Goodbye, Mr. Chips
US (1969): Drama/Musical
While it might not have been the best idea on earth to remake the 1939 classic Goodbye Mr. Chips as a musical, the end result, directed by Herbert Ross, is not altogether displeasing. Peter O'Toole steps into the old Robert Donat role of Arthur Chipping (originally Charles Chipping), a young by-the-book schoolmaster at a 1920s British boys school who is humanized by the love of good-natured music-hall singer Katherine Bridges (played by Petula Clark; Greer Garson essayed this role, then named Katherine Ellis, in the original). (Audrey Hepburn and Richard Burton were originally announced as the leads for the film, with news reports stating they'd each receive $1 million and 10% of the box office.) Though Chips must endure the tragedy of Katherine's death during the 1940 London blitz (a scene filmed from the bomb's point of view!), he is able to persevere by devoting himself to his young charges. In retrospect, this version of Goodbye Mr. Chips might have worked better without the songs, which never rise above banality. And though Petula Clark can't match the poignancy of Greer Garson's performance (in all fairness, she didn't have much of a script to work with), O'Toole is terrific as the title character, convincingly ageing and mellowing as the story unfolds. Originally road-shown at 151 minutes, today the film is generally available in its 131-minute general-release version. (APJAC, MGM) (Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)
2 nominations
· Actor 1969: Peter O'Toole
· Music Scoring Awards (Score of a Musical Picture original or adaptation) 1969: John Williams, Leslie Bricusse