, and the later film by Ealing Studios, best known for comedies).
The most obvious difference between the two films is that "It Always Rains on Sunday" was made two years after the war ended, and shows the East End returning to normal after the return of peace. Because the action all takes place on a single Sunday, most of the characters are shown at their leisure rather than at work. "Waterloo Road" was made while the war was still being fought, and, like many wartime films, was made with an obvious propaganda purpose in mind. (Its short running time, less than an hour and a quarter, suggests that this may have been a B-movie on a double bill). In this case the aim was to contrast the courage and decency of the British fighting man with the decadence and corruption of the spivs.
Jim Colter, a soldier in the British army, receives a letter from his sister informing him that his wife Tillie is having an affair with Ted Purvis, an amusement arcade proprietor. (Tillie is certainly friendly with him, although her sister-in-law might have jumped to unwarranted conclusions in assuming that their relationship is a sexual one. In the forties film-makers could not be too explicit about such matters). Although Purvis is a young man of military age, he has managed to avoid serving in the Forces by bribing a corrupt doctor to provide him with a false medical certificate. Purvis' black market activities have brought him considerable wealth, and he also has a reputation as a womaniser. Colter therefore goes AWOL in order to return home, confront Purvis and try and save his marriage.
"It Always Rains on Sunday" is, in my view, one of the neglected classics of the British cinema. It has a genuinely tragic heroine in Rose, whose tragedy is that the man she loves is a violent rogue, who does not love her but makes use of her when it is in his interests, and that she cannot love her husband who is a decent, kindly man and treats her well. "Waterloo Road" is not in the same class- it is lighter in tone with a happy ending, and no moral complexities; good is good, bad is bad, and good will always win in the end. Nevertheless, it still remains watchable today, for two reasons.
Firstly, it features two of the best-known stars of the British cinema, John Mills as Colter and Stewart Granger as Purvis. There is a deliberate contrast drawn between the characters, Colter being played as solid and decent, Purvis as flashy, superficial and lacking in fibre. When the two have a fight, the audience will all be on Colter's side, even though the fight scenes are not, by modern standards, very convincing. (As another reviewer has pointed out, it is difficult to imagine the relatively diminutive Mills getting the better of the tall, powerfully-built Granger in a fight). There is also a good cameo performance from Alastair Sim as Dr Montgomery, the local GP who disapproves of Purvis' morals and who, at the end of the film, has to give him some unwelcome news. The second reason why the film remains watchable is that it contains some well-observed social observations of a working-class community in wartime. As in "It Always Rains on Sunday" we see a lot of the leisure activities of the period- not just Purvis' amusement arcade, but also a café, a dance hall and a pub. This is a wartime period piece which still has something to offer the modern viewer. 6/10
The most obvious difference between the two films is that "It Always Rains on Sunday" was made two years after the war ended, and shows the East End returning to normal after the return of peace. Because the action all takes place on a single Sunday, most of the characters are shown at their leisure rather than at work. "Waterloo Road" was made while the war was still being fought, and, like many wartime films, was made with an obvious propaganda purpose in mind. (Its short running time, less than an hour and a quarter, suggests that this may have been a B-movie on a double bill). In this case the aim was to contrast the courage and decency of the British fighting man with the decadence and corruption of the spivs.
Jim Colter, a soldier in the British army, receives a letter from his sister informing him that his wife Tillie is having an affair with Ted Purvis, an amusement arcade proprietor. (Tillie is certainly friendly with him, although her sister-in-law might have jumped to unwarranted conclusions in assuming that their relationship is a sexual one. In the forties film-makers could not be too explicit about such matters). Although Purvis is a young man of military age, he has managed to avoid serving in the Forces by bribing a corrupt doctor to provide him with a false medical certificate. Purvis' black market activities have brought him considerable wealth, and he also has a reputation as a womaniser. Colter therefore goes AWOL in order to return home, confront Purvis and try and save his marriage.
"It Always Rains on Sunday" is, in my view, one of the neglected classics of the British cinema. It has a genuinely tragic heroine in Rose, whose tragedy is that the man she loves is a violent rogue, who does not love her but makes use of her when it is in his interests, and that she cannot love her husband who is a decent, kindly man and treats her well. "Waterloo Road" is not in the same class- it is lighter in tone with a happy ending, and no moral complexities; good is good, bad is bad, and good will always win in the end. Nevertheless, it still remains watchable today, for two reasons.
