| Director | Herbert Ross |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film, film based on literature, musical film, romance film |
| Runtime | 155 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | £2.5 million |
In 1924, Arthur Chipping, or "Chips", is an established member of the teaching staff at Brookfield School, a public school just outside of London. A stodgy teacher of Latin and Greek, he is disliked by his pupils, who find him boring and call him "Ditchy", short for "dull as ditchwater". In the dining room of the Savoy Hotel, on the eve of his summer holiday, Chips meets Katherine Bridges, a music hall soubrette. Dissatisfied with her career and social circle, and depressed by her romantic entanglements, Katherine sets sail on a Mediterranean cruise and by chance is reunited with Chips in Paestum, where the pair spend a nice day together. Seeing in "Mr Chips" a lonely soul similar to herself, Katherine arranges an evening at the theatre after they return to Britain, and they soon fall in love. When Chips arrives at Brookfield for the autumn term, it is with his new wife on his arm, much to the shock of the staff and delight of the pupils, who find Mrs Chips' charm to be irresistible. The marriage softens Chips, and his students begin to like him more.
When the wealthy Lord Sutterwick learns who Chips has married, he announces his intention to deprive Brookfield of a planned financial endowment because of Katherine's background, but Katherine threatens to reveal Sutterwick's past dalliance with her friend Ursula Mossbank, and Sutterwick relents. However, when the headmaster of Brookfield retires in 1939, Sutterwick uses his influence to fill the open position with a teacher at Brookfield who is less senior than Chips. The new headmaster serves until 1944, at which point Chips is given his long-awaited promotion. Before he can give Katherine the news, she is killed by a German V-1 flying bomb while entertaining the troops at a local Royal Air Force base. Chips retires after the war is over, but he stays involved at Brookfield, and is comforted by visits from his former pupils and his memories of Katherine.