Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)
Encyclopedia
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1939 British film
based on the novel of the same name
by James Hilton
. It was directed by Sam Wood
, and starred Robert Donat
, Greer Garson
, Terry Kilburn
, John Mills
, and Paul Henreid. The screenplay
was adapted from the novel by R. C. Sherriff
, Claudine West and Eric Maschwitz
. The film was voted the 72nd greatest British film ever in the BFI Top 100 British films
poll.
. Managing to arrive late, despite doctor's orders he finds the assembly hall locked. Back at home he falls asleep (and his school teaching career is related in flashback
).
When 22-year-old Charles Edward Chipping first arrives as a Latin
teacher to Brookfield Public School in 1870, he becomes a target of many practical jokes. He reacts by imposing strict discipline in his classroom, making him respected, but disliked.
Realising he is not good at his profession, he glumly ponders his future. However, the German
teacher, Max Staefel, saves him from despair by taking him on holiday to his native Austria
. While mountain climbing, Chipping "rescues" Kathy Ellis (even though she did not actually need to be saved). Kathy is a feisty English suffragette
on a cycling holiday. They meet again in Vienna
and dance to the Blue Danube Waltz. This piece of music is used as a leitmotif
, symbolising Chipping's love for her. Max points out that the Danube River appears blue, but only to those who are in love. As Chipping looks at the river, he notices that it is blue. Even though Kathy is considerably younger and livelier than Chipping, she loves and marries him. They return to England, where Kathy takes up residence at the school, conquering everyone with her personal warmth.
During their tragically short marriage (she dies in childbirth
, along with their baby), she brings 'Mr. Chips' out of his shell and shows him how to be a better teacher. He acquires a flair for Latin puns
. As the years pass, Chips becomes a much-loved school institution, developing a rapport with generations of students; he teaches the sons and grandsons of many of his earlier pupils.
In 1909, when put under pressure to retire from a more 'modern' headmaster, the board of directors of the school take his side of the argument and tell him he can stay until he is 100.
Chips finally retires in 1913 at age 65, but is summoned back to serve as interim headmaster, because of the shortage of teachers resulting from World War I
. He remembers Kathy had predicted he would become headmaster one day. During a bombing attack by a German zeppelin
, Chips insists that the boys keep on construing their Latin - choosing the story of Julius Caesar
's battles against Germanic tribes, which describes the latter's belligerent nature, much to the amusement of his pupils. As the Great War drags on, Chips reads aloud into the school's Roll of Honour
every Sunday the names of the many former boys and teachers who have died in battle. Upon finding out that Max Staefel has died fighting on the German side, Chips also reads out his name in chapel.
He retires permanently in 1918: he awakes in 1933. He is on his deathbed when he overhears his friends talking about him. He responds, "I thought you said it was a pity... pity I never had children. But you're wrong. I have thousands of them ... thousands of them ... and all boys."
, an independent school
(at the time of filming, for boys only), located in the village of Repton
, in Derbyshire
, in the Midlands area of England
, whilst the interiors, school courtyards and annexes, including the supposedly exterior shots of the Austrian Tyrol Mountains, were filmed at Denham Film Studios
near the village of Denham
in Buckinghamshire
. Around 200 boys from Repton School stayed on during the school holidays so that they could appear in the film.
, Best Director, Actor
, Actress
, Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound. It was up against Gone with the Wind
in all seven categories; Robert Donat won for Best Actor, beating out Clark Gable
, but Goodbye, Mr. Chips lost to Gone With the Wind in five of the six remaining categories. (Best Sound went to the otherwise undistinguished When Tomorrow Comes
).
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
based on the novel of the same name
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a novel by James Hilton, published in the United States in June 1934 by Little, Brown and Company and in the United Kingdom in October of that same year by Hodder & Stoughton...
by James Hilton
James Hilton
James Hilton was an English novelist who wrote several best-sellers, including Lost Horizon and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.-Biography:...
. It was directed by Sam Wood
Sam Wood
Samuel Grosvenor "Sam" Wood was an American film director, and producer, who was best known for directing such Hollywood hits as A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and The Pride of the Yankees...
, and starred Robert Donat
Robert Donat
Robert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr...
, Greer Garson
Greer Garson
Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
, Terry Kilburn
Terry Kilburn
Terry Kilburn is an English-American former child actor. He is sometimes credited as Terence Kilburn or Terrance Kilburn.Kilburn was born in London in 1926...
, John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
, and Paul Henreid. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was adapted from the novel by R. C. Sherriff
R. C. Sherriff
-External links:**...
, Claudine West and Eric Maschwitz
Eric Maschwitz
Albert Eric Maschwitz OBE , known as Eric Maschwitz and sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, broadcaster and broadcasting executive.-Life and work:...
. The film was voted the 72nd greatest British film ever in the BFI Top 100 British films
BFI Top 100 British films
In 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of British film and television to produce the BFI 100 list of the greatest British films of the 20th century. Voters were asked to choose up to 100 films that were 'culturally British'...
poll.
