Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)

Director:

Sam Wood
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Writers:

R.C. Sherriff (screenplay) and
Claudine West (screenplay) ...
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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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leonard Boucher	...	(uncredited)
Henry Caine	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
David Croft	...	Perkins - Greengrocer's boy (uncredited)
Leo de Pokorny	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Cyril Frankel	...	Schoolboy extra (uncredited)
Peter Gawthorne	...	Army General (uncredited)
Martita Hunt	...	British Tourist on Bicycle (uncredited)
Simon Lack	...	Wainwright (uncredited)
Jack Lambert	...	(uncredited)
John Longden	...	Raven (uncredited)
Patrick Ludlow	...	(uncredited)
Guy Middleton	...	McCulloch (uncredited)
Phyllis Morris	...	(uncredited)
Cyril Raymond	...	Teacher (uncredited)
J.H. Roberts	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Michael Shepley	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Nigel Stock	...	John Forrester (uncredited)
Ronald Ward	...	(uncredited)
Caven Watson	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Sam Wood
Sidney Franklin		(uncredited)

Writing credits
R.C. Sherriff		(screenplay) and
Claudine West		(screenplay) and
Eric Maschwitz		(screenplay)
James Hilton		(book "Goodbye, Mr. Chips!")

Produced by
Victor Saville	....	producer

Cinematography by
Freddie Young		(as F.A. Young)

Film Editing by
Charles Frend

Art Direction by
Alfred Junge

Production Management
Harold Boxall	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
E.M. Smedley-Aston	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
C.C. Stevens	....	sound recordist
A.W. Watkins	....	sound recordist
John W. Mitchell	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Massy-Collier	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Richard Addinsell	....	composer: special music
Louis Levy	....	musical director

Thanks
Sidney Franklin	....	grateful acknowledgment
Irving Thalberg	....	acknowledgment

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer British Studios

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1939) (UK) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

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:

[on his first day at Brookfield School, Mr. Chipping is attempting to bring his unruly class under his control]
Mr. Chipping 'Mr. Chips': Silence! Silence! I'll have no more of it!
John Colley: No more silence, sir?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in From the Ends of the Earth (1939)

More cudos

I wouldn't add anything to what my fellow-reviewers have said except for the fact that this is my favorite movie of all time. I watch it whenever I am depressed about the depths to which humans are capable of going (which is all too often depicted in modern movies). This movie portrays the opposite.

Chipping starts out as a teacher who, because of an introverted personality, has trouble communicating with the students in his charge and with his superiors. Before going on the trip on which he meets his beloved, he is passed over for a promotion as head of a residence hall, despite the fact that he has seniority. He is also made fun of by his students and finds he must revert to a strict form of discipline to keep them in line; he is not a popular teacher as a result. He is at a low ebb, starting to think that he is a failure in life.

Then, on a vacation to continental Europe, he meets the character played by Greer Garson. They have a whirlwind romance, which, in itself, is so enjoyable to watch. He is so clumsy in his advances. And she is amused by him. The actors do a great job of showing the chemistry between the characters.

They eventually get married, which gives "Chips" the confidence he had lacked. His wife makes some suggestions which helps him find the balance of discipline and fun with the students, and he soon comes to love his students as he would his own children, and, in the process, becomes one of the most popular teachers in the school.

One of my favorite aspects of this movie is its idyllic view of marriage. It really shows what marriage "could" be (two people coming together to become stronger as a unit than they would have been separately--another movie of this vintage which portrays the same is "Stars and Stripes, Forever", the biopic of John Phillip Sousa).

Robert Donat's performance, as the other reviewers have noted, is of the highest caliber--ever. And, Greer Garson's role was all too short. Also, of note are Chipping's friend who invites him to Europe and urges him ahead in his romance, and, of course, the various children who come into his life.

Macho men must be careful with this one. If it doesn't make you cry, nothing will. It may be best to take your girlfriend with you so that she can see your sensitive side.