Customer Reviews

Goodbye Mr Chips

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the film which is filled with affection.
This is the film that I will never forget.
Everytime I watch this film, it leaves me with warm and gentle feelings.
I have a VHS and a vinyl record.
When will they make a DVD and a CD?
The acting, music, lyrics, cinematography, everything is great.
I was dumfounded to find out how badly the critics in USA treated this film.
It was a time for 'new cinema.'
It might have been considered nonsense or out of date for them to evaluate this kind of lovely film as a good film.
I saw this film in Japan in 1970.
The critics in Japan were sensible enough to choose this film to be one of year's best.
And I remember it was very successful at the box office in Japan.
Peter O'Toole is perfect in his role as always, you know.
Petula Clark utterly fascinates us with her voice and act.
I must say it deserves to be treated more fairly.
This is a must-see film for all generation.

I loved this movie when I was young so much so that I bought it on Laser Disk. I now have a big projection digital widescreen TV and was hoping to get it again on DVD. That is when I saw the critic pan of the movie. Well I disagree. The music adds to the story and drama and was not intended to be memorable alone. The setting around World War II also adds more to the drama, than the original, which was set around World War I. It passes my test for a movie that I will always own, it has a line that I'll always remember. "You'll lose all that you hold dear." "All that I hold dear I am holding now." I know it sounds sappy but when you see it in the movie it hits.

I saw this movie in the splender of 70mm and 6 channel stereo sound when it first came out. It's beautiful! Romantic! Honest! Heart warming! and wonderfully acted!What a wonderful love story of two oppsite people, a musical theatre actress and a boy's school head master. They meet and fall in love inspite of there differences. There love for each other is so beautiful and strong that you almost wish these people were real.I just hope that someone will transfer this wonderful movie to DVD and in it's Roadshow format. This would be a great movie for my collection and yours.

Goodbye Mr Chips (1969) always has and always will be one of my all time favourite movies. I have directed three stage versions over the years with young actors based on Terrence Rattigan's brilliant, witty, theatrical script. I am always amazed the film was not well received in its initial release. When it was released in Australia in 1970, it was a smash hit, yet its failure in the States forced distributors to pull it out of theatres and slash 30 minutes out of it. There were so many various cut versions I have seen over the years. Thankfully it was released on VHS about fifteen years ago and was restored to its original length (well almost, the song "When I Was Younger" has always been cut from the film altho on the soundtrack). I despair it has never been released on DVD and only a shortened CD exists where it is doubled up with songs from the soundtrack of "The Boy Friend:"/. I feel sure if it was released on DVD it would find a whole new audience. I watched it again recently and was amazed at how fresh and charming it is, its one of those rare movies that never date. A movie desperately needing to be re-evaluated by critics again. Also, the music is wonderful, why do people criticise Bricusse. His style is so subtle, hummable? What does that mean> These are gentle, tender love songs with a couple of theatrical showstoppers....PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE someone get a full length CD (its pefect for Rhino to release) and DVD of this movie out very soon., O Toole and Petula Clarke were never better. My one criticism of the VHS is that it is a little misty (and I dont mean in the sequences that are supposed to have that effect) and not very sharp and clear. It needs to be srestored to its original 70MM brilliance.

This is the film which is filled with affection.
This is the film that I will never forget.
Everytime I watch this film, it leaves me with warm and gentle feelings.
I have a VHS and a vinyl record.
When will they make a DVD and a CD?
The acting, music, lyrics, cinematography, everything is great.
I was dumfounded to find out how badly the critics in USA treated this film.
It was an era of 'new cinemas.'
It might have been considered nonsense or out of date for them to evaluate this kind of lovely film as a good film.
I saw this film in Japan in 1970.
The critics in Japan were sensible enough to choose this film to be one of year's best.
Peter O'toole is perfect in his role as always, you know.
Petula Clark utterly fascinates us with her voice and act.
And I believe this is the best work of Herbert Ross.
I must say it deserves to be treated more fairly.
This is a must-see film for all generation.

This has to be my favorite movie of Peter O'Toole's. John Williams' score is, as always, perfect. Petula Clark sings so beautifully and has wit to boot, and O'Toole brought tears to my eyes as Chips. I never care about what the critics say, I thought the songs were memorable and kinda sweet. This should have already been on DVD, if not on CD. It's sad how some of Williams' early works are not given the royal treatment as the most recent ones.

I have no idea who Marshall Fine is but his taste is not...fine that is....this is not only a pretty movie visually, but an old fashionned lovely love story that more viewers should see...give it a try and see...you won't be disappointed

As a fan of Petula Clark's, I was so happy to see this wonderful film released to video. I wasn't yet born when it was released to theatres (pity!) so I was blissfully unaware of the rabid response by critics back in 1969. The plot works, the acting works, and the songs definitely work too! (And who can forget the brilliant performance of Sian Phillips as Ursula Mossbank-- a glorious mixture of Auntie Mame and Tallulah Bankhead). A few years back, Turner Classic Movies showed this wonderful film in it's original uncut and widescreen glory. I promptly put my VHS tape into the machine and rerecorded this version over the video release version so I have been able to enjoy the film as it was originally intended to be seen. I also managed to grab a used copy of the soundtrack in mint condition on vinyl so I can listen to the brilliant score and wonderful songs whenever I want to. I also have a song that was cut from the film called 'Goodbye Mr. Chips' that was released on a wonderful compilation of Petula Clark's 1960's recordings. It is very heartwarming and should have remained in the film.

I just purchased the tape of this film and watched it after not having seen it for several years. I love it as much today as I did when I saw it in the theater many years ago. Peter O'Toole is a revelation as Mr. Chipping. Petula Clark, IMHO, never got enough recognition for her absolutely luminous performance as Katherine. The cinematography makes the film exquisite to look at. I love the music -- especially the song "You and I." I never fail to cry at the end.
This movie will leave you feeling especially loving towards your significant other!!!

This musical adaptation of James Hilton's novel about the romance between a boring schoolmaster and a west end actress (at least she is in this version) clearly aims at success. The title credits reveal such names as Oswald Morris (photography), John Williams (musical direction), Terence Rattigan (screenplay) and Herbert Ross (director). Such an impressive line-up leaves us in no doubt that the producers were pitching for a smash-hit to rival My Fair Lady or The Sound of Music . Why, then, Leslie Bricusse? The presence of his name virtually guarantees dullness. As expected, only one or two numbers (the School Song, perhaps, and London is London) come close to the target, and the rest are almost unbelievably banal. Only John Williams's lively orchestrations save the musical numbers from total failure.

O'Toole is bereft of Robert Donat's charm, and even seems heartless at times, rather than merely shy and inept. Indeed, in the first few scenes he appears to be a rescusitation of Andrew Crocker-Harris, the cold schoolmaster from "The Browning Version", which is no coincidence, since they share the same writer, Terence Rattigan. Otherwise, the screenplay is one of the most satisfying aspects of the production. In fact, as a drama it is reasonably successful; unfortunately, Bricusse's songs are only sporadically hummable (the lyrics are atrocious), as usual, and weaken what could have been a much better film. The makers of Goodbye, Mr Chips had a lot to live up to, the story having been memorably filmed some thirty years earlier, so it is no surprise that they miss the mark. It does, however, manage to retain some charm.