Hotwok2013 In a documentary on the MGM film studio narrated by Patrick Stewart we learnt that when MGM opened up a studio in England one of the first movies to be released from its British studio was "Goodbye Mr. Chips". It was a hugely successful film on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean confirming studio head Louis B. Mayer's faith in his new British MGM studio. The narrator also said that Robert Donat, playing a retired schoolmaster looking back on his life, gave one of the most moving performances ever put on film. Anyone seeing this movie for the first time would have to agree because he gives probably the best acting performance of a young man playing a very old man you will ever see. He teaches at Brookfields an exclusive public school for boys. As a young man he takes a holiday in Austria where he meets the love of his life Cathy played by Greer Garson. After a whirlwind romance they marry & his new wife accompanies him when he returns home to Brookfields. Before his marriage he was a rather shy & stuffy schoolmaster unpopular with the schoolboys. His wife Cathy is very charming & has the common touch which rubs off on her husband. Very soon Mr. Chips, with his wife's help, becomes a favourite with the schoolboys. Sadly, she dies during childbirth & so does the baby. After retirement he is given a house close to the school. At the outbreak of WW1 there is a shortage of schoolmasters & he is recalled to duty as temporary headmaster for the duration of the war. He reminisces that his late wife believed in him & once told him he would one day become headmaster. Later when the war is over & on his deathbed he overhears the new headmaster speaking to a colleague. He tells him, "I thought I heard you say that it was a pity I had no children. But you're wrong, I have. Thousands of them, thousands of them & all of them boys". It is one of the most moving & sentimental scenes in movie history.

vincentlynch-moonoi I suppose there are those who see this film as silly sentimentalism. But if you were a retired school teacher and principal, as I am, the sentiments in this film are very real. As I watched this film...again...so many of the children I worked with in middle schools came back into my mind. So, sentimental, yes...and beautifully so.Frankly, I've never cared for Robert Donat in his other films, but this was, for him, a tour de force. Greer Garson's role is pivotal, of course, although she in only in the middle of film for a fairly short while...but what a breath of sunshine she was. It's also interesting to see Paul Henreid here as a fellow teacher. Terry Kilburn, who played several generations of boys from the Colley family was quite adorable...and...as of this writing...is still alive! Robert Donat died at age 53 of a brain tumor. His last spoken words in a film were prophetic, "We shall not see each other again. I think. Farewell" To which the acting world surely said, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips."

Catharina_Sweden This is a nice and quiet movie. Nothing very exciting happens in it, but when it ends you still feel that you have experienced something important...The main character, Mr Chips, is very likable, and easy to identify with.The movie captures both the romance and the reality of the school world, I think. With romance I mean: the IDEA of all the generations of young people going through a school and out into the world, and the teachers' important work in both teaching them and moulding them, is very grand. Unfortunately, often one does not realize how important a teacher has been, until long afterwards - when it is too late to go back and tell him or her "thank you". Therefore, teaching might seem as an ungrateful job...The reality - and I know this, as I have dabbled in teaching as a sub - can be quite different though. And then it can be difficult to keep up that feeling of doing an important job for mankind. The job can seem repetitive, and also "flat" - there is not much of a career in it, and you can easily feel that you are stuck in a small world, and that your own development has come to an end. Because you are never going to be anything more than a stupid teacher in a stupid school... It is then you need these romantic school-stories! Children can also be very mean and unpleasant, both towards each other and towards adults. There is always a kind of battle going on between the class and the teacher. When you are new to the business it can be very difficult to know how to behave. Because you want the pupils to like you, not fear you or hate you - but on the other hand you cannot be too "kind" either, because then they take advantage of it. If you do not come to grips with this conflict and find your own way in dealing with the pupils, there is always the risk of total mayhem - exactly as it happened for Mr Chips the first time he stood in front of a class. That scene was very realistic.The short, tragic love-story is also very fine. One is so happy for the shy Mr Chips, when he gets to experience this with a nice and beautiful young woman - despite the bad odds!

kenjha This drama recounts the life and times of an English school teacher. Donat beat out James Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" for this performance. Jimmy was robbed! It's the type of performance the Academy loves, as Donat gets to age sixty years through the film and the makeup artists have done a fairly good job. However, it seems to be a performance without much depth, relying instead on mannerisms and a high-pitched delivery. The actor doesn't get much help from the script, which fails to show why Mr. Chips is such a beloved teacher. Garson makes a terrific screen debut and lends the film its best moments. A similar film that is far superior is "The Browning Version" with Michael Redgrave.