Firstly, it features two of the best-known stars of the British cinema, John Mills as Colter and Stewart Granger as Purvis. There is a deliberate contrast drawn between the characters, Colter being played as solid and decent, Purvis as flashy, superficial and lacking in fibre. When the two have a fight, the audience will all be on Colter's side, even though the fight scenes are not, by modern standards, very convincing. (As another reviewer has pointed out, it is difficult to imagine the relatively diminutive Mills getting the better of the tall, powerfully-built Granger in a fight). There is also a good cameo performance from Alastair Sim as Dr Montgomery, the local GP who disapproves of Purvis' morals and who, at the end of the film, has to give him some unwelcome news. The second reason why the film remains watchable is that it contains some well-observed social observations of a working-class community in wartime. As in "It Always Rains on Sunday" we see a lot of the leisure activities of the period- not just Purvis' amusement arcade, but also a café, a dance hall and a pub. This is a wartime period piece which still has something to offer the modern viewer. 6/10
Watch for Jean Kent in a two-minute bit
jem1322 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is basically a morality play about the struggle some English women had to have with temptation on the homefront in WW2. But it is well-directed by Sidney Gilliat, and well-acted. It tells a simple story in soldier John Mills playing "hooky" in order to see his wife, who is contemplating being unfaithful with a local louse, Stewart Granger (who is support to Mills, yet steals the show). Great English character actor Alistair Sim is also in the mix as a wise doctor. It's only short, but it tends to drag in a few places. Although Mills is constantly on the move (it's quite a physical performance from him), it's just a bit slow with the one-idea story. Granger is perfect as the lothario who wants to seduce Mills' wife, and Jean Kent gets an all-too-short appearance as a sexy, snappy hairdresser that has been jilted by him. Only a two minute bit, but she's so memorable you are left wanting more.
a second feature film,better than the main.The audience cheered
fatty-627 December 1999
A most satisfying film ,well acted and produced,a simple story of a wartime incident when the husband(john mills) came on leave.The fight scene between John Mills and Stewart Granger was the highlight.In those unsophisticated days audiences often applauded and cheered a good film.It was the only entertainment for the hard working people in those wartime years.
Enjoyable and underrated
TheLittleSongbird13 January 2011
Waterloo Road is an enjoyable and underrated film I think. It is not perfect as it is too short and occasionally too rushed. However, the cinematography and scenery are agreeable and the soundtrack is bouncy and energetic. The script is witty yet does a good job in the more serious bits, the story is interesting and well crafted with some risqué themes for the time and the direction is competent. The acting is fine, John Mills is delightful and I was surprised at his energy here, Stewart Granger is dashing and Alastair Sim as always is a joy. The best comes from Jean Kent, who is delicious and Ben Williams, who provides some of the most entertaining bits of the film. My favourite bit? The climax was hilarious I thought. Overall, if a little flawed it is good fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Good WW II melodrama set in England
SimonJack20 January 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Waterloo Road" is a wartime melodrama set in England. The film opens at the end of 1944 or early 1945 with scenes of the destruction from the Blitz of four years earlier. The meat of the story occurs in a flashback to the winter of 1940-41 when London and other cities were under the German Blitz.
The movie was released in the U.K. on Feb. 5, 1945. Since the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944, the Allies had pushed Germany out of most of occupied Europe and were at its gates. The Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945) was the last German offensive and desperate effort to turn the war. With the final Allied victory and the Russian victories on the Eastern Front, Germany's ultimate defeat was certain
Yet, some people see "Waterloo Road" as propaganda. One must wonder what in this film would be considered propaganda. The outcome of the war was certain in time, and there's hardly any mention of the Axis enemies. So, what is the political cause or point of view that the film is promoting? What type of propaganda and for what purpose? What are the film's messages to the viewing public? Is it a warning to wives about being faithful to their husbands who are in the service? It's nearing the end of the war – a fine time to do that. The film clearly puts down draft dodgers, black marketers ("spivs" in the British slang of the time), and dandies out of uniform who chase the girls back home. But where is the film misleading or biased?
