Peter O'Toole stars in this musical classic about a prim English schoolmaster who learns to show his compassion through the help of an outgoing showgirl.
Great movie... liked the update from earlier version. 👏🏻👏🏻👍 Petula Clark managed to show sooo many emotions and pathos as the wife. awesome..👍 As to Peter O'Toole...unbelievable...spectacular... taking an English gentleman professor... into love.. and then beyond... just awesome..
Look, this isn't a good movie. Once we get beyond that we can try to figure out why everyone here thinks it's worth five stars. The most obvious reason is that some people give five stars to any film musical, bad or good. Then we have the O'Toole fans and the Petula fans. I doubt if anyone here actually knows the name Terence Rattigan, so let's forget his fans, even though he's a brilliant writer - this not being his finest hour, not necessarily all his fault but it does have some of the Rattigan brilliance once you shovel through all that doesn't need to be there.
And then let's get to the crux of the matter, Mr. Herbert Ross, whose first film this was. Since he'd only choreographed the film of Funny Girl and a couple of Cliff Richard movies, one does wonder how he was handed the directorial duties on a large budget film. Clearly he knew nothing about film - that is clear from frame one right through to the end. The zoom lens is so overused that it becomes literally nausea-inducing. It has no business in this film at all, but clearly he thought the zoom lens meant he was a film director. Scenes are horribly staged for the camera (note the long sequence where Petula re-meets Mr. Chips, truly one of the worst-directed scenes in the history of cinema), there's no sense of pace at all, and the diffusion filters of Oswald Morris do no one any favors. For much of its running time, it's a lumpen mess.
O'Toole takes some getting used to in the first forty-five minutes of the film but he's terrific once you do. Petula is wonderful - very fresh and real and does what she can in a hugely expanded role from both novel and original film. Making her a stage performer enables them to work in a couple of numbers for her, and she does what she can with them but they're there for all the wrong reasons (the number with the boys fares better than London is London, which is horribly directed). Then Mr. Ross can't make up his mind as to whether the songs are inner monologues or sung out loud, so he has both. Choose one - both doesn't work. "You and I" is the best song in the score but isn't placed especially well. The other songs are short and banal and don't need to be there at all, which begs the question as to why this simple story needed to be a roadshow and/or a musical. First of all, Peter O'Toole speaks his way through three songs that barely last four minutes between the three - why? Mr. Chips shouldn't sing at all - that would have been the smart choice, just to give Miss Clark the songs because she has a reason for singing. Well, one could go on, but why?
But oddly, by the end of the film, you get sucked in, thanks to Mr. O'Toole. He's very affecting. There's a lovely scene between he and the grandson of his former nemesis - that should have led directly to the final scene, but no, we have to have one more one-minute ditty warbled by O'Toole in voiceover, which robs that moment of what should be its power. It's just a bad movie, but O'Toole and Clark are so good it helps make the pill go down easier.
This was a wonderful film - only gave it 4 stars instead of 5, because - let's face it - it's not Guys & Dolls, West Side Story, or even My Fair Lady. This is not a classic. But it is a truly wonderful viewing experience.
Well scripted and superbly acted - it goes without saying that O Toole is astounding (another role that he was robbed of an Oscar; it went to the academy's emotional favorite, the dying John Wayne in 1970 for True Grit). More surprising is the lively on-screen presence of Petula Clark, who displays genuine, bona-fide screen chemistry with her screen counterpart.
Putting the film in context, it is easy to see why I had overlooked it all of this time (despite my own love and involvement in musical theater). Goodbye, Mr Chips is a decidedly backwards looking film - produced at a time when America had no interest in looking backwards - especially to Britain's past. While the content is timeless and universal, 1969/70 was the year of Midnight Cowboy - a film whose gritty, urban decay realism and mainstream X rating changed Hollywood, and audience expectations, as well as Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (which won best song for Bacharach/David with RKFOMH). Poor Mr. Chips - what seems charming and timeless now, seemed hopelessly dated and even antiquated back then.