Plot
In 1933, Mr. Chipping, a retired schoolteacher of 83, is kept home by a coldCommon cold
The common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
. Managing to arrive late, despite doctor's orders he finds the assembly hall locked. Back at home he falls asleep (and his school teaching career is related in flashback
Flashback (narrative)
Flashback is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. Flashbacks are often used to recount events that happened before the story’s primary sequence of events or to fill in crucial backstory...
).
When 22-year-old Charles Edward Chipping first arrives as a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
teacher to Brookfield Public School in 1870, he becomes a target of many practical jokes. He reacts by imposing strict discipline in his classroom, making him respected, but disliked.
Realising he is not good at his profession, he glumly ponders his future. However, the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
teacher, Max Staefel, saves him from despair by taking him on holiday to his native Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. While mountain climbing, Chipping "rescues" Kathy Ellis (even though she did not actually need to be saved). Kathy is a feisty English suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
on a cycling holiday. They meet again in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and dance to the Blue Danube Waltz. This piece of music is used as a leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
, symbolising Chipping's love for her. Max points out that the Danube River appears blue, but only to those who are in love. As Chipping looks at the river, he notices that it is blue. Even though Kathy is considerably younger and livelier than Chipping, she loves and marries him. They return to England, where Kathy takes up residence at the school, conquering everyone with her personal warmth.
During their tragically short marriage (she dies in childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
, along with their baby), she brings 'Mr. Chips' out of his shell and shows him how to be a better teacher. He acquires a flair for Latin puns
Lex Canuleia
The Lex Canuleia is a law of the Roman Republic passed in the year 445 BC. Named after the tribune Gaius Canuleius, who proposed it, it abolished a corresponding prohibition in the Twelve Tables and allowed marriage between patricians and plebeians, with children inheriting the father's social status...
. As the years pass, Chips becomes a much-loved school institution, developing a rapport with generations of students; he teaches the sons and grandsons of many of his earlier pupils.
In 1909, when put under pressure to retire from a more 'modern' headmaster, the board of directors of the school take his side of the argument and tell him he can stay until he is 100.
Chips finally retires in 1913 at age 65, but is summoned back to serve as interim headmaster, because of the shortage of teachers resulting from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He remembers Kathy had predicted he would become headmaster one day. During a bombing attack by a German zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
, Chips insists that the boys keep on construing their Latin - choosing the story of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's battles against Germanic tribes, which describes the latter's belligerent nature, much to the amusement of his pupils. As the Great War drags on, Chips reads aloud into the school's Roll of Honour
Roll of Honour
Roll of Honour may refer to:*A memorial list of names of people who have died in military, police service or other services*Roll of Honour , an Irish Republican song praising the participants in the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike...
every Sunday the names of the many former boys and teachers who have died in battle. Upon finding out that Max Staefel has died fighting on the German side, Chips also reads out his name in chapel.
He retires permanently in 1918: he awakes in 1933. He is on his deathbed when he overhears his friends talking about him. He responds, "I thought you said it was a pity... pity I never had children. But you're wrong. I have thousands of them ... thousands of them ... and all boys."
Cast
- Robert DonatRobert DonatRobert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr...
as Mr. Chips. The 34-year-old Donat ages 63 years (1870-1933) over the course of the film. He remarked: "As soon as I put the moustache on, I felt the part, even if I did look like a great airedaleAiredale TerrierThe Airedale Terrier is a breed of the terrier type that originated in Airedale, a geographic area in Yorkshire, England. It is traditionally called the "King of Terriers" because it is the largest of the terrier breeds...
come out of a puddle." - Greer GarsonGreer GarsonGreer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
as Katherine. Garson was initially offered a contract for MGM in 1937, but refused all the minor parts she was offered until she was given this role. - Lyn HardingLyn HardingLyn Harding was a Welsh actor who spent 40 years on the stage before entering British made silent films, talkies and radio...
as Wetherby, headmaster of Brookfield when Chips first arrives - Paul Henreid as Max Staeffel, the German master
- Terry KilburnTerry KilburnTerry Kilburn is an English-American former child actor. He is sometimes credited as Terence Kilburn or Terrance Kilburn.Kilburn was born in London in 1926...
as John Colley, Peter Colley I, II and III, several generations of pupils from the same family taught by Mr. Chips - John MillsJohn MillsSir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
as Peter Colley as an adult - Scott SunderlandScott Sunderland (actor)Scott Sunderland was an English actor. Principally working on the stage, his few film roles included Colonel Pickering in the 1938 film adaptation of Shaw's Pygmalion and Sir John Colley in the 1939 film adaptation of Goodbye, Mr. Chips.-Life:Educated in England and Germany, his first professional...
as Sir John Colley - David Croft as Perkins - Greengrocer's boy (uncredited)
- David TreeDavid TreeDavid Tree was an English stage and screen actor from a distinguished theatrical family whose career in the 1930s included roles in numerous stage presentations as well as in thirteen films produced between 1937 and 1941, among which were 1939's Goodbye Mr...
as Jackson
Filming locations
The exteriors of the buildings of the fictional Brookfield School were shot at Repton SchoolRepton School
Repton School, founded in 1557, is a co-educational English independent school for both day and boarding pupils, in the British public school tradition, located in the village of Repton, in Derbyshire, in the Midlands area of England...
