Goodbye, Mr. Chips

I approached this re-re-remake of Goodbye Mr Chips with a great deal of skepticism. Surely, no filmmaker could hope to pry me loose from the unforgettable Robert Donat version.

Well, they didn't. But they did impress me far more than I expected. This version of the story succeeds surprisingly well, on several counts.

* Martin Clunes is truly astonishing in the part of Chips. He doesn't make me forget Robert Donat - but he does earn a place right alongside Donat. His performance is nuanced, evocative and impeccably believable. Ably taking the character from youth to old age, Clunes *is* Chips, in a way I would not have expected. Like Donat, Clunes *will* make you cry.

* Clunes is helped by a solid script. This rendition of the book gives us much more insight into conditions at the school. There's a frank look at elitism, bullying and antiquated teaching methods. We see in some detail how Chips and his wife stand for a more modern concept of education. There's no anachronistic moralizing in this - it's integral in revealing Chips' character, which is, first and always, the essence of the story.

* The modern production is not particularly stylish, but it does give us a better feeling of immersion than the old black and white Donat film can provide. We feel more connected to the school, and more involved with Chips' trials and frustrations, simply because they're presented through a more modern lens, in greater detail and scope.

Still, the movie does have two notable faults:

* Too much time is spent on World War I and its impact on the school. The movie's anti-war statements and historical perspective are absolutely valid and necessary, but they could have been presented more concisely. One particularly unlikely incident in the school's courtyard could easily have been omitted.

* The final sequence, showing Chips' in his old age, is also a bit longer than it might have been. Sometimes, less is more.

These relatively minor structural problems prevent me from giving this version of Goodbye Mr Chips a perfect 10 score. However, the movie is well worth seeing for its fine attention to historical detail, and for Clunes' resoundingly 10 out of 10 performance.