Matters were now helped by the serviceable, uninspired, and unmemorable score. There's is not a memorable or hummable song in the film (although Petula makes a valient effort in some music hall review numbers) Leslie Bricusse could not compete with other musical released that year, including Paint Your Wagon, Sweet Charity, and god help us all - Hello Dolly!
Like the tortoise and the hare, those film musicals have aged poorly, and are now viewed as inferior incarnations of their staged counterparts. Mr. Chips - chippy - keeps calm and carries on, in keeping with its eponymous character - slowly, stoically, respectfully and gallantly.
Perhaps its my own age. Perhaps its self-recognition in its portrayal of the vicissitudes of life, the unpredictability of love, and the preciousness of each moment. Perhaps its my love of teaching, and the films allowing me to pause and reflect on the hundreds whose lives I've touched - in some ways that I will never know.
Regardless - it is not contradictory to say that Goodbye, Mr Chips - a large, old fashioned road-show feature film musical - is, in its own way, a small, humble film about a small, humble life - whose majesty is reflected by those who were illuminated, however briefly, by his light.
First, full disclosure: I deeply admire Peter O'Toole's acting. Having said so, I still rate his performance in this film as a triumph - particularly the scene after his wife's death - and do not attribute this rating to positive personal bias. With few words but deep emotion, he achieves poignance reached only by the most talented and focused actors. O'Toole puts himself fully into the character of Chips, convincingly conveying the speech, mannerisms, and naivete of a dedicated but hopelessly "ivory-tower" school master. His interaction with Petula Clark, normally known only as a pop singer from a bygone era, works magnificently, allowing her to display previously unrecognized ability. And the humor of the society scenes left me laughing loudly. Regrettably, Leslie Bricusse's score fails to rise above mediocrity; no memorable song emerges from the production.. I would have expected greater artistry from the gifted composer of such hits as "What Kind of Fool Am I?" and "Who Can I Turn To?" All in all, a fine, if nostalgic, film featuring a superb performance by one of the finest actors of the XX Century.
별 5개 중 5.01960s Musical Version of the Film - DVD Will Play on a Standard European Device
영국에서 2017년 8월 4일에 검토됨
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While the DVD is advertised as Region 1 disc, it plays without problems on my standard European Region 2 device as well as on the multiregion DVD player. The run time of the film is 154 mins, which appears to be the full uncut length of the film. There are optional English subtitles for those who need them. The soundtrack is remastered.
The film itself is rather charming. Peter O'Toole gives a sensitive performance (which earned him another Oscar nomination, his 4th) as the prim and proper repressed school master, and Petula Clark is very sweet as his showgirl/singer wife. Peter O'Toole does his own singing, and while he hasn't the greatest singing voice (okay, even that is an overstatement), it befits the character perfectly. Petula Clark is, of course, first and foremost a singer and does have a very lovely voice indeed. Even though her songs in this aren't particularly memorable, they are enjoyable enough.
Both leads deliver enchanting performances and play unexpectedly well off each other. Also delightful is the supporting cast, first and foremost O'Toole's then wife Siân Phillips in a Golden Globe nominated performance as Ursula. She steals every scene she appears in and the exchanges between her and O'Toole are pure gold. Worth watching the film for them alone. Also worth a mention are Michael Redgrave as the headmaster and Michael Bryant as German master. The filming locations, especially the use of Sherborne School (a real English boys school) as the setting for Brookfield School, add to the charm of the film.
Fans of the film from 1939 may find this version wanting in comparison, I personally loved it. Fans of Mr O'Toole or any of the other actors involved will likely enjoy watching this.