Rather, I think it's a film, as the billing says, about marital fidelity, attempted adultery, profiteering by unscrupulous elements, and military desertion at the start of the war. If anything, the film at the end seems to be a morale builder. The last scene has Dr. Montgomery surveying the destruction of his neighborhood and talking about the young people and their children whose job it will be to rebuild their nation. The movie has some of the top British stars of the day in the male leads. John Mills is private Jim Colter; Stewart Granger is the draft-dodging spiv and dandy, Ted Purvis; and Alastair Sim is Dr. Montgomery. These actors and the lead females all play their roles very well.
The only thing that seems a stretch to believe is the light treatment of Colter by the military when he goes AWOL (absent without leave). Desertion in time of war is particularly heinous and carries heavy penalties – even death. Clearly, Colter isn't deserting but is going AWOL so he can go home to try to keep his wife and stave off Purvis. The screenplay treats his pursuit, capture and return to his unit lightly.
Again, the cast all do a good job. Some reviewers, who apparently know more about Mills as a mild-mannered person, can't imagine him coming out on top in a fight with Granger. But in this film, Colter is a soldier who probably had considerable training in self-defense and fighting. He wears a beret, so he may have been a member of the tough British 1st Airborne Division. Purvis had been a prizefighter and probably knew some street fisticuffs. But, he was out of condition, as he says himself. And, he had a bad heart – in reality (as Dr. Montgomery confirms at the end). That would have drained him of some strength in the first place. Then there's that element of adrenalin, fire, and extra strength that comes to a man who has something to fight for and protect. That is Colter and his wife and marriage. Whereas, Purvis had none of that.
Overall, this is an interesting enough film, and worth viewing because it's an unusual wartime story. I noted its original release early in 1945 in England, while the war was still underway. One wonders if the subject wasn't a very touchy matter at the time in America as well. Why else would "Waterloo Road" not be released in the U.S. until late December 1948 – more than three years after the end of the war?
Incidentally, author Ian Fleming appears in the film in an uncredited role. He is an officer in the railroad station, but darned if I could spot him.
The movie was released in the U.K. on Feb. 5, 1945. Since the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944, the Allies had pushed Germany out of most of occupied Europe and were at its gates. The Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945) was the last German offensive and desperate effort to turn the war. With the final Allied victory and the Russian victories on the Eastern Front, Germany's ultimate defeat was certain
Yet, some people see "Waterloo Road" as propaganda. One must wonder what in this film would be considered propaganda. The outcome of the war was certain in time, and there's hardly any mention of the Axis enemies. So, what is the political cause or point of view that the film is promoting? What type of propaganda and for what purpose? What are the film's messages to the viewing public? Is it a warning to wives about being faithful to their husbands who are in the service? It's nearing the end of the war – a fine time to do that. The film clearly puts down draft dodgers, black marketers ("spivs" in the British slang of the time), and dandies out of uniform who chase the girls back home. But where is the film misleading or biased?
Rather, I think it's a film, as the billing says, about marital fidelity, attempted adultery, profiteering by unscrupulous elements, and military desertion at the start of the war. If anything, the film at the end seems to be a morale builder. The last scene has Dr. Montgomery surveying the destruction of his neighborhood and talking about the young people and their children whose job it will be to rebuild their nation. The movie has some of the top British stars of the day in the male leads. John Mills is private Jim Colter; Stewart Granger is the draft-dodging spiv and dandy, Ted Purvis; and Alastair Sim is Dr. Montgomery. These actors and the lead females all play their roles very well.
The only thing that seems a stretch to believe is the light treatment of Colter by the military when he goes AWOL (absent without leave). Desertion in time of war is particularly heinous and carries heavy penalties – even death. Clearly, Colter isn't deserting but is going AWOL so he can go home to try to keep his wife and stave off Purvis. The screenplay treats his pursuit, capture and return to his unit lightly.
Again, the cast all do a good job. Some reviewers, who apparently know more about Mills as a mild-mannered person, can't imagine him coming out on top in a fight with Granger. But in this film, Colter is a soldier who probably had considerable training in self-defense and fighting. He wears a beret, so he may have been a member of the tough British 1st Airborne Division. Purvis had been a prizefighter and probably knew some street fisticuffs. But, he was out of condition, as he says himself. And, he had a bad heart – in reality (as Dr. Montgomery confirms at the end). That would have drained him of some strength in the first place. Then there's that element of adrenalin, fire, and extra strength that comes to a man who has something to fight for and protect. That is Colter and his wife and marriage. Whereas, Purvis had none of that.
