B
(out of 5)
All the charm has been sapped out of this musical version of the popular story, originally produced by MGM in 1939 with Robert Donat. Peter O’Toole makes a wonderful Mr. Chipping (fondly called Chips), a kindly and shy teacher whose marriage to a good woman (Petula Clark) inspires him to give a sense of joy and passion to all his students, receiving in turn their love and devotion. Clark gives it a lot of energy, but her character’s being in show business presents a shallow side to the story that it never had before, and all the songs by Leslie Bricusse and John Williams are wastefully forgettable. Somehow, after hearing O’Toole do his own singing voice in this film he still managed to get hired to do it again a few years later in Man of La Mancha.
APJAC Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
USA, 1969
Directed by Herbert Ross
Screenplay by Terence Rattigan, based on the novel by James Hilton
Cinematography by Oswald Morris
Produced by Arthur P. Jacobs
Music by John Williams
Production Design by Ken Adam
Costume Design by Julie Harris
Film Editing by Ralph Kemplen
Golden Globe Awards 1969
