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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
directed
by Mervyn LeRoy
USA 1940
Based on the play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert E. Sherwood, "Waterloo Bridge" stars Vivien Leigh as Myra, an innocent ballerina whose life is irrevocably altered in London by the announcement of war. During a Air-Raid warning Myra meets handsome, good-natured British officer Roy Cronin (Robert Taylor) on Waterloo Bridge. The couple soon plans to wed, but Cronin is called to the front, and shortly thereafter a newspaper incorrectly reports him as a causality. Forced out of ballet school with her friend, both alone and destitute, Myra turns to prostitution, although the markers are as subtle as you could imagine for a 1940's film. By today's standards both tragic and melodramatic and Vivien Leigh is as good in this as anything she ever did... ditto for Robert Taylor who was so appropriate for the part - noted as his personal favorite.
This is cinema that should never be forgotten. Vintage melodrama at its best. Find some way to watch this - at least once in your life. ![]() ![]() |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: May 17th, 1940 - USA
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC vs. Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Thanks to Ole Kofoed, Gary Tooze and Gregory Meshman for the Culture captures!
Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures: |
Distribution |
Film Prestige - Russia Region 0 - NTSC |
Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) Region 0 - NTSC |
Zoke Culture (China) Region 0 - NTSC |
Warner Home Video Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC |
Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:48:12 | 1:48:04 | 1:48:08 | 1:48:32 | 1:48:39.554 |
Video |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.40 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.45 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.44 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
1.33:1
Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.25 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 40,291,454,398 bytesFeature: 31,592,202,240 bytesVideo Bitrate: 34.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 : |
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Bitrate Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC: |
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Bitrate Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC: |
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Bitrate Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC: |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio | English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, Russian dub | English Dolby Digital 4.0 Mono | English Dolby Digital 4.0 Mono | English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, DUB: French 1.0 | DTS-HD Master Audio English 1830 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1830 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) |
Subtitles | English, Russian, None | English, Chinese, Indonesian or none. | English, Chinese or none | English, French, Japanese, Thai or none | English, none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Film Prestige - Russia Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 12 |
Release Information: Studio: Best Movie Collection (Taiwan) Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 9 |
Release Information: Studio: Zoke Culture (China) Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 9 |
Release Information: Studio: Warner Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 33 |
Release Information: Studio: Warner Archive
1.37 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 40,291,454,398 bytesFeature: 31,592,202,240 bytesVideo Bitrate: 34.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Screen Director's Playhouse Radio Broadcast 9/28/51 (59:35)
Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 33 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 75 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Warner Archive use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the
original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio
- authentically flat effects , like trucks and the air raid sirens,
carry minor, but improved, depth. The score is by Herbert Stothart (The
Picture of Dorian Gray,
Mrs.
Miniver) - we also have Tchaikovsky's beautiful Swan
Lake, Op.20, It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary played as our
couple dance music in the Candlelight Club some traditional Scottish
music but the consistent theme is variations on "Auld Lang Syne"
played throughout the film. Audio is also a substantial improvement. Warner Archive offer optional English
subtitles on their Region FREE
Blu-ray.
The Warner Archive
Blu-ray has the
a Screen Director's Playhouse Radio Broadcast of Waterloo Bridge
from 1951 with Norma Shearer. It runs shy of an hour. There is also a
trailer.
Mervyn LeRoy's Waterloo Bridge
is one of the best, and most beloved of vintage melodramas. When I
was around 10 years old, I was fortunate enough to have a very small
black and white TV set in my bedroom. It only received three broadcast
stations, but on one late Saturday night an old war drama titled "Waterloo
Bridge" was televised. I watched it with mild interest until I was
deeply invested in the story. I thought of my parents - or, more
accurately, my grandparents, the effects of war on people's lives, the
directions it took them, the chance meetings etc.. If I was to
unthinkingly blurt-out the film that initiated my life-long journey into
cinema, I would probably say Chaplin's "City Lights". It is quite
possible that the correct answer would be Mervyn LeRoy's "Waterloo
Bridge". Personally, remaining one of my all time favorite films.
The
1931 version is a masterpiece too.
The Warner Archive Blu-ray
gives us an HD presentation more than 20-years in the making for home
theatre cine a lovers. This gets an easy recommendation!
Gary Tooze
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ADDITION: Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - January 09': It's only been almost
a decade since I picked this up Taiwanese version up in an Asian mall.
Warner finally gives this gem some justice. Contrast and detail are the
vast improvements - along with subtitle renderings. No intrusive chroma
and there is a shade more information in the frame.
God, I love this film.
Bare-bones, single-layered and only a trailer as an extra but I treasure
this DVD. Our warmest recommendation.
*** ON THE RUSSIAN,
TAIWANESE AND CHINESE DVDs: (2003) I love doing comparison that no one
in the world would do and most don't care about. Call it one of my many
'bents'.
This is three illegal bootlegs
(presumably) of a VHS tape OR this film has slipped into the public domain. Judging by the bitrate the
Asian releases are from the same
very poor source. I can only assume the Best Movie Collections DVD from
Taiwan is the initial and the Zoke from China have ported them removing
the Indonesian subtitles. How it landed in Russia as well, I'll never
know. They all have bad chroma bug and
contrast boosting. I suppose the only big difference, aside from the
Indonesian and Russian subtitles, are the menus and the fact that the Chinese exhibits a
watermark which popped up 3 times during the 1:48 showing of the film. Ole
also tells me the Chinese edition' s English subtitles
suddenly go missing for 20-25 minutes. For some reason they have 4
channel audio - very strange. Regardless it is of poor quality. Gregory
tells me the Russian subtitles are 'all over the place'. Now to spout off - what the hell
are the studios doing not putting this wonderful film out properly ? Some
whole generations of people are seeing this for the 1st time on one of
these awful bootlegs. I'll recommend the VHS (remember
those things?), but it is Out-of-Print as well... you may find one for
sale by a third party by clicking the below logo. Best of luck!
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Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC
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Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC
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Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC
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Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC
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Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
1) Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND 3) Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC THIRD 4) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC FOURTH 5) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND 3) Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC THIRD 4) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC FOURTH 5) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND 3) Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC THIRD 4) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC FOURTH 5) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND 3) Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC THIRD 4) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC FOURTH 5) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) Film Prestige - Russia - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP 2) Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) - Region 0 - NTSC SECOND 3) Zoke Culture (China) - Region 0 - NTSC THIRD 4) Warner - Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC FOURTH 5) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures: |
Distribution |
Film Prestige - Russia Region 0 - NTSC |
Best Movies Collection (Taiwan) Region 0 - NTSC |
Zoke Culture (China) Region 0 - NTSC |
Warner Home Video Region 1,2,3,4 - NTSC |
Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |