Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) – An unassuming teacher at a small English school remembers the story of his life and his many years of service to the school and the young men that passed through its halls.
Directed by Sam Wood                                       Starring – Robert Donat, Greer Garson, Paul Henreid

Four years ago I stumbled on the wonderful book of the same name (review) by James Hilton.  The gentle story of a modestly talented man who finds himself a little over his head.  Along the way, he will meet a charming, strong younger woman who will marry and bring out the best in him.  That short marriage takes the bumbling Mr. Chipping and gives him the tools to become a beloved institution at his school.  I fell in love with the book instantly.

A year later I found a movie version starring Peter O’Toole and was excited by the pairing.  Great story, great actor.  Then I discovered that someone had the terrible idea to make it a musical.  It’s a terrible idea, and O’Toole couldn’t carry a tune in a dump truck. I was greatly disappointed.  In fact, the movie holds the place of dishonor as the worst rated movie I’ve ever reviewed.

At long last, I got to this version.  Donat won the Oscar for his leading role as Chipping.  The movie captures the gentle story so very wonderfully.  I was a little concerned how Chipping’s wife, Katherine, would be played.  It is her intelligence and independence (she’s in favor of women’s suffrage!) that makes it possible to captivate and transform Chipping to Chips.  Greer Garson is perfect in the role.  She can understand why Chipping is swept away by the young woman. Garson was nominated for an Oscar for the performance.  In fact, the movie would pick up six nominations that year, including Best Picture, and Best Director, losing to “Gone With The Wind” and it’s director Victor Fleming.  Garson lost to Vivien Leigh in GWTW as well.  It was a tough year.  Also nominated were “Stagecoach”, “Beau Geste”, “Wuthering Heights”, “Babes in Arms” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, among others.

I completely missed that Paul Henreid has a small but important role here too!  He plays the German instructor Max Staefel.  Another very nice job.

Now I never have to think about that other movie version ever again.

Why You Will Like It – A wonderful adaptation of a beloved book.  It retains all the charm and innocence of the original.

Rating – **** Recommended