Goodbye, Mr. Chips
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Actor: Conleth Hill, John Wood, Martin Clunes, Patrick Malahide, Victoria HamiltonBrand: Wgbh Wholesale
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-01-06
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: PBS
DVD Reviews of Goodbye, Mr. Chips
DVD Review: Martin Clunes as James Hilton's beloved Mr. Chipping
Summary: 4 Stars
Watching the 2002 BBC version of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" has convinced me that I have to track down and read James Hilton's sentimental novella to see what is really there. Having a strong affection for the original 1939 film for which Robert Donat won the Best Actor Oscar, especially for the moment when Greer Garson notices that Danube really is blue, and having ignored the songs in the 1969 musical to focus on Peter O'Toole's performance, it was interesting to see what the screenplay by Frank Delaney and Brian Finch that was new and/or different.
Mr. Chipping is played by Martin Clunes, most familiar as Richard Burbage in "Shakespeare in Love," and while he has a certain timidity to him at first he is not as befuddled or as bewildered as his predecessors in the role. Saddled with the burden of teaching Latin in addition to being a new master at Brookfield School, Chipping is immediately tormented by his students. His reputation, not to mention his job, are on the line when he makes an example of a young boy named Colley, taking advantage of the boy's name to reduce the offender to a subject of ridicule in front of his peers. The scene is informative because it establishes the Chipping would prefer not to use corporal punishment.
There is clearly a theme to this version of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," in that his abhorrence of the systemic bullying of younger boys at Brookfield is as strong as his love for the school, its traditions, and, of course, its boys. Time and time again, Chipping tries to stop the practice, but without success. Then he meet Kathie (Victoria Hamilton), marries her, and brings her back to the school (the moment when his colleagues are stunned to discover that Chipping's new wife is both beautiful and personable is also fun). Confronted with another despicable example, it is Kathie who insists in confronting an increasingly uncomfortable Headmaster Wetherby (John Wood) at a dinner while her husband beams at both her principles and her persistence. She makes her point, first through a nice little story about the wind and the sun and then through a series of concerted efforts to teach the boys better ways of acting like gentlemen. Kathie's presence is regrettable brief in the film, but her impact on her husband is not.
It is after the death of Kathie that Chips, as we now must think of him, has his finest moment when he confronts the new Headmaster, Ralston (Patrick Malahide) over the modernization of Brookfield and the sacrifice of Max Staefel (Conleth Hill) to the building prejudice against Germans on the eve of the First World War. When the boys and their parents rally to Chipping's support, we totally believe it is justifiable because of the way that he stood up to the Headmaster as well as the philosophical points that he raised. This time there is a clear idea that Mr. Chips embodies the very best of the school that he has served for so long and so well.
Overall, I liked the "new" moments in this version of "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," while those that were familiar just struck me as being different without really being better. This could simply be because they are so familiar: I liked what the boys in Chipping's class did when they learned that Kathie was dead, but it did not have the emotional impact that I have felt in the past. Yet other viewers will no doubt appreciate that this version does not veer into such sentimentality and the strength of this production is that it mines the other strong vein of value in Hilton's story. The one point of agreement is that the performance by Clunes is at least the equal of those memorable ones that have come before it, which is a great accomplishment all on its own. This production might not be the definitive "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" for me, but Clunes' performance in the role certainly made it to that level of accomplishment.
Description of Goodbye, Mr. Chips
He went from teacher to legend in one lifetime.Arthur Chipping, the Latin master at an English boys? boarding school, is as awkward as he is stubborn. The eccentric schoolmaster lives a full, rich life within the cloistered school, defined by his role as the intellectual shepherd of generations of young students. Then, everything changes.
When Mr. Chipping travels through the countryside on summer holiday, he unexpectedly falls in love with the unconventional Kathie (Victoria Hamilton, Mansfield Park). The love and devotion of his new wife ignites his passion and brings him out of his shell, revealing the sensitivity lying beneath his gruff exterior. But after tragedy strikes, Chips? true character is put to the test in the most difficult examination of his life. Ultimately, it is a lesson that will last a lifetime.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a tender, heartwarming story that spans over 50 years in one passionate life. Portraying the storied Arthur Chipping in James Hilton?s classic tale of love and transformation, Martin Clunes (Shakespeare in Love) turns in a bravura performance in a film filled with countless noteworthy turns.
Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; selected cast filmographies; selected cast list; biography of host Russell Baker: a link to the Masterpiece Theatre Web site; closed captions; and v and described video for the visually impaired.
On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.
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