Review of Waterloo Road (1945) by Michael T — 01 Jan 2012

A slight but effective short British feature which highlights the fears and temptations of adultery in the war years, as lonbely newlywed Tillie ends up being courted and nearly seduced by Stewart Granger's Purvis (a vain a-hole basically) after her bland but decent husband John Mills is sent to war.

Mills deserts when he is tipped off about his wife's vulnerability and there's some atmospheric fisticuffs. The weakest part is that Joy Shelton's Tillie would find any kind of attraction in Purvis and isn't strong willed enough to say a simple no early in the proceedings - regardless of this it does effectively dramatise fears which must have been in the back of the minds of many young husbands off fighting for their country.