An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.An aged teacher and former headmaster of a boarding school recalls his career and his personal life over the decades.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 8 nominations total
Paul Henreid
- Staefel
- (as Paul Von Hernried)
Edmund Breon
- Colonel Morgan
- (as Edmond Breon)
Ernest Blyth
- Austrian Officer boarding Train
- (uncredited)
John Blythe
- Boy Calling Assembly
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia34-year-old Robert Donat ages 63 years (1870-1933) over the course of this movie. He remarked: "As soon as I put the mustache on, I felt the part, even if I did look like a great Airedale come out of a puddle."
- GoofsMiss Kathy tells Chips that the ballroom in Vienna is where Metternich drew up "the treaty of the five kings" (referring to the Congress of Vienna in 1814 ending the Napoleonic Wars) "nearly 100 years ago." But the montage after Kathy's death makes clear she died before the Boer War (1899) and Queen Victoria's funeral (1901). 100 years after the Congress of Vienna was 1914, the start of World War I when Chips becomes acting headmaster, and Kathy is spoken of as having died long ago.
- Quotes
[dying words]
Mr. Chipping 'Mr. Chips': I thought I heard you saying it was a pity... pity I never had any children. But you're wrong. I have. Thousands of them. Thousands of them... and all boys.
- ConnectionsEdited into Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972)
- SoundtracksBrookfield School Song
(uncredited)
Music by Richard Addinsell
Lyrics by Eric Maschwitz
Performed by orchestra in opening credits
Sung by male chorus during school assembly and during closing credits
Featured review
A Worthy And Purpose Driven Life
I noted that IMDb has told us that James Hilton in writing Goodbye Mr. Chips modeled the character out of a former teacher he had at a British public school who had a similar lengthy term of service. It's nice to know that there are people like Chipping actually teaching our future generations out there.
Chips is the sort of role that fit Robert Donat and only Robert Donat. I cannot imagine any other actor playing the cerebral and shy schoolteacher. The film follows him for about sixty of the 83 years of his life.
He arrives at Brookfield School around 1870, a young idealistic graduate certain of the vocation he has chosen. He doesn't mix well and his pedantic ways don't make him a school favorite. Donat certainly changes when on holiday in Europe with Paul Henreid, the German teacher at Brookfield School, he meets and eventually weds Greer Garson.
Goodbye Mr. Chips was Greer Garson's first introduction to American audiences. When she emerges from that mist on the Alp both Donat and she are climbing, she was a star from then on. Her screen image was set as the wise, tactful, and patient wife who was normally partnered with Walter Pidgeon. But she and Donat have good chemistry also.
Paul Henreid also got his first exposure to American audiences as well. Interesting that in 1939 a German would be played so sympathetically. My feelings are that they wanted to show that the Allies had nothing against the German people only the terrible ideology that at that time held them in sway. Long after Henreid has had his last scene it is reported that he is killed in World War I, fighting for his country and against the country that gave him a living for many years. Good people can fight for the enemy also.
Chips is the kind of character that we admire because he's at a job he loves and does give the world that infinitesimal extra ounce of good in doing that job. He's not acclaimed, certainly his demise wouldn't rate banner headlines, but so few of us are lucky to be in jobs and professions we truly love and not do for just a paycheck.
In that great year of Gone With the Wind sweeping the Oscars that year, Robert Donat managed to beat out Clark Gable for the Best Actor Award. He had some other good competition that year with James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mickey Rooney in Babes in Arms, and Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights. The capstone of a great career.
We should all hold and treasure teachers like Mr. Chipping of Brookfield School and the films made of their lives.
Chips is the sort of role that fit Robert Donat and only Robert Donat. I cannot imagine any other actor playing the cerebral and shy schoolteacher. The film follows him for about sixty of the 83 years of his life.
He arrives at Brookfield School around 1870, a young idealistic graduate certain of the vocation he has chosen. He doesn't mix well and his pedantic ways don't make him a school favorite. Donat certainly changes when on holiday in Europe with Paul Henreid, the German teacher at Brookfield School, he meets and eventually weds Greer Garson.
Goodbye Mr. Chips was Greer Garson's first introduction to American audiences. When she emerges from that mist on the Alp both Donat and she are climbing, she was a star from then on. Her screen image was set as the wise, tactful, and patient wife who was normally partnered with Walter Pidgeon. But she and Donat have good chemistry also.
Paul Henreid also got his first exposure to American audiences as well. Interesting that in 1939 a German would be played so sympathetically. My feelings are that they wanted to show that the Allies had nothing against the German people only the terrible ideology that at that time held them in sway. Long after Henreid has had his last scene it is reported that he is killed in World War I, fighting for his country and against the country that gave him a living for many years. Good people can fight for the enemy also.
Chips is the kind of character that we admire because he's at a job he loves and does give the world that infinitesimal extra ounce of good in doing that job. He's not acclaimed, certainly his demise wouldn't rate banner headlines, but so few of us are lucky to be in jobs and professions we truly love and not do for just a paycheck.
In that great year of Gone With the Wind sweeping the Oscars that year, Robert Donat managed to beat out Clark Gable for the Best Actor Award. He had some other good competition that year with James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mickey Rooney in Babes in Arms, and Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights. The capstone of a great career.
We should all hold and treasure teachers like Mr. Chipping of Brookfield School and the films made of their lives.
helpful•313
- bkoganbing
- Dec 10, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Goodbye Mr. Chips!
- Filming locations
- Repton School, Repton, Derbyshire, England, UK(Brookfield School)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 54 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content