, an independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
(at the time of filming, for boys only), located in the village of Repton
Repton
Repton is a village and civil parish on the edge of the River Trent floodplain in South Derbyshire, about north of Swadlincote. Repton is close to the county boundary with neighbouring Staffordshire and about northeast of Burton upon Trent.-History:...
, in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, in the Midlands area of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, whilst the interiors, school courtyards and annexes, including the supposedly exterior shots of the Austrian Tyrol Mountains, were filmed at Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios were a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952.The studios were founded by Alexander Korda, on a 165 acre site near the village of Denham, Buckinghamshire. At the time it was the largest facility of its kind in the UK, but it was merged with Rank's Pinewood...
near the village of Denham
Denham, Buckinghamshire
Denham is a village and civil parish in the South Buckinghamshire district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is north west of Uxbridge and north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. Denham contains the Buckinghamshire Golf Club.-Origin:...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Around 200 boys from Repton School stayed on during the school holidays so that they could appear in the film.
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards for Outstanding ProductionAcademy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
, Best Director, Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
, Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
, Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound. It was up against Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
in all seven categories; Robert Donat won for Best Actor, beating out Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, but Goodbye, Mr. Chips lost to Gone With the Wind in five of the six remaining categories. (Best Sound went to the otherwise undistinguished When Tomorrow Comes
When Tomorrow Comes (film)
When Tomorrow Comes is a 1939 romantic drama film starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. A waitress falls in love with a man who later turns out to be a married concert pianist. Bernard B...
).
| Award | Result | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding Production Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only... |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer... (Victor Saville Victor Saville Victor Saville was an English film director, producer and screenwriter. He directed 39 films between 1927 and 1954... , producer) Winner was Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (film) Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard... (Selznick International Pictures Selznick International Pictures -Origin:It was founded in 1935 by producer David O. Selznick and investor John Hay "Jock" Whitney after Selznick left Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and leased a section of the RKO Pictures lot in Culver City, California... (David O. Selznick David O. Selznick David O. Selznick was an American film producer. He is best known for having produced Gone with the Wind and Rebecca , both of which earned him an Oscar for Best Picture.-Early years:... , producer)) |
|
| Best Director | Sam Wood Sam Wood Samuel Grosvenor "Sam" Wood was an American film director, and producer, who was best known for directing such Hollywood hits as A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and The Pride of the Yankees... Winner was Victor Fleming Victor Fleming Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ... – Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (film) Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard... |
|
| Best Actor Academy Award for Best Actor Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
Robert Donat Robert Donat Robert Donat was an English film and stage actor. He is best-known for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps and Goodbye, Mr... |
|
| Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... |
Greer Garson Greer Garson Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award... Winner was Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark... – Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (film) Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard... |
|
| Best Writing, Screenplay | R. C. Sherriff R. C. Sherriff -External links:**... , Claudine West, Eric Maschwitz Eric Maschwitz Albert Eric Maschwitz OBE , known as Eric Maschwitz and sometimes credited as Holt Marvell, was an English entertainer, writer, broadcaster and broadcasting executive.-Life and work:... Winner was Sidney Howard Sidney Howard Sidney Coe Howard was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for Gone with the Wind.-Early life:... – Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (film) Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard... |
|
| Best Film Editing | Charles Frend Charles Frend Charles Frend was an English film director.Charles Frend started his career at British International Pictures in 1931 and after editing Hitchcock's Waltzes from Vienna moved to Gaumont British Pictures in 1933 where he worked as an editor on Alfred Hitchcock's movies Secret Agent , Sabotage and... Winner was Hal C. Kern and James E. Mewcom – Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind (film) Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard... |
|
| Best Sound, Recording | A. W. Watkins A. W. Watkins A. W. Watkins was a British sound engineer. He was nominated for four Academy Awards in the category Sound Recording.-Selected filmography:* Goodbye, Mr. Chips * Knights of the Round Table... Winner was Bernard B. Brown Bernard B. Brown Bernard B. Brown was an American sound engineer. He won an Academy Award in the category Sound Recording and was nominated for seven more in the same category. He was also nominated three times in the category Best Visual Effects... – When Tomorrow Comes When Tomorrow Comes (film) When Tomorrow Comes is a 1939 romantic drama film starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer. A waitress falls in love with a man who later turns out to be a married concert pianist. Bernard B... |
|