#2,866. Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) - Peter O'Toole Film Festival

 

By the time MGM released Goodbye Mr. Chips in 1969, big-budget musicals were already on their way out. But that didn’t stop the studio from giving this movie their all. With scenes shot on-location in Italy and England, combined with first-time director Herbert Ross’s grand approach to the material (there are sweeping helicopter shots and one or two large-scale song-and-dance numbers), Goodbye Mr. Chips received the “epic” treatment, complete with an entr’acte and Intermission.

It was undoubtedly an expensive film to make. And it’s a shame, too, because most of that expense wasn’t even necessary. When you think back on this movie, you won’t remember the picturesque landscapes of Pompeii, or the oft-tired musical sequences. The heart and soul of Goodbye Mr. Chips lies in the chemistry between stars Peter O’Toole and Petula Clark, and on that level – and that level alone – it is a smashing success.

Opening in 1924 and concluding in the days just after World War II, Goodbye Mr. Chips relates the unlikely romance that blossoms between Brookfield public school’s Latin teacher Arthur Chipping (O’Toole) and showgirl Katherine Bridges (Clark). A novice at romance, Chipping can’t understand why a woman as exuberant and outgoing as Katherine would ever fall in love with him. But she does, and before long the two are married.

Wedded bliss proved hard to come by in the early days. Katherine’s “questionable” past (she was romantically linked to a number of young men during her stage career) caused quite a stir, with Brookfield’s chief financial donor Lord Sutterwick (George Baker) threatening to withdraw his support if Katherine was permitted to reside on school grounds. But Chipping stood by his wife, who, as the years progressed, became quite popular with the boys of Brookfield.

With WWII looming on the horizon, Chipping (now called “Chip”) and Katherine do what they can to maintain the status quo at Brookfield. But the war will prove more costly than either of them could have ever known.

Goodbye Mr. Chips has the look and feel of a “big” film. The Italian sequences are gorgeously shot, and the musical number that first introduces us to Clark’s Katherine, a rousing, patriotic sequence titled “London is London”, is well-staged. In fact, “London is London” is one of only two songs that I actually liked, the other being “When I Am Older”, a humorous montage performed by the boys of Brookfield, imagining a time when they will finally be free of the school’s strict regulations.

Ultimately, Goodbye Mr. Chips is a flashy, large-scale movie that tells a small, intimate story, and its ambitious presentation might have easily overpowered it had it not been for O’Toole and Clark. This movie works because we believe “Chip” and Katherine are truly in love, and watching their relationship develop over time is the film’s single greatest attribute.

O’Toole, who has always been one of my favorite actors, is perfectly believable as both the boring, stiff Mr. Chipping in the film’s opening scenes and the man in love who dominates the second half. The surprise, though, is the marvelous performance delivered by singer Petula Clark, who even manages to steal a few scenes from her more experienced co-star; she owns the entire Italy sequence, and the scene where she breaks into tears after Chipping explains why he loves being a teacher had me tearing up as well.

As a big-screen epic, Goodbye Mr. Chips leaves a lot to be desired. As a screen romance, it’s a winner through and through.
Rating: 7 out of 10

#2,865. The Ruling Class (1972) - Peter O'Toole Film Festival

 

Peter O’Toole was nominated for Best Actor eight times by the Academy. He never won it.

Occasionally, it was just bad timing. O’Toole was brilliant in Lawrence of Arabia, but then so was Gregory Peck, who won the Oscar that year for To Kill a Mockingbird; and his superb turn in 1980’s The Stunt Man saw O'Toole pitted against Robert De Niro, whose Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull (the winning performance) is one of that decade’s most remarkable turns.

There were also times when O’Toole was robbed. Rex Harrison, who won the 1965 Oscar for My Fair Lady, was quite good, but not nearly as strong as O’Toole in Becket. An even bigger travesty occurred a few years later, when O’Toole was again nominated for playing King Henry II, this time in The Lion in Winter, only to lose to Cliff Robertson… for Charley!

O’Toole was remarkable in all of these films, as well as 1969’s Goodbye Mr. Chips and 1982’s My Favorite Year, for which he was also nominated.