Overall, this is an interesting enough film, and worth viewing because it's an unusual wartime story. I noted its original release early in 1945 in England, while the war was still underway. One wonders if the subject wasn't a very touchy matter at the time in America as well. Why else would "Waterloo Road" not be released in the U.S. until late December 1948 – more than three years after the end of the war?
Incidentally, author Ian Fleming appears in the film in an uncredited role. He is an officer in the railroad station, but darned if I could spot him.
A true to life tale
zzapper-219 February 2003
I wonder how daring this film was for wartime with a sympathetic treatment of soldiers AWOL? Also unfaithful wifes, a worry to many soldiers, the ones that weren't frollicking with girls in liberated countries of course. My interest were lots of authentic outdoor scenes in wartime London. Only criticism was the requirement for the cad to be doubly punished!! (Villains had to be seen to punished for it to get by the censor). Alister Sims seemed menacing even though he was playing a good guy.
Wonderful little film.
Adira-24 April 2001
"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.
No, Not Waterloo Bridge
boblipton14 February 2020
When John Mills gets a letter from his sister that his wife, Joy Shelton, is carrying on with local sporting man Stewart Granger, he goes AWOL back to his home to track them down and deal with the situation.
I've passed up numerous chances to see this movie before I realized that it had John Mills in it. "Huh! Is there a third movie version of WATERLOO BRIDGE?" No, it's a domestic drama directed and co-written by Sidney Gilliat, so it has a good, rough sense of humor, abetted by Alastair Sim as the local doctor, and one of every three characters who recognize local boy Mills. This being released before the end of the War, it also has a morale-boosting bit of propaganda at the end, enlarging Sim's role a bit.
There are lots of faces familiar to movie fans, including Jean Kent, Wallace Lupino, Ben Williams, and Kathleen Harrison. It's not a very deep or important film, but it will interest and amuse fans of the talented cast and crew.
I've passed up numerous chances to see this movie before I realized that it had John Mills in it. "Huh! Is there a third movie version of WATERLOO BRIDGE?" No, it's a domestic drama directed and co-written by Sidney Gilliat, so it has a good, rough sense of humor, abetted by Alastair Sim as the local doctor, and one of every three characters who recognize local boy Mills. This being released before the end of the War, it also has a morale-boosting bit of propaganda at the end, enlarging Sim's role a bit.
There are lots of faces familiar to movie fans, including Jean Kent, Wallace Lupino, Ben Williams, and Kathleen Harrison. It's not a very deep or important film, but it will interest and amuse fans of the talented cast and crew.
Well crafted and a must see for genre fans.
richard-meredith275 May 2005
Waterloo Road is sometimes forgotten among the hundreds of films made by the late, great Sir John Mills, but it gave him one of his best roles at a time when British Film studios were churning out a handful of films each week for to satisfy the public.
He plays Jim Colter, a former railway employee, now called up who goes AWOL to find Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger), a spiv and draft dodger who is seeing his wife (an excellent performance by Joy Shelton). The action takes place over a single day in, and around, Waterloo Station. In almost social realism style the camera follows the action through real streets, and includes an early amusement arcade (check those machines and the customers), a dance hall, tea shop and a tattoo parlour in a road called 'The Cut'. I watched this with my Mother(now 79)as its her favourite John Mills Film, and she remembers passing by this parlour and seeing the 'tattooed lady' poster when, as a 14 year old shop assistant, she worked at Waterloo Station during the blitz.
It is a well crafted film: not many scenes are wasted and the script is tight and balanced between light and serious dialogue. Another surprise is how energetic Mills is. He leaps across tables and through windows like an acrobat. The fight scene is as well filmed and choreographed as any American Film Noir of the time, and even allowing for library clips of the blitz (which can be seen in other wartime films), the bombing sequence is as close to the real thing as the studio could make it.
My favourite performance and /or character? Ben Williams playing the hapless Military Policeman Corporal Lewis forever chasing Mills around 'The Cut'. How often are films today enhanced by the Extra Players?
