Ok ladies!

This is a special post, by Danny (aka the only Bloke)…let’s hear what a guy has to say. 

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Well, I mentioned that I had a mind to review this film, so here goes.

First of all an explanation, superkurre posted a review of Gone with the Wind a few weeks ago, and in a roundabout fashion this film review is all her thought.  Why you may ask?  Because her review reminded me that this film has the distinction of having its lead actor, Robert Donnat, beat Clark Gable for the Best Actor Oscar, and deservedly so in my humble opinion.

Now, I’d best get back to the start hadn’t I?

This film has a rather unappealing premise really, but bear with me.  It starts in an English public school (which should really be called a private school, VERY posh boarding schools for the social elite and very rich.  Boys only of course )  A 1st year is late for the 1st assembly of the term, and finds the door locked, but he bumps into a very elderly, (83 I just checked) retired teacher called ‘Mr. Chipping’ who is known to everybody as ‘Chips’.

Chips starts talking to the boy and ends up telling him all about his 58 year career in the school, all relayed via flashback.

The first of the flashbacks is a 25 year-old Chipping, straight out of University and very wet behind the ears, catching the train to the school (Brookfield, not Hogwarts which I very nearly typed).  Initially he gets off to a very bad start, when a scared new boy he tries to comfort bursts out crying, the other students all think Chips had hit the boy.  The situation is worsened when his first class becomes a riot, causing the headmaster to cane every boy in the class and very nearly fire Chips.

Steeling his nerves and his resolve, Chips actually makes a go of life in the school and becomes a successful, if uninspired Latin master (Those old schools used the term master and not teacher, they also taught Latin).  Chips even learns to love Brookfield School, to such a degree that, this being maybe 20 years later when Chips is middle aged, he applies to become housemaster.  Chips is BITTERLY disappointed when he is turned down for the position.  However, he agrees to forgo his usual holiday in a boarding house on the English coast and go instead to Vienna with the school’s German teacher, and his good friend, Max Staefel, an Austrian.

While there, and stuck 1/2 way up a mountain due to fog, he hears a young lady, maybe 20 years his junior (who he later discovers is called Kathy, a debut performance from none other than Greer Garson) shouting. Believing she is shouting for help he risks his own life by climbing up the mountain, only to discover she was simply enjoying the sound of her voice echoing.  Kathy is initially cross that he would be so foolish, although she thanks him for his gallantry.  He gives her his coat because of the cold, and she shares her sandwiches with him.

When the fog lifts they go down the mountain and end up spending the rest of their holiday touring Austria together, even dancing a Waltz, and both of them seeing the Blue Danube as blue not a muddy brown, something that apparently only happens to those in love.

As Kathy’s train leaves, Chips finds himself running down the platform and proposing to her, despite the age gap.  She agrees but by then her train has left the station.  Chips, heartbroken, thinking he’d never see her again immediately has his mood lightened by Steafel telling him that he was to be best man and that Kathy’s friend already had the chapel booked.

When the 2 friends return to the school, all the other masters are DEEPLY surprised to find that Chips (a nickname that Kathy gave him on holiday) is married as they’d always assumed that he’d be a bachelor for life.  Kathy is an immediate success, with both staff and pupils.  She starts having tea parties for the boys, encourages Chips to use his sense of humour in class and bend the rules every now and again when the time was right.  While this is happening Chips gets 2 pieces of good news.  He is promoted to housemaster and Kathy has fallen pregnant.

Chips, who has never been happier is shaken to the core when, quite unexpectedly Kathy and their child both die in childbirth.  Chips, in a state of shock, simply goes to his class to teach.  He is completely oblivious to his surroundings, even to the boys’ April Fools joke of lots of letters addressed to him containing only blank paper.  As he’s opening the letters a boy arrives late, looking shocked he breaks the news that Kathy, who the boys all adored, had died.

Shift forward another 20 years or so, and Chips, now in his 60’s, is forced to retire when a new headmaster arrives and believes him to be too old, too set in his ways and inappropriate for a ‘modern’ school.

Despite objections from the pupils and staff alike, he is forced out.  He’s given a good pension and a cottage on the school grounds, as he leaves he says to a photo of Kathy ‘You know my dear, I always thought I’d be headmaster here one day.’

Then something unexpected happens once again.  A European arch duke who nobody had heard of is shot.  World War 1 has started.  With the headmaster leaving to rejoin his regiment, Chips, VERY unexpectedly, and now well into his late 70’s, is offered the position of headmaster, which he accepts, saying to the photo of Kathy ‘See my dear, told you I’d make it 1 day’.

He reads out the names of all former school pupils and teachers who have been killed in action in school assemblies, somewhat shockingly including Staefel who, as an Austrian was fighting for the other side.

During a dog fight directly over the school, which terrifies the boys, Chips quite calmly carries on teaching his Latin Class.

The film has a superb and very moving ending that I won’t detail for you because I don’t want to spoil it for you.

The film is remarkable for 3 reasons.  Robert Donnat, Robert Donnat and Robbert Donnat.  He was 34 at the time, but had to portray Chips from his early 20’s until his mid 80’s.  His performance was perfect in every possible sense of the word.  Any actors among you should watch the film for that reason alone, it’s a masterclass.  I haven’t seen Gone with the Wind, but it’s VERY hard to imagine anyone, even Clark Gable better Robert’s incredible performance.

The good news is that you can all form your own opinions on the film by watching the thing on YouTube (yay YouTube).

Here is part 1, parts 2-11 should be easy enough to find.

There’s also a pretty good remake from 2002 staring Martin Clunes, one of my favourite actors, in the role here.

Again I THINK it has 11 parts.

I hope you all love this very moving film as I do.

- Danny (AKA Danny The Only Bloke)