Chariots of Fire

1981 "This is the story of two men who run, not to run, but to prove something to the world. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals... except their honor."
7.1| 2h4m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 25 September 1981 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.

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Reviews

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Filipe Neto This film addresses the trajectory and rivalry between two Olympic runners of the English racing team who participated in the 1924 Olympics, in Paris. However, its far from be a mere sports film and can be seen under different prisms and approaches. Harold Abrahams is a young Jewish athlete who is determined to win all the races he runs in order to prove his worth to everyone, and perhaps to himself in the first place. The subjects of anti-Semitism and social elitism are evident and greatly affect his character and personality. His rival