He plays Jim Colter, a former railway employee, now called up who goes AWOL to find Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger), a spiv and draft dodger who is seeing his wife (an excellent performance by Joy Shelton). The action takes place over a single day in, and around, Waterloo Station. In almost social realism style the camera follows the action through real streets, and includes an early amusement arcade (check those machines and the customers), a dance hall, tea shop and a tattoo parlour in a road called 'The Cut'. I watched this with my Mother(now 79)as its her favourite John Mills Film, and she remembers passing by this parlour and seeing the 'tattooed lady' poster when, as a 14 year old shop assistant, she worked at Waterloo Station during the blitz.
It is a well crafted film: not many scenes are wasted and the script is tight and balanced between light and serious dialogue. Another surprise is how energetic Mills is. He leaps across tables and through windows like an acrobat. The fight scene is as well filmed and choreographed as any American Film Noir of the time, and even allowing for library clips of the blitz (which can be seen in other wartime films), the bombing sequence is as close to the real thing as the studio could make it.
My favourite performance and /or character? Ben Williams playing the hapless Military Policeman Corporal Lewis forever chasing Mills around 'The Cut'. How often are films today enhanced by the Extra Players?
Granger stranger-danger
Lejink31 October 2022
An interesting and watchable British feature which provides interesting insights into the wartime lifestyles and attitudes of the working class. John Mills is the soldier who goes AWOL during the Blitz to return home to check up on his pretty young wife Joy Shelton after his nosey sister sends him a letter accusing her of having an affair in his absence with Stewart Granger's spivvy draft-dodger.
That's about all the plot there is, apart from a little padding which sees Alastair Sim's G. P. act as the moral conscience of the film, subtly guiding Mills to his wife's whereabouts on the arm of the scheming Granger and even on how to defend himself in the anticipated fisticuffs with his rival.
There's also an encounter between Mills and a U. S. counterpart although significantly the Yank has only gone missing because he wants to see some fighting action, as if American soldiers never committed adultery, especially when in old Blighty!
It's interesting to witness the conflicting treatment of two able-bodied males of the time and almost see the film as part of a recruitment drive for the British forces whilst shaming shirkers like Granger's character. We see this in the way that Mills's character benefits from the pursuing military police almost looking the other way as he tries to sort out his domestic situation and are even given to believe that little Johnny can win a bare-knuckle fight with the much bigger Granger who we're told is a champion boxer.
The contemporary attitude towards women is also interesting to observe as we see Shelton's fading resistance to Granger's charms almost excused by not only the obvious device of his wining and dining her but more pertinently demonstrating some understanding of the sense of loneliness and physical and emotional needs of a young woman deprived of her husband's company for long periods of time.
Naturally it all ends up as it should with the married couple reconciled and the bounder getting a thick ear, but it was nevertheless interesting to view this less than rosy picture of marital life during the war.
Sydney Gilliat, this time without the aid of his long-time associate Frank Launder, wrote the screenplay and directed the action. Just over 70 minutes long, even then it feels slightly padded as Mills and his American army pal try to avoid detection, but nevertheless it doesn't gild the lily in painting its true to life family portrait. There's one particularly fine shot early in the film when Sim's character introduces the extended flashback as we see the present-day part-flattened Waterloo Road restored to completion to begin the story and the film elsewhere makes good use of actual physical locations.
Not the kind of feature normally associated with the Gainsborough studio but definitely a welcome change from its more usual overripe costume melodramas.
That's about all the plot there is, apart from a little padding which sees Alastair Sim's G. P. act as the moral conscience of the film, subtly guiding Mills to his wife's whereabouts on the arm of the scheming Granger and even on how to defend himself in the anticipated fisticuffs with his rival.
There's also an encounter between Mills and a U. S. counterpart although significantly the Yank has only gone missing because he wants to see some fighting action, as if American soldiers never committed adultery, especially when in old Blighty!
It's interesting to witness the conflicting treatment of two able-bodied males of the time and almost see the film as part of a recruitment drive for the British forces whilst shaming shirkers like Granger's character. We see this in the way that Mills's character benefits from the pursuing military police almost looking the other way as he tries to sort out his domestic situation and are even given to believe that little Johnny can win a bare-knuckle fight with the much bigger Granger who we're told is a champion boxer.
The contemporary attitude towards women is also interesting to observe as we see Shelton's fading resistance to Granger's charms almost excused by not only the obvious device of his wining and dining her but more pertinently demonstrating some understanding of the sense of loneliness and physical and emotional needs of a young woman deprived of her husband's company for long periods of time.
