Goodbye, Mr. Chips

I approached this re-re-remake of Goodbye Mr Chips with a great deal of skepticism. Surely, no filmmaker could hope to pry me loose from the unforgettable Robert Donat version.

Well, they didn't. But they did impress me far more than I expected. This version of the story succeeds surprisingly well, on several counts.

* Martin Clunes is truly astonishing in the part of Chips. He doesn't make me forget Robert Donat - but he does earn a place right alongside Donat. His performance is nuanced, evocative and impeccably believable. Ably taking the character from youth to old age, Clunes *is* Chips, in a way I would not have expected. Like Donat, Clunes *will* make you cry.

* Clunes is helped by a solid script. This rendition of the book gives us much more insight into conditions at the school. There's a frank look at elitism, bullying and antiquated teaching methods. We see in some detail how Chips and his wife stand for a more modern concept of education. There's no anachronistic moralizing in this - it's integral in revealing Chips' character, which is, first and always, the essence of the story.

* The modern production is not particularly stylish, but it does give us a better feeling of immersion than the old black and white Donat film can provide. We feel more connected to the school, and more involved with Chips' trials and frustrations, simply because they're presented through a more modern lens, in greater detail and scope.

Still, the movie does have two notable faults:

* Too much time is spent on World War I and its impact on the school. The movie's anti-war statements and historical perspective are absolutely valid and necessary, but they could have been presented more concisely. One particularly unlikely incident in the school's courtyard could easily have been omitted.

* The final sequence, showing Chips' in his old age, is also a bit longer than it might have been. Sometimes, less is more.

These relatively minor structural problems prevent me from giving this version of Goodbye Mr Chips a perfect 10 score. However, the movie is well worth seeing for its fine attention to historical detail, and for Clunes' resoundingly 10 out of 10 performance.

I have now viewed three of the four versions of this James Hilton story. It's a wonderful story, and two superb actors (Robert Donat and Peter O'Toole) have previously played the role of Mr. Chipping (whose first name is again not mentioned this version).

Martin Clunes' effort in the role does not quite match the towering performances of the other two actors, but he's very good, and the other aspects of the production work as well as the '39 version and definitely better than the particularly flawed '69 film. Here, the logic and coherence of the story flow extremely well within less than two hours. The makeup accurately reflects the changing time period of the story exceptionally well. There is a greater emphasis on the progressive aspects of education than in the other two versions, but this emphasis contributes appropriately to the story line. The cast is uniformly excellent.

Overall, a bit less sentimental than the '39 version, which I appreciated. A worthwhile remake, and definitely worth your time - whether you've seen the other versions or not. I'd give it about 8.5 out of 10.

This is a very good film; beautifully acted. Martin Clunes was exceptional as Mr. Chipping, playing the part from a young man to an eighty year old most sensitively. Indeed, all the actors in this film played their parts well. The make-up department also deserves some kudos for their part in the transformation in age of Martin Clunes. I had seen the original version and while generally I have found that re-makes fall well below the standard of the original, this one to me, was far superior. The whole atmosphere of the film gave me a breath of the era in which it was set, and indeed made me almost sorry at the end to find myself back in 2006! I would recommend this film to any discerning viewer, with the "warning" that they must watch it with open mind and not view it with Martin Clunes previous TV characters clouding their enjoyment.

The Robert Donat version of Goodbye Mr Chips might now seem sentimental, old fashioned and light on plot. It is still a great film.

In this new version. Martin Clunes rises to the challenge in playing Mr Chipping. The shy new Latin teacher at Brookfield school in the Victorian era who stays decades at the school rising to become the beloved headmaster. He finds love with Katherine Bridges (Victoria Hamilton) who he meets on holiday and they swiftly marry. Katherine shakes up his life and that of the stuffy school but domestic bliss is short lived.

This new version deals with the brutishness of private school life. The barbaric initiations, the fagging, the bullying. Mr Chips especially with the help of his wife wants to bring a more progressive way of dealing with pupils and the bullies. As he observes, the cane has had little effect with some of the pupils.

The Donat version did not deal with the brutality of World War One as much as this version. The anti German sentiment towards the German master Mr Staefel is more pronounced. The impact of the war on some of the ex pupils is more graphic.

There is a subplot when a new headmaster turns up in the run up to World War One. He wants to modernise the school but also ramp up the school fees, abolish scholarships for poorer pupils and introduce military training. Mr Chips is appalled at the rapid changes and the governors decide to back him instead of the new headmaster.

A young Henry Cavill plays one of the grown up ex pupils who is injured in the war. Clunes puts in a good performance, it is sentimental enough towards the end but it is never anything more than a well made television movie.

Considering how brilliant, regardless of how sentimental it is, the 1939 Robert Donat film was, this 2002 TV adaptation had a lot to live up to. What a wonderful surprise! I loved this version from beginning to end, it isn't as good as the Donat version, but as a TV drama it is almost perfect. The production values are excellent, elegant in style and gorgeous to look at. The music had a lovely sense of whimsy about it, and gave a gentle and relaxing feel. There were parts that made me laugh, such as the classroom scenes, but others that were very poignant, the ending especially. The scripting was mature and subtle and also I loved the simplicity of the story. The acting was exceptional from all involved. Martin Clunes is brilliant as Chips, maybe just lacking Donat's superiority, but it was still a performance of subtlety and made me smile and cry. Not to mention that his transition from an idealistic 20-something year old teacher to a wiser and gentler headmaster was very believable. Victoria Hamilton is positively luminous as Kathie, Patrick Malahide is excellent as Ralston and the boy actors also give surprisingly good performances if careful not to overshadow Clunes in what I consider one of his better performances. Of course the drama doesn't quite explore what made Chips such a great and inspirational teacher, yet it has a greater emphasis on the progressive aspects of education, that I found most appreciative. Overall, I loved it, just a joy to watch in general. 9/10 Bethany Cox