Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969)

A Major Disappointment

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

As someone who loves the Robert Donat and Martin Clunes versions, and having heard a lot of negativity around this film there was some intrepidation but considering that Peter O' Toole was a great actor I really did feel it deserved a chance. This film does have a fair number of problems and is a very distant least favourite of the three Goodbye, Mr. Chips versions, but it was to me still a decent film and much better than its reputation. The weak link are the songs, You and I is lovely but most of them are forgettable with insipid lyrics and added little if anything to the story. It was interesting initially to have the songs as a kind of voiced thought process, but it was overused and slowed things down. A lot of the second half drags too, loved the final assembly scene but the dialogue came across at times as sketchy and contrived(with a feeling of Terrence Rattigan running out of ideas and not being interested anymore), making the film longer than it needed to be(and the length in personal opinion was overlong and overblown by the second half). Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a great film to look at, the colours are wonderfully rich, the scenery is eye-catching and there's always something interesting to see regarding the photography. The songs didn't work but John Williams' score did, the harmonies and orchestration just soar to thrilling effect and any theme of any song included is given much more richness, colour and nuance as orchestrated than when it's sung. While the second half lags the first half is good, there is some fun dialogue and there are amusing and thoughtful moments. The romance is affecting and very charming, I for one didn't think it was rushed, and throughout the film there is a great deal of emotion, the assembly scene near the end was genuinely touching. The direction from Herbert Ross is not so bad for a directorial debut, though he did go on to better things. The performances are good, the singing is not mind-blowing, neither is it terrible(unlike something like Man of La Mancha the performers don't try to sing out of their ranges). Petula Clark is radiant and excels brilliantly at being sympathetic, her character is not the best developed but still memorable. The main reason to see Goodbye, Mr. Chips is the performance of the late Peter O' Toole, which is dignified and very moving, also one of his most subtle performances. In conclusion, very flawed but is so much better than I expected it to be. 6/10 Bethany Cox

After Peter O'Toole's death, I read his obituary wherein it was noted that he received an Oscar nomination for his performance in this film. As he's one of my favorite actors, I felt compelled to acquire the DVD, expecting a treat.O'Toole's performance is good, though in my book not in the same league as "Lawrence of Arabia," "A Lion in Winter," "The Stuntman," or even "My Favorite Year." But there is absolutely no chemistry between Petula Clark and him and many scenes are played as if they are merely blocking them. Furthermore, what in God's name possessed anyone to make a musical of this? (Fair Disclosure: I've never seen the 1939 original with Greer Garson but it's *got* to be better.) The music is insipid but the lyrics are excruciating...whoever wrote them should spend time in the Lyubianka.I was stunned to read some of the other reviews on this site. Did we all watch the same film?

okay, this is no masterpiece of any kind, but it's just about perfectly done for what it is (with one exception). literary sensibility is always wonderful when brought to the screen, and this is no exception - even when the work in question is as utterly insignificant as Hilton's "Goodbye, Mr. Chips". I haven't actually read Hilton's novel, but this movie feels pretty unadulterated to me. An insubstantial, pleasingly sentimental little wisp of a story, a bit like "Driving Miss Daisy" in its smallness and tastefulness, but better directed and more emotionally satisfying and fuller. Peter O'Toole gives what is, in my opinion, the best performance of his extraordinary career (along with his - utterly different - turn in "The Stunt Man"). He manages to project Chips' timidity and smallness of spirit beautifully (especially in the scene in the restaurant where he first meets Petula Clark's character, his future wife), while lending him great dignity and carrying the film emotionally. There's no question in my mind that he should have won the Academy Award. Petula Clark is, in the beginning of the film, a bit too old and plump to be convincing as the hot young showgirl she's supposed to be, but she still looks great and, most importantly, has the charm and joie de vivre that the role demands she have, in spades, in order for her to convince us that she could melt the quiet old prune that is O'Toole's Mr. Chips and bring charm and gaiety into his life. The film is, in general, surprisingly well directed and atmospheric, with a very convincing school atmosphere. The extras all seem very convincing and well-directed, and the film is lavish - enjoyably so. So kudos to Herbert Ross in that department. The other superb performance comes from Sian Phillips as Clark's actress friend Ursula Mossbank, a heavenly role invented for the film. Phillips is pure style, an exquisitely charming, campy creature, towering in skimpy silk dresses with the sinuous neck of a leopard. The only flaw in the film is the music, which Pauline Kael aptly described as "a form of instantly disposable muzak....Your brain flushes it out while you're hearing it". That's pretty much the size of it, in fact, one may have fond memories of the film, having completely forgotten that it was a musical, as the music is so uninspired you barely experience it at all. It's just a faint irritation that unnecessarily stretches the film out to its unwieldy length. Oh well. A lovely film, just the same.

Peter O'Toole is Arthur Chipping a Latin Teacher with strict adherence to detail and thoroughness in helping young minds grasp the meaning and definition of Latin words and phrases. He is seen as being cold and unfair and not in touch with the times. But upon meeting Stage Actress Singer Katherine Briskit (Petula Clark) not only at a late supper after a performance of London is London but at an Amphitheater in Greece his closed minded world starts to open up.Goodbye Mr. Chips is an MGM musical remake of the 1939 movie also from MGM. During this time musicals were out and the Hollywood studio system was in total shambles. When it premiered in New York Los Angeles and London the musical numbers were left intact but when it came to the local main street theaters world wide it was sans songs therefore making the movie shorter and gaped to the max.Thanks to MGM/UA Home Video under Ted Turner in the late 1980's early 1990's when VHS and Laser Disc were the main home video formats of choice the musical numbers were re-instituted and the gaps closed. Laserdisc though was the only format chosen to view Goodbye Mr. Chips in the Widescreen Letterbox Format.For awhile now the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was only available on the original out of print Vinyl and Cassette Tape and can still be found today on Ebay.Thanks to the wonderful people at Film Score Monthly.com in 2006 the soundtrack has been digitally remastered and remixed into a 3 CD set featuring the completely reconstructed score, the original 1969 general release album score, and narrated sequences source music and interviews a plenty. You also get 1 unused song which is a real lost gem, "Tomorrow with Me" by Petula Clark which would have been chosen in place of "You and I" before hand.This movie is both a classic musical and a real tribute to educators everywhere. I most certainly would buy this movie if Warner Bros. MGM and Sony would put their money where there mouth is and get this film restored from all master film sources and put it on both DVD and Blu Ray with all the bells and whistles put back into place with all the extras you can find and stuff into a release.