His greatest screen performance, however, would come in 1972’s The Ruling Class, a biting satire directed by Peter Medak in which O’Toole played one role - aka: Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney - but what amounted to two separate characters. As the movie opens, Jack, who has spent seven years in a psychiatric clinic, believes he is Jesus Christ, the God of Love. Then, near the film’s halfway point, he is “cured”, and suddenly believes he is a different “Jack” altogether!

Following the bizarre and untimely death of his father (Harry Andrews), Jack, 14th Earl of Gurney, is named sole heir of the Gurney estate. This does not sit well with the rest of the clan - Jack’s uncles Sir Charles (William Mervyn) and Bishop Lampton (Alistair Sim); Sir Charles’ wife Lady Claire (Coral Browne); and their son Dinsdale (James Villiers) - because Jack is stark-raving mad! Convinced he is Jesus Christ, preaching peace and love, Jack could ruin the Gurney family’s proud legacy if his condition is ever made public.

In an effort to secure another male heir, a marriage is arranged between Jack and Grace Shelley (Carolyn Seymour), Sir Charles’ mistress. Once a male child is born, the Gurneys, with the help of Jack’s psychiatrist Dr. Herder (Michael Bryant), will have Jack locked away for good.

But before their plan can come to fruition, a few things happen that might just alter Jack’s fate. For starters, Grace, who initially was in it for the money and title, falls in love with Jack. Second, Dr. Herder, with the help of another patient who calls himself the “High Voltage Messiah” (Nigel Green), manages to convince Jack that he is not the Christ. While on the road to recovery, Jack has an epiphany. He is, indeed, Jack. But not the 14th Earl of Gurney. No, he is Jack the Ripper reborn, and heaven help anyone who gets in his way!

Based on a stage play by Peter Barnes (who also penned the screenplay), The Ruling Class, is, first and foremost, a comedy. O’Toole is hilarious early on as the “God of Love”, looking every bit the savior as he makes us laugh time and again with his witty asides. Lady Claire asks him at one point how he knows he’s God, to which Jack replies “Simple. When I pray to him, I find I am talking to myself”. Also getting his share of laughs is the Gurney’s longtime servant Tucker (Arthur Lowe), who, after inheriting £30,000 in the 13th Earl’s will, no longer gives a damn, and tells the Gurneys time and again exactly what he thinks of them.

Alistair Sim is quite good as the man of God put in a difficult position; the scene in which he officiates at Jack’s and Grace’s wedding ceremony, all the while lamenting Jack’s “sacrilegious” behavior, is hilarious. Taking potshots at the upper class time and again, showing how ridiculous propriety can be under certain circumstances, The Ruling Class will have you in stitches.

In addition, the film is (at least in part) a toe-tapping musical. With numbers that center on such time-honored tunes as “Varsity Drag” and “Dem Bones” (a sequence as unsettling as it is humorous), The Ruling Class never fails to entertain.

O’Toole is marvelous as both the kind, loving “Messiah” and the murderous aristocrat, with these two facets of his personality bringing into focus the film’s very cryptic, yet also hilarious take on the upper class. Preach about peace and love, and you are a fruitcake, while extolling the virtues of capital punishment (which he does as the “Second Jack”) brings one back into the fold with the greatest of ease.

O’Toole was nominated for Best Actor for his dual Jacks in The Ruling Class, but had the misfortune of going up against Marlon Brando, whose Don Corleone in The Godfather has become one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history. He never did capture that top prize (he was given an honorary Oscar in 2003 for his lifetime of work), yet Peter O’Toole remains one of the greatest actors to ever grace the big screen, and The Ruling Class sees him at the very top of his game.
Rating: 10 out of 10

#2,864. Becket (1964) - Peter O'Toole Film Festival

 

In 1968, Peter O’Toole played England’s King Henry II in The Lion in Winter, a movie I adore. In that award-winning film, O’Toole’s Henry was a force of nature, an older but strong and able-bodied king whose sole purpose was to secure the throne for his chosen successor.

Produced four years earlier, in 1964, director Peter Glenville’s Becket takes us to an earlier point in Henry’s reign, when he was younger, more inexperienced. Played, as in that later film, by Peter O’Toole, Becket reveals that it was Henry’s friendship with good friend Thomas Becket (Richard Burton) that shaped him into the king he would eventually become.

