MGM sent director Sam Wood to England to film this bittersweet tale of British public-school life. Robert Donat won an Oscar for his portrayal of “Mr. Chips,” the overly rigid, boringly pedantic schoolmaster who is punched and pummelled into being a sympathetic soul by a half-century of contact with kids--and a late-in-life marriage. Greer Garson made her film debut as Chips' gentle wife, Katherine. The New York Times' 1939 review hailed Donat's “incredibly fine characterization, not merely for its...convincing transition from young schoolmaster to octogenarian institution, but for its subtle underlining...of the dramatic moments in an essentially undramatic life.” Based on journalist James Hilton's 1933 novelette, Goodbye Mr. Chips is a sweet, poignant, and, for Hollywood, quiet film, produced by Victor Saville with a keen eye for British atmosphere.