Naturally it all ends up as it should with the married couple reconciled and the bounder getting a thick ear, but it was nevertheless interesting to view this less than rosy picture of marital life during the war.
Sydney Gilliat, this time without the aid of his long-time associate Frank Launder, wrote the screenplay and directed the action. Just over 70 minutes long, even then it feels slightly padded as Mills and his American army pal try to avoid detection, but nevertheless it doesn't gild the lily in painting its true to life family portrait. There's one particularly fine shot early in the film when Sim's character introduces the extended flashback as we see the present-day part-flattened Waterloo Road restored to completion to begin the story and the film elsewhere makes good use of actual physical locations.
Not the kind of feature normally associated with the Gainsborough studio but definitely a welcome change from its more usual overripe costume melodramas.
Love and war
russjones-8088712 October 2020
Soldier Jim Colter, called up to fight in World War Two, goes AWOL to get to his home near Waterloo station after hearing that his wife is seeing a philandering conscription dodger Ted Purvis. Can he avoid being caught and save his marriage?
Wartime drama, not untypical of British films of this era, and watchable to the end. John Mills and Joy Shelton star as the couple but Stewart Granger excels as the charmer. Fine cameo by Alastair Sim who commands the screen each time he appears.
Wartime drama, not untypical of British films of this era, and watchable to the end. John Mills and Joy Shelton star as the couple but Stewart Granger excels as the charmer. Fine cameo by Alastair Sim who commands the screen each time he appears.
Lousy title for wartime melodrama
aramis-112-8048805 April 2023
A young English soldier early in World War II (John Mills), learning his wife is stepping out with a spiv (Stewart Grainger, in a different sort of role) goes AWOL to have it out with the wife-stealer.
For Americans it's an eye-opening peek into wartime London. It wasn't all sing-songs in the Underground. It was also people dodging the army with phony certificates, homebodies romancing the wives of men at the front and illicit sales on the black market.
The slang may be difficult for Americans who aren't Anglophiles.
The best parts are when Alistair Sim pops in as the kindly doctor and (infrequent) narrator.
It has nicely comic touches to relieve the melodrama and plenty of odd British characters. Thank goodness. And at the end Sim has a curious explanation for Hitler.
For Americans it's an eye-opening peek into wartime London. It wasn't all sing-songs in the Underground. It was also people dodging the army with phony certificates, homebodies romancing the wives of men at the front and illicit sales on the black market.
The slang may be difficult for Americans who aren't Anglophiles.
The best parts are when Alistair Sim pops in as the kindly doctor and (infrequent) narrator.
It has nicely comic touches to relieve the melodrama and plenty of odd British characters. Thank goodness. And at the end Sim has a curious explanation for Hitler.
An often overlooked British Wartime Gem
Scaramouche200416 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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.
An odd film considering it was made during the war.
planktonrules22 October 2020
"Waterloo Road" is a most unusual film for when it was made. After all, it was made in the final months of WWII and is a story about a soldier on AWOL...and you are supposed to be pulling for the guy! This is a far cry from the usual jingoistic propaganda war film of the day!!
When the story begins, Private Colter (John Mills) receives word that his wife is spending time with a local playboy, Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger). The problem is that the Private cannot get leave...so he heads home anyway! When he's caught, he tries to explain the situation but isn't granted leave. In fact, he's being escorted back to his unit when he slips away and heads to London looking for his wife and the rotter. The film consists of his adventures leading up to the eventual confrontation scene.
The acting is good and the film well made. As for Granger, it's interesting to see him here in his pre-Hollywood days....as he's very thin and gangly. In fact, he really didn't seem nearly as handsome as he would just a few years later after he filled out a bit and perfected a prettier accent. The only weakness I noticed in the script is that the wife seemed like an empty-headed woman who had no ability to say no to the playboy. I wish they'd written her a bit better...with more personality and grit. Still, an enjoyable little curio...a film I just didn't expect to see coming from early 1945.
While this is a good film, I couldn't help but wishing "Waterloo Road" had captions. After all, the accents in this British movie are those of working class blokes....and they aren't quite so easy to always understand to us Yanks.
When the story begins, Private Colter (John Mills) receives word that his wife is spending time with a local playboy, Ted Purvis (Stewart Granger). The problem is that the Private cannot get leave...so he heads home anyway! When he's caught, he tries to explain the situation but isn't granted leave. In fact, he's being escorted back to his unit when he slips away and heads to London looking for his wife and the rotter. The film consists of his adventures leading up to the eventual confrontation scene.