Based on a stage play by French dramatist Jean Anouilh, Becket is set in the latter half of the 12th century, when King Henry II (O’Toole) and his close comrade Thomas Becket (Burton) spend their days hunting, drinking, and cavorting with women. When a quarrel with the church over taxation reaches an impasse, Henry appoints the learned Becket as his Chancellor, despite the fact he’s a Saxon (Henry and the other nobles, as well as the bishops and leaders of the church, are all Normans).

While in France fighting the armies of King Louis (John Gielgud), Henry receives a dispatch that the Archbishop of Canterbury (Felix Aylmer) has died. In an effort to finally bring the church under his control, Henry names Becket the new Archbishop. Though reluctant at first, Becket eventually embraces his new role, and, staying true to the position, sides with the church over Henry.

Though angry, Henry still harbors a deep love for his old friend, and is genuinely heartbroken when Becket (who Henry tried to prosecute on a false charge of embezzlement) flees England for a private meeting with the Pope (Paolo Stoppa). It’s when Becket returns home, however, that a tragedy occurs, a series of events that will forever change King Henry II and, indeed, England itself.

Much as he did in The Lion in Winter, O’Toole’s Henry bellows and huffs through a fair portion of Becket, hurling insults at his mother the Empress (Martita Hunt), his wife Eleanor (Pamela Brown), and even his son and intended successor (Riggs O’Hara). When he’s in Thomas Becket’s company, however, the king seems much happier, enjoying their adventures together. It’s clear that Henry also respects Thomas, despite the fact he is a Saxon, and considered inferior to the Normans. He seeks Becket’s advice on all matters, and takes joy in raising him in rank, much to the annoyance of those around him.

Already familiar with O’Toole’s interpretation of Henry II in The Lion in Winter, it was interesting to see this earlier take on the character, when the king was not only rough around the edges, but also inexperienced. Henry is still strong-willed and prone to fits of rage, but time and again Becket keeps him in line, offering sound advice every step of the way. When the two have a falling out, it’s Henry who suffers, unable to cope with the loss of his dear friend. It drives him to despair. O’Toole masterfully conveys all aspects of Henry’s personality; his strengths, his weaknesses, his joy, anger, and heartbreak.

Alas, Burton doesn’t fare quite as well as O’Toole, though I don’t think his performance is the problem (I get a sense the issue lies either with the original play or Edward Anhalt’s script). From the early scenes, where Becket is the king’s friend and confidant, to later, when, as the archbishop, he finds God and becomes pious (almost insufferably so), the character is just never that interesting. When together, Burton and O’Toole are wonderful; an early scene in which Henry and Becket face off against a delegation of church leaders is well-executed and highly entertaining. But those moments when the film focuses on Becket alone aren’t nearly as appealing, and I found myself longing for O’Toole to once again take center stage.

Stylistically, Becket and The Lion in Winter couldn’t be more different. Becket is a big-budget affair with an epic sensibility, whereas The Lion in Winter is more intimate, a showcase for its performers rather than their surroundings. Still, I would highly recommend a double feature of both films, which together provide an amazing character arc for a man who has gone down in history as one of England’s finest monarchs.

And as far as I’m concerned, Peter O’Toole was born to play Henry II. Watch these two films and you’ll never picture anyone else in the role.
Rating: 8 out of 10

#834. The Stunt Man (1980) - Peter O'Toole Film Festival

Directed By: Richard Rush


Starring: Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey




Tag line: "If God could do the things that we can do, he'd be a happy man . . ."

Trivia: Ryan O'Neal originally was slated to play the lead, but dropped out and was eventually replaced by Steve Railsback.







Director Richard Rush ‘s 1980 film The Stunt Man is a scathing satire of the Hollywood system, revealing the lengths some filmmakers will go to in order to get the “perfect shot”.

Vietnam veteran Cameron (Steve Railsbeck) is on the run from the police. While trying to evade capture, he inadvertently disrupts a film shoot and, in so doing, causes the death of the production’s stunt man. 

The only witness to this tragedy was the movie’s director, Eli Cross (Pete O’Toole), who was watching from a helicopter. Fearing the local authorities may shut his production down, Cross convinces the sheriff (Alex Rocco) that Cameron is the actual stunt man, and that he, in fact, survived the accident. 

This quick thinking ensures Cameron’s freedom while also allowing Cross to continue making his movie. Yet as Cameron soon discovers, life with Eli Cross is more traumatic than he ever could have imagined. 

