Goodbye, Mr. Chips Movie Review 1969

Ross debuted as director with this big-budget (but inferior musical re-make) of the classic James Hilton novel about a gentle teacher at an English all-boys private school and the woman who helps him demonstrate his compassion and overcome his shyness. O'Toole, although excellent, is categorically a non-singer, while Clark, a popular singer at the time ("Downtown"), musters very little talent in front of the camera. The plot is altered unnecessarily and updated to the WWII era for little reason; the music is thoroughly forgettable.

Distribution

MGM Home Entertainment, 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404-6061, Phone: (310)449-3000, Fax: (310)449-3100, URL: http://www.mgmhomevideo.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 151 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Musical Drama, Period Piece: 1940s, School Daze, Great Britain, Dedicated Teachers, MGM Musicals, School Daze, Elementary School/Junior High

Cast

Peter O'Toole, Petula Clark, Michael Redgrave, George Baker, Sian Phillips, Michael Bryant, Jack Hedley, Elspeth March, Herbert Ross

Cinematography

Oswald Morris

Director

Herbert Ross

Music

Leslie Bricusse, John Williams

Producer

Apjac Productions, MGM

Awards

Golden Globes 1970: Actor--Mus./Comedy (O'Toole); Natl. Bd. of Review 1969: Actor (O'Toole); Natl. Soc. Film Critics 1969: Support. Actress (Phillips).