The acting is good and the film well made. As for Granger, it's interesting to see him here in his pre-Hollywood days....as he's very thin and gangly. In fact, he really didn't seem nearly as handsome as he would just a few years later after he filled out a bit and perfected a prettier accent. The only weakness I noticed in the script is that the wife seemed like an empty-headed woman who had no ability to say no to the playboy. I wish they'd written her a bit better...with more personality and grit. Still, an enjoyable little curio...a film I just didn't expect to see coming from early 1945.
While this is a good film, I couldn't help but wishing "Waterloo Road" had captions. After all, the accents in this British movie are those of working class blokes....and they aren't quite so easy to always understand to us Yanks.
Wartime shenanigans in London town
Prismark1029 July 2013
People get nostalgic for a bygone era where supposedly everyone rooted together, conveniently forgetting how much people were in it for themselves and the spiv culture ruled. The blitz spirit is bit of a myth.
Here comes a slice of life film that was made when the war was still on. Not sure how this one went past the censor as the subject matter involves an AWOL soldier who wants to find his wife after he gets wind that she is being wooed by a supposedly invalid playboy type draft dodger excellently played by Stewart Granger who is also an ex boxer.
Granger is trying to get his wicked ways by spinning whatever yarn he can and showing her a good time. Add to this, some mishaps, John Mills AWOL soldier being pursued by military policemen and a mixture of comedy and drama makes this an easy going gem.
There is a rather brutal fight scene at the end and Alistair Sim gives a nice cameo as well as Jean Kent wearing not a lot, not sure what the censor was doing when her scene turned up!
Here comes a slice of life film that was made when the war was still on. Not sure how this one went past the censor as the subject matter involves an AWOL soldier who wants to find his wife after he gets wind that she is being wooed by a supposedly invalid playboy type draft dodger excellently played by Stewart Granger who is also an ex boxer.
Granger is trying to get his wicked ways by spinning whatever yarn he can and showing her a good time. Add to this, some mishaps, John Mills AWOL soldier being pursued by military policemen and a mixture of comedy and drama makes this an easy going gem.
There is a rather brutal fight scene at the end and Alistair Sim gives a nice cameo as well as Jean Kent wearing not a lot, not sure what the censor was doing when her scene turned up!
Great humour in this film
tfp482 February 2020
Mills Bomb
writers_reign14 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
It may well have passed muster at the tail end of the war but seen today the flaws are there for all to see. Stewart Granger's working class accent is a joke and his wooden, over-the-top acting little better. John Mills phones it in as the 'decent' man who goes AWOL when he hears that wife, Joy Shelton, is stepping out with Granger's spiv whilst he, Mills, is doing his bit. The two best performances by a mile are turned in by Beatrice Varley and Alison Leggatt as Mills' mother and sister and Jean Kent weighs in with a passable cameo but the climactic fist fight between Purvis (Granger) and Colter (Mills) is embarrassing. Definitely a Waterloo sunset.
Wayward destinies at large in wartime London under the bombs...
clanciai15 May 2017
This is a highly compressed social drama in wartime involving the lives of many different characters from various social layers of London, excluding only every glimpse of any upper class. Doctor Alastair Sim introduces the events from a view after the war, whereupon you are miraculously transferred from a bombed out London street to what it was before the ruins. He has a fairly good view of the whole chart of ingredients of the human destinies involved. The main characters are Stewart Granger and John Mills, both as very young men och rivals of the same woman, who is John Mills' wife, but he is in the army. He gets an alarm letter of the situation from home and takes leave without leave to handle the situation in his own way, with his fists.
Action is very fast from beginning to end, you have to keep very alert not to miss any detail, also the father with his doves tells a special story of his own, and all the beautiful young ladies... One just giving a glimpse of herself is Jean Kent as a hairdresser with a beauty and intelligence of her own. She is the only one apart from Dr. Sim to see through the debatable character of Stewart Granger.
He makes a villain but not without charming and sympathetic traits, you must admit he has to be successful, until the verdict comes...
