20 Most Inspiring Movies Of All-Time
12. Goodbye Mr Chips (1939)
For every inspiring sports movie, there is an inspiring teacher story. They resonate because weve all had that one teacher, that one person who inspired us to be a better person, or supported us when no-one else would or, if nothing else, taught us about life and learning. There have been several versions of this 1934 story by James Hilton, including Peter OTooles musical version a 2002 TV version with Martin Clunes (and a young Henry Cavill).
Each to their own of course, but the original 1939 film starring that most unlikely of box office superstars, Robert Donat, is at once the most faithful but also the most brilliant as the cast work together to both inspire and make us realise that teaching is more than just sums in a class. Mr Chipping starts at Brookfield Grammar School a shy, but strict, teacher who initially finds himself unpopular with the students, who call him Ditchy, short for (dull as) ditchwater. His life changes though when he meets and marries the beautiful Katherine, who christens his Chips.
He becomes more popular with both staff and students but when Katherine dies in childbirth, Chips decides to dedicate himself to the boys of the school. As the years pass, he sees boys leave for the war and come back in coffins but, for each of those boys, he was the inspiration they needed to become better people.
This is a film which both breaks your heart but also makes you realise that dedicating your life to one thing can be just as inspiring as being a huge success or trying to win everything. Chips simply wants to make the boys better people and treats everyone equally, as best shown by his close friendship with the German teacher Max Staefel at a time when Germany was beginning its rise to power. Chipping is an everyman in its most positive sense.
We can only wish that we all meet one of them during our formative years as he says, Remember me sometimes. I shall always remember you.