별 5개 중 5.0The Unsurpassed, (almost) Definitive Version of the Hilton Classic
영국에서 2016년 12월 7일에 검토됨
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The Unsurpassable, (almost) Definitive Version of the James Hilton Classic
Despite a majority critical view that this musical version of "Chips" (1969) is much inferior to the Donat and Clunes portrayals of the celebrated schoolmaster, I definitely side with the smaller group of aficionados who treasure this version the most highly. As a former Classics teacher myself who was first alerted to the story in my boyhood by a mother who had much admired the Donat/Garson duo, I believe Peter O'Toole and Petula Clark captured some very subtle and authentic qualities that reflect the mood and atmosphere of the original book fantastically well. An eminent critic said of the book on its appearance, "Here is triumphant proof that a little book can be a great one." And that timeless greatness that survives many readings is most effectively replicated in the musical of '69. Yes, there is a serious alteration of the famous final death-scenes for which you will need to return to Hilton's prose, or Donat's black-and-whiteness. But that is more than compensated by the brilliance of the Leslie Bricusse songs, which not only have marvellously evocative words and music, but seem to penetrate the psyche of the lead characters superbly, and recreate exactly the milieu of the time and the world-views of the protagonists. I cannot understand the sniffy dismissal that came from some quarters when the film was first released. These I have always regarded with contempt. If a tiny collection of books and DVDs (!!!!) were permitted on the fabled "Desert Island," I would certainly want to have both the book and this O'Toole/Bricusse version. All the other stellar participants, such as Michael Redgrave, Sian Philips and Terence Rattigan (screenplay) surely stamp the final evidence of distinction on this wonderful cinematic and musical experience. Oh, and for some extra excellent songs composed for a later production on stage, try to dig out from somewhere the LP (vinyl) or cassette recording of the Chichester Theatre.
별 5개 중 4.0If like me you have seen the original Robert Donat/Greer Garson ...
영국에서 2016년 10월 10일에 검토됨
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Don't worry about Spanish titles. Film can be played in English and also with subtitles. If like me you have seen the original Robert Donat/Greer Garson 1930s film set in the 1800's and going into WW1 then you will see this version has a completely changed plot/storyline. This film (a musical) set in 1920s and going into WW2 Chips' wife is an actress/singer, they meet in Italy and even her death is totally different from the original film. Not keen on the songs (rubbish lyrics) and Mr O'Toole doesn't suit singing. He's a brilliant actor and I love anything he does so enjoyed the film non the less. Look out for his real life wife Sian Phillips playing a very OTT actress.
Beautiful, lyrical music by Leslie Bricusse - lovely memorable songs - why isn't the composer mentioned in the DVD listing? Inimitable Peter O'Toole simply delightful in Hilton's poignant story of love and loss and survival. I didn't feel the opportunity given for Pet Clarke as a musical comedy stage actress to do stage numbers quite worked but in all other ways she was excellent as the shy middle-aged schoolmaster's ebullient young wife and the catalyst for his sudden rise to immense - deserved of course - popularity.
Setting the story to start just before WW2 and classics teacher Chips to travel to Greece to meet his future wife in a Greek theatre was an effective and undisturbing update of the earlier movie with 30's heart-throb actor Robert Donat whose Oscar-winning Chips meets his wife during a walking tour in the Alps and had the story to go through WW1.
Unmissable, both movies, and I love both the actors, but if I had to keep just one of the movies, it'd be this one. There's another recent version with Martin Clunes - well worth watching and as always with Clunes, very well acted, but it didn't quite catch at my heart as these two earlier versions do. And also there was a stage version starring John Mills for which I found a CD version - also well worth having. I wonder why he didn't get to star in the movie version but I have to admit I'm delighted Peter O'Toole was chosen for this movie.
This dvd brought back so many memories for me, from the first time of viewing in the 70's, to my own almost idyllic schooldays, West End theatre, London, Classics & the attraction of opposites. Petula Clark & Peter o' Toole were ideal in their roles. Yes, thoroughly enjoyable and a wonderful trip down memory lane. (How I wish we still had schools such as Brookfield in such times of political uncertainty). All in all, the film was a delight.