Watch this movie for the performance of Peter O'Toole alone. Clearly, this was a strong effort even when compared to his other triumphs: Lion in Winter, Lawrence of Arabia. I feel that his Mr. Chips exists a little in all of us. Again, O'Toole should have gotten that Oscar for this one too. Can't the academy ever get it right? On other fronts, I would agree with many other reviewers that this version would do better overall as a drama and NOT as a musical. While the songs were okay and clearly not offensive, they really didn't add anything here. The movie could have been 30+ minutes shorter and given even greater impact without them. Petula Clark was also excellent here, and it's a shame that she chose not to do more film roles. At any rate, this is worth a look for O'Toole and the fantastic English countryside as well as sites in Italy and Greece.
Review of Goodbye, Mr. Chips
