Goodbye Mr. Chips Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Goodbye Mr. Chips Blu-ray Movie Review

A life well-lived.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 8, 2023

Based on James Hilton's beloved 1934 novella, Sam Wood's Goodbye Mr. Chips is about as time-tested as romantic dramas get, armed with terrific performances and universal sentiments that make this 1939 film instantly recognizable as a four-star effort: it's not exactly challenging or even terribly unique, but how can you hate an accessible story that's been polished to near-perfection? This tale of beloved teacher Charles Chipping (Robert Donat) reflecting on a tough, rewarding career -- as well as his brief but impactful marriage to Katherine Ellis (Greer Garson) -- will register strongly with a broad audience, whether you've spent a lifetime teaching or just appreciate someone who has.

Goodbye Mr. Chips is bookended by scenes of its title character in his autumn years, when a sudden illness causes him to miss the first-day assembly at Brookfield public school for the first time in nearly six decades. Told almost entirely via flashback, the life and career of "Mr. Chips" unfolds from his early days as the school's Latin teacher in 1870, when his lack of strict discipline lets students walk all over him. Perhaps over-compensating with a much stricter teaching style, he trades in likeability for respect and gradually gets his boys in line. Years and even decades pass, with Mr. Chips' steadfast demeanor making him a rigid and often feared fixture at the school... but despite gradual promotions, he fails to receive an appointment as housemaster. On a well-deserved hiking retreat with Brookfield's new German teacher Max Staeffel (Paul Henreid), Mr. Chips meets Kathy Ellis who, after a second encounter in Vienna, sparks an interest in the older man. During their all-too-brief time together, she helps him emotionally soften and even come out of his shell, revealing the much warmer authority figure that his future students will soon come to love.

To spell out Goodbye Mr. Chips' entire narrative would spoil its effectiveness, both as a stately "retrospective drama" and a notorious tearjerker: its very titles hints strongly at the film's bittersweet ending, yet at least one devastating turning point during the film's second act provides more than enough emotional fuel to carry everything into orbit. While it's certainly melodramatic at critical moments, Goodbye Mr. Chips feels like it earns the Kleenex due to its durably-crafted story, top-shelf performances, and relaxed but steady pacing that makes it feel like a compact epic at just 114 minutes. And even if you can predict what's coming next -- whether by guessing, or of course revisiting the film after years or decades -- it's still a joy to watch Goodbye Mr. Chips unfold with grace and dignity.

Fittingly enough, the production was dedicated to MGM super-producer Irving Thalberg, who originally purchased the film rights but died suddenly of pneumonia early in its development. Thalberg's most notable credits include the original Ben-Hur, Freaks, Mutiny on the Bounty, A Night at the Opera, and Broadway Melody of 1938... although he famously passed on doing Gone With the Wind, insisting that "no Civil War picture ever made a nickel."

Goodbye Mr. Chips is strong enough to stand on its own merit, but Hilton's novella would be adapted for the screen two more times; first as a 1969 MGM musical starring Peter O'Toole, and again as a well-received 2002 TV movie directed by Stuart Orme. Unsurprisingly, the 1939 version has been best represented on home video with multiple DVD editions available, but Warner Archive's new Blu-ray is something special indeed: highlighted by a new and exclusive restoration from recently-discovered source materials, it's absolutely the best this classic film has ever looked or sounded.

Goodbye Mr. Chips Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Warner Archive's Blu-rays typically offer major improvements over their DVD counterparts... but in the case of Goodbye Mr. Chips, the differences are staggering. Until now, the best-available materials were fourth or even fifth-generation elements, resulting in a watchable but lacking image that undercut the film's original cinematography. That all changed with the recent discovery of a 1939 nitrate dupe negative, which was scanned in 4K and treated to the boutique label's usual round of meticulous manual cleanup. Perfectly encoded onto a dual-layered disc, the resulting 1080p transfer is stunning work and every facet of its new appearance shines brightly on Blu-ray: fine detail, black levels, contrast, and of course the natural texture of film grain that's a hallmark of Warner Archive releases. What's more is that since it was taken from one source rather than multiple elements (as impressive as those carefully-stitched together restorations can be), Goodbye Mr. Chips looks basically flawless from start to finish. It's as easy a five-star rating as I've ever had to hand out, and a reassuring sign of more great things to come from Warner Archive later this year.

Goodbye Mr. Chips Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, Warner Archive's audio restoration efforts (sourced from the same duplicate negative's original optical track) yields very satisfying results, wiping away decades of damage to reveal a very clean and essentially trouble-free sonic atmosphere with crisp audio and more than enough room left over for background effects and Richard Addinsell's original score. Trace elements of hiss remain but certainly not to a distracting degree and, like the visuals, sound even more immediately impressive when compared to earlier digital home video editions, which date all the way back to their parent company's 2004 "snapper case" DVD. There's almost no tangible room for improvement here, adding to an already great effort that collectively stands as the film's best overall presentation to date.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature.

Goodbye Mr. Chips Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts. Bonus features are sadly almost non-existent, especially given the source story's history and other filmed adaptations.

• Theatrical Trailer (4:05) - This unique promotional piece can also be seen here.

Goodbye Mr. Chips Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sam Wood's durably effective Goodbye Mr. Chips is about as time-tested as romantic dramas get, with outstanding performances strongly supporting its accessible and heartwarming story. Rightly nominated for multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture, it may not play quite as smoothly for non-Brits but the film's universal sentiments are absolutely first-rate. Warner Archive's Blu-ray offers loads of A/V support with one of their most deserving restorations to date, this time sourced from newly-discovered elements that give it a clear edge over previous home video releases. Not the most feature-packed disc in Warner Archive's catalog, but its other merits make this a solid blind buy.