Goodbye, Mr. Chips Page #5

(Clock chiming)

(Footsteps approaching)

Doctor?

- Victoria or Albert?

- My dear fellow...

- Boy or a girl?

- There were complications.

My wife is very straightforward.

No.

- No?

- I'm sorry.

Mrs Chipping did not survive.

We tried to save both,

we saved neither.

My wife is a very heavy sleeper,

we joke...

My dear fellow! Not just yet.

And...the child, hm?

It would have been Albert.

(Door opens, closes)

He's coming! Hurry!

When he looks up

show the April Fool sign.

(Boy) Quick, hide it!

- (Boys) Good morning, sir.

- (Softly) Morning.

Er, today, gentlemen, we will return

to the familiar territory

- of the Gallic Wars.

- Please, sir...

- We shall...

- Please, sir.

You've received rather a lot

of letters, sir.

Er, book two, from the beginning.

Who shall volunteer?

"When Caesar was in yonder Gaul..."

Hither. Hither Gaul.

(Boy) "In Hither Gaul,

in winter quarters..."

Sorry I'm late, sir.

"Frequent...rumours..."

- (Inaudible)

- "..were brought to him

"and he was also informed

by letters from Labienus

"that all the Belgae,

who have said..."

- (Whispers) Mrs Chipping's dead.

- "..are a third..."

(Boy whispers)

- "..part..."

- (Boy) Dead?

(Honks horn)

Mr Ralston?! Welcome, welcome. We

were not expecting you until later.

- And you are?

- Chipping. I...

- Latin.

- Indeed, Headmaster.

Long-serving, I believe?

Therefore an excellent guide

for my tour of the school.

(Mumbles) Ah... Oh, yes.

(Staefel, indoors)

Don't look so depressed!

(Boys laugh)

(Staefel continues, indistinct)

This must be Herr...Steefel...Stifle?

Staefel. Max Staefel.

- How long has he been here?

- A wonderful teacher.

Came here straight from Oxford.

Never taught anywhere else.

Am I right that Brookfield does not

field an Officer Training Corps?

We're trying to keep violence

out of the school, not bring it in.

I would remind our Latin master

that German is a living language.

Which, of course, to many of us

remains its chief problem.

Is our esteemed chairman

in this debate

aligning himself too closely

with the traditions he teaches?

After all, the Romans

believed in dictatorship

and in the opposing

of belief and opinion

under the guise of impartiality!

(Laughter)

Gentlemen, I shall be brief.

I've spent the last few days touching

the very fabric of Brookfield.

I regret to have to tell you

I find the fabric somewhat frayed.

We shall have some economies.

Stringent economies.

Perhaps merge a house or two.

We must all understand

that Brookfield is a school,

not a charity.

As of next term our fees will rise -

substantially.

And we need to go out and persuade

people of, dare I say it,

newly substantial means

that their boys will profit

from attending Brookfield.

With this in mind

the curriculum will be modernised

to meet the needs of such,

shall we say, practical parents.

Therefore, gentlemen, change

all round. That's all for the moment.

Er, Headmaster, Brookfield has

an honourable tradition

of bursaries for boys

of humbler means...

Indeed it does. Thank you, gentlemen.

My report will be circulated.

In the meantime,

my door is always open.

Wetherby visited

the staff room often.

Mr Ralston has been once

in two months!

What on earth? (Tuts)

We shall deflect

previous forms of expenditure

into buildings for new disciplines -

science, sport - the future.

(Man) That's all very well,

Mr Ralston...

(Boy) Fix bayonets!

The target will not

be sitting, waiting,

he will run at you or away from you.

Troop! Bayonets at the ready!

By the right, quick march!

On stride! Charge!

(Yelling)

Evans!

Highcroft! Discipline this idiot!

Sorry, sir. Evans, fall in!

(Chipping) That was

beyond impertinence!

(Evans) Yes, sir.

(Laughing)

Slowly, boys, slowly.

- (Laughing)

- One moment, please!

(Ralston) Come!

Headmaster, I wish, if possible,

to have a word.

Actually, I was wishing

a word with you.

- Do come in.

- Certainly.

He said he had Brookfield's

best interests at heart.

"Must look around to see what is

happening in the wider world.

"Climate of opinion."

Chips...

he more or less asked me to resign.

- And did you?

- Of course.

I'm alarmed - dismayed -

but I'm not surprised.

What do you mean?

You must have divined

that I and the subject I teach

- have fallen from grace in England.

- You mustn't think like that!

And Brookfield must not be like that.

The King himself

is of German descent!

There's going to be a war.

None of us can help such things.

(Door opens)

Morning, Chipping.

Max Staefel must not

be allowed to leave.

- Is this your concern?

- This is monstrous!

You dismiss a fine teacher

on the grounds of prejudice!

Herr Staefel offered

his resignation.

Under appalling moral pressure!

You admit his position is difficult -

boys will be boys.

An English public school

has a duty to foster patriotism.

- Would you not agree?

- This school is above...

Herr Staefel at least realises

that if there is a war with Germany

his position will be intolerable.

Anything else?

For those of us...

like Max Staefel and myself, who have

devoted our lives to Brookfield,

your record thus far is disgraceful.

"Disgraceful"?

Do enlighten me, Chipping.

I have asked you more than once

how many scholarship students

we may expect this year,

I have received no answer. I suspect

you mean to cancel the bursaries.

I can tell you myself, I'm obliged

by the governors to make economies.

Headmaster!

At Brookfield boys of lesser means

are given a wonderful chance!

Why are you destroying this?!

This is monstrous!

How old are you, Chipping?

I have no wish

nor any need to retire.

- I may not see it that way.

- I beg your pardon?

It seems to me, Headmaster,

that you do not possess the capacity

to understand or respect

the qualities inherent

in a school such as Brookfield!

Are you trying to provoke me,

Chipping?

I am charged

with modernising Brookfield.

We cannot adhere to styles

of education from the last century!

You do not understand them.

I find them most effective.

Not in the new Brookfield.

Sir, must all your movement be

towards the lowering of standards?!

This is intolerable!

I disagree with you profoundly

and I do not see that

I can continue to serve under you.

In that alone, Chipping,

we are of one mind.

(Boy ) Yes, boys,

I'm as upset as you are!

But we've got to think of a plan.

We must have a plan!

Do we want Chips?

(General agreement)

- Do we rally?!

- Yes, we rally!

(All) Yes, we rally! Yes, we rally!

(Boy) Are we ready?!

(All) Yes, we're ready!

Yes, we're ready! Yes, we're ready!

Yes, we're ready!

- Do we fight?!

- Yes, we fight!

- Yes, we fight!

- Gentlemen, please!

Is there not enough talk

of fighting in the world?

Sir, we're having a convocation

to prevent your departure.

Oh...really, Atkins.

All of you...

That is...most kind.

But I fear you mustn't.

- But, sir...

- No! The Headmaster has spoken.

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