...a film that has stood the test of time remarkably well and should continue to provide pleasure for as long as people value characterization and heart above plot contrivances and technical effects.
It's easy to criticize and find fault with a film like this. Nitpickers would claim that it's maudlin and sentimental. That anyone can be a good teacher with good students. That the story tries to cover too much ground for its 115 minutes, while there are stretches in the film that seem to go on forever. That the ending is prolonged, while the final deathbed scene appears rushed. That the acting comes across as dated, overly dramatic, by today's more realistic standards, and that Greer Garson, especially, seems too aloof, too distant from Chips, to be truly in love. That much of the action, filmed at MGM studios, seems stage bound, detracting slightly from the verisimilitude of the outdoor shots in particular. And that nobody wants to watch an old black-and-white picture, anyway.
All of which fades into petty nothingness as the movie proceeds and places one under its spell. Unless the viewer is very cynical or very young, it's hard not to find oneself choking up on more than a single occasion; throughout most of the movie maybe, at least for me. "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" is a classic in every sense of the word, a film that has stood the test of time remarkably well and should continue to provide pleasure for as long as people value characterization and heart above plot contrivances and technical effects.
Video:
The picture quality in this black-and-white standard-screen transfer is hit and miss. When it's good, it's as good as B&W gets on disc. Sometimes the picture is crystal clear in the manner that only the best B&W photography reveals. At other times the picture is a bit grainy and soft. B&W contrasts, which are so important to the visual impact of the film, are usually quite striking but at other times somewhat faded. There are very few age marks, so the master print appears to have been in good condition. In all, the picture quality should not detract from anyone's enjoyment of the movie.
Audio:
Not much to discuss here. The soundtrack is reproduced via Dolby Digital in its original 1.0 monaural. While the audio's most notable characteristic is its quietness most of the time, the softest passages do contain a noticeable if faint background noise. Frequency response, dynamic range, transient impact, and other qualities associated with modern sonic reproduction are conspicuously but understandably limited. Like the video, the audio does its job in a manner that every viewer should expect and does not in any way detract from one's appreciation of the film.
Extras:
Uh, none, actually. WB usually find something of value to include with their older classic films, but this time I guess they just couldn't find anything. There are thirty-three scene selections, which is generous; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles, but that's about it.
Parting Thoughts:
I write this as I come to the close of my own thirty-eight year teaching career, so perhaps the film affected me more than it would others. Plus, I'm naturally sentimental. Yet who can resist those closing lines, sentimental or not? "Pity he never had any children," says a friend at the teacher's deathbed. Overhearing him, Chips replies, "But you're wrong. I have, thousands of them, thousands of them. And all...boys."
All of which fades into petty nothingness as the movie proceeds and places one under its spell. Unless the viewer is very cynical or very young, it's hard not to find oneself choking up on more than a single occasion; throughout most of the movie maybe, at least for me. "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" is a classic in every sense of the word, a film that has stood the test of time remarkably well and should continue to provide pleasure for as long as people value characterization and heart above plot contrivances and technical effects.
Video:
The picture quality in this black-and-white standard-screen transfer is hit and miss. When it's good, it's as good as B&W gets on disc. Sometimes the picture is crystal clear in the manner that only the best B&W photography reveals. At other times the picture is a bit grainy and soft. B&W contrasts, which are so important to the visual impact of the film, are usually quite striking but at other times somewhat faded. There are very few age marks, so the master print appears to have been in good condition. In all, the picture quality should not detract from anyone's enjoyment of the movie.
Audio:
Not much to discuss here. The soundtrack is reproduced via Dolby Digital in its original 1.0 monaural. While the audio's most notable characteristic is its quietness most of the time, the softest passages do contain a noticeable if faint background noise. Frequency response, dynamic range, transient impact, and other qualities associated with modern sonic reproduction are conspicuously but understandably limited. Like the video, the audio does its job in a manner that every viewer should expect and does not in any way detract from one's appreciation of the film.
Extras:
Uh, none, actually. WB usually find something of value to include with their older classic films, but this time I guess they just couldn't find anything. There are thirty-three scene selections, which is generous; English and French spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles, but that's about it.
Parting Thoughts:
I write this as I come to the close of my own thirty-eight year teaching career, so perhaps the film affected me more than it would others. Plus, I'm naturally sentimental. Yet who can resist those closing lines, sentimental or not? "Pity he never had any children," says a friend at the teacher's deathbed. Overhearing him, Chips replies, "But you're wrong. I have, thousands of them, thousands of them. And all...boys."
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]11591[/release]