Forced to perform death-defying feats with little or no advance knowledge of what’s in store for him, Cameron lives in constant fear, and despite the reassurances of the picture’s leading lady (Barbara Hershey) and its writer (Allen Garfield) that everything will be fine, he doesn’t trust Eli one bit. 

So, when it’s time to do the stunt for the film’s big climax, it's anyone's guess whether or not Cameron will go through with it!

The Stunt Man is at times a very funny movie, but it’s also a dark one, and much of that darkness comes courtesy of Peter O’Toole. The actor gives a bravura performance as Eli Cross, the raging egomaniac who - rumor has it - once tried to kill a cameraman for missing a crucial shot. O’Toole’s Cross looms heavy over the entire film, pulling everyone’s strings to get them to do exactly what he wants. As an outsider to it all, Cameron acts as our guide through this bizarre world of manufactured make-believe, and like him, we find ourselves wondering where the movie ends, and reality begins.

Railsback is also convincing as the confused title character, and both Hershey and Garfield are solid in their respective roles. In addition, The Stunt Man features some truly harrowing stunt work, impressive even by today’s standards. Yet it’s Peter O’Toole who steals this particular show. Playing a man who is equal parts God and the Devil, O’Toole delivers yet another of his patented witty performances, and netted himself an Academy Award nomination in the process.

In the end, you may not remember everything that transpired in The Stunt Man, but odds are you’ll never forget Eli Cross!

#18. The Lion in Winter (1968) - Peter O'Toole Film Festival

Directed By: Anthony Harvey

Starring: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins




Tag line: "The most significant reserved seat attraction of the year!"

Trivia:  Although Peter O'Toole plays the father of Anthony Hopkins, John Castle and Nigel Terry, he is only five, seven and thirteen years older than them respectively.

Mention Peter O’Toole, and I think King Henry II. 

Mention Katherine Hepburn, and I think Eleanor of Aquitaine. 

These two powerhouse performers managed 20 Academy Award nominations between them, and yet, for me, their work in The Lion in Winter stands above all others. 

The story is set in the days leading up to Christmas, 1183. England’s King Henry II (O’Toole) has decided to release his estranged wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Hepburn), from her castle prison in Salisbury (where she's been for the last 10 years for treason) so that she may be with him for the Holidays. 

Joining the "happy" couple for the festivities are their three surviving sons, Richard (Anthony Hopkins), Geoffrey (John Castle) and John (Nigel Terry). 

Holidays aside, Henry has another reason for bringing them all together; he must decide which of his sons will succeed him. Eleanor is pushing for Richard, while Henry has been priming young John for the crown. As old wounds are reopened and old arguments reignited, Henry and Eleanor hatch plot after plot against one another, and yet, through it all, realize there's still a spark that burns between them. 

Nearly every line of dialogue in The Lion in Winter is sharp and memorable. O’Toole, bellowing and abusive, gets the ball rolling early. “I’ve snapped and plotted my whole life”, he confesses at one point, adding, “There’s no other way to be a king, alive, and 50 all at once”. His Henry II is a strong man, perhaps even the perfect king, despite the fact he’s far from the perfect father, and farther still from the perfect husband. 

Soon after Hepburn’s Eleanor makes her grand entrance, the venomous tongues really start wagging. “How nice of you to let me out of jail”, she says with a sarcastic smile as Henry greets her. “It’s only for the Holidays”, he quickly reassures her. 

Hepburn matches O’Toole barb for barb and jab for jab throughout the entire film, never once backing down. “You’ve led too many civil wars against me”, Henry says to his wife shortly after her arrival. “I damn near won the last one”, the queen retorts with a grin and a giggle. 

These abrasive mannerisms didn’t even skip a generation, and are just as prevalent in their three sons: the angry and determined Richard, (played by Anthony Hopkins in his first major screen role); Geoffrey, the calculating middle child, and the arrogant but dim-witted John. All of Henry’s sons plot against him, each hoping to be his successor, yet despite the constant threat to his crown, Henry admits that he wouldn’t want it any other way. Having scratched and clawed for everything in life, Henry is happy to see his boys ready to do the same. 

The Lion in Winter is like a cauldron, spilling over with one marvelous performance after another, yet none as great as those delivered by the film’s two leads. As the bickering king and queen who made as much history as they saw, O’Toole and Hepburn are absolutely superb.