1939 – Greer Garson
Goodbye Mr. Chips
Greer Garson was absolutely gorgeous, and she played the part as it was written perfectly. The problem is that I don’t think the part was an Oscar-worthy role. The character was sort-of one-note. She started off as an inhumanly nice lady, and ended the same way. There was no drama in the character, nothing interesting. Garson, who I know is a very good actress, didn’t have to stretch herself. She didn’t have more than two or three emotions in the entire film. And while she played her part beautifully, it was just a boring part.
I mean, the character was sweet and charming, and that was it, from her first appearance on the screen to her last. In proper British fashion, there were never any highs or lows to her emotional range, there wasn’t any conflict, no tension, and certainly no anger. Quite frankly, I can’t figure out why she was nominated.
Garson played the part of Katherine, the young wife of Mr. Chipping. Honestly, her character was written to be so sweet and perfect, lacking even the smallest flaw, that she was quite unrealistic. People like Katherine don’t really exist anywhere except on paper, in a writer’s imagination. And that was how Garson played her. Her every thought seemed to be pure, loving, completely and unquestioningly supportive of her husband (after all, it was still the 1930s…) and kind to a fault.
Actually, that’s not true. There was a scene in which she and Mr. Chips were sitting at a table while everyone around them was dancing. It was clear that she wanted to dance, too, but doddering young Mr. Chips was too clueless to see what she wanted. I could see a slight furrowing of her brow, and that was all. It was the only time in the entire movie where she seemed a little frustrated with her man. But not to worry. They eventually dance and she feels a little sad because they will have to part and say goodbye the next day.
The thing is, I’ve seen Garson in other films, films in which she was given the opportunity to show off her skills as an actor, and she was great. I’ll say it again. I can’t figure out why she was nominated for Best Actress. The role wasn’t worth it.