Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Sam Wood

Writers:

R.C. Sherriff (screenplay) and
Claudine West (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 July 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

At The Top Of The Year's "Ten Best" - The picture that earns for 1939 a proud place in motion-picture history!

Plot:

An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.

Plot Keywords:

Headmaster | School | Teacher | Boarding School | Marriage

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 nominations

Cast

Robert Donat	...	Mr. Chips
Greer Garson	...	Katherine
Terry Kilburn	...	John Colley / Peter Colley I / Peter Colley II / Peter Colley III
John Mills	...	Peter Colley as a young man
Paul Henreid	...	Staefel (as Paul Von Hernried)
Judith Furse	...	Flora
Lyn Harding	...	Wetherby
Milton Rosmer	...	Chatteris
Frederick Leister	...	Marsham
Louise Hampton	...	Mrs. Wickett
Austin Trevor	...	Ralston
David Tree	...	Jackson
Edmund Breon	...	Colonel Morgan (as Edmond Breon)
Jill Furse	...	Helen Colley
Scott Sunderland	...	Sir John Colley

Also Known As:

Goodbye Mr. Chips! (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #5086) | Canada:G (video rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:Btl | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al.

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Trivia:

Greer Garson was initially offered a contract for MGM in 1937, but refused all the minor parts she was offered until she got the role of Kathy Ellis in this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In a scene where Mr. Chips is climbing a mountain in his attempt to "rescue" Kathy, he passes by a cross marking the spot where someone died that is written in English. He is in the Alps of Austria, however, so the sign should be in German.

Quotes:

Katherine: I'm sorry, I wasn't in any danger.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in At the Circus (1939)

Children of privilege

The children attending the Brookfield school are no ordinary English boys; they are the the children of the upper classes of society, who for generations have learned from institutions such as the school represented here. They are molded at places like this fictional one to be leaders of their country. Mr. Chipping is a teacher who gives his life to Brookfield, only to be bypassed when promotions are handed out. His love for the profession and his dedication to the formation of these children are his reasons for living. Most of his own life is spent at the school. Only in times of crisis is Mr. Chipps recognized. Mr. Chipps knows happiness only too briefly. He is extremely lucky when he finds Katherine. One can see the rapport in her, although we never see it explicitly on Chipping's face, maybe because a stiff upper lip that doesn't let him express his true feelings to a woman who adored him from their first encounter. Mr. Chipps lives long enough to learn about the death of his beloved students in several world conflicts. As a father figure, his life is full because the love and admiration the young boys feel for him. The film made Robert Donat a favorite of the movie going public. Mr. Donat goes from being a taciturn person into a jolly old man living on his own because Katherine dies young. The film improves tremendously when Greer Garson appears. Her luminous presence changes the tone of the movie because of her incredible charm. Paul Henreid makes a short appearance as Staefel, the fellow teacher who invites Mr. Chipps to accompany on a vacation trip to Austria. Sam Wood direction pays a close look to detail. The film is a classic and will live forever.