Above all, it's a brilliant story told with impressive efficiency, nothing is lost on the way to the towering finale with its advanced acrobatics for a settlement, and every story is told to the full. Even the doves are finally satisfied, and the Doctor finalizes this masterpiece of a kaleidoscopic human record with the same charm as he introduced it with. It's a film well worth seeing several times, since you have to miss something every time...
Action is very fast from beginning to end, you have to keep very alert not to miss any detail, also the father with his doves tells a special story of his own, and all the beautiful young ladies... One just giving a glimpse of herself is Jean Kent as a hairdresser with a beauty and intelligence of her own. She is the only one apart from Dr. Sim to see through the debatable character of Stewart Granger.
He makes a villain but not without charming and sympathetic traits, you must admit he has to be successful, until the verdict comes...
Above all, it's a brilliant story told with impressive efficiency, nothing is lost on the way to the towering finale with its advanced acrobatics for a settlement, and every story is told to the full. Even the doves are finally satisfied, and the Doctor finalizes this masterpiece of a kaleidoscopic human record with the same charm as he introduced it with. It's a film well worth seeing several times, since you have to miss something every time...
Doesn't make the best use of a really top-level cast!
JohnHowardReid25 September 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Much admired in its day for its frank depiction of a somewhat seamy side of wartime London, "Waterloo Road" now seems to be a slow-paced, over-talkative, war-time propaganda piece that tries to take in too much territory. Too often the script avoids controversy and is content to shape up as a domestic romantic drama, so it's actually no wonder that the direction lacks confidence and that the fight scenes are so clumsily staged – although admittedly no doubles are used! The script's flashback-within-a-flashback construction also hinders our involvement in the plot. On the other hand, the movie's actuality photography and its authentic wartime milieu certainly give "Waterloo Road" a must-see curiosity appeal. And admittedly, John Mills and Stewart Granger are in their element here, although Alastair Sim struggles to make the best of being miscast.
Standard British 1940s melodrama
YohjiArmstrong16 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Plot: A British soldier goes AWOL in order to stop his wife cuckolding him with a criminal.
This film is a Gainsborough melodrama, and if you know what that means then you know what you'll get. So expect female hysterics and an unconvincingly nasty criminal played by Stewart Granger. John Mills, as an everyman squaddie, holds the piece together with some solid work. The setting is Waterloo station and most of the film is shot on location, which gives it a nice edge of social realism as the story winds through the markets and streets. The plot isn't up to much but it does express one of the great worries of British soldiers: what were their girls up to whilst they were away? Many were on active service for years at a time, and they knew England was full of Yanks, Canadians, spivs and other sorts who were flush with cash, glamour and amorous intentions. It isn't a very good film, with the climactic fist fight being particularly unconvincing, but it's a nice insight into what was a pressing issue at the time.
This film is a Gainsborough melodrama, and if you know what that means then you know what you'll get. So expect female hysterics and an unconvincingly nasty criminal played by Stewart Granger. John Mills, as an everyman squaddie, holds the piece together with some solid work. The setting is Waterloo station and most of the film is shot on location, which gives it a nice edge of social realism as the story winds through the markets and streets. The plot isn't up to much but it does express one of the great worries of British soldiers: what were their girls up to whilst they were away? Many were on active service for years at a time, and they knew England was full of Yanks, Canadians, spivs and other sorts who were flush with cash, glamour and amorous intentions. It isn't a very good film, with the climactic fist fight being particularly unconvincing, but it's a nice insight into what was a pressing issue at the time.
Energic John Mills
happytrigger-64-39051724 June 2022
"Waterloo road" is a fine entertainment with John Mills fleeing army to see his love purchased by the young seducer Stewart Granger. John Mills is himself purchased by military police and jumps and runs with high speed energy. Lot of details on WWII in London. Cinematography by Arthur Crabtree.
Waterloo Road- Good of its Day
krocheav22 March 2021
Dated now but a smart looking and reasonably well acted WW11 home-front propaganda drama - looking at how it was for serving men and their families left to carry on. The stark British landscapes, wearing their battle scars show us the extent of the battering Britain was subjected to while going it alone - against a ruthless and almost unstoppable enemy of the entire world.
Sidney Gilliatt (State Secret '50) directs with some flair. The ITV DVD is not re-Mastered but features digital enhancement to give clear images and sound.
Sidney Gilliatt (State Secret '50) directs with some flair. The ITV DVD is not re-Mastered but features digital enhancement to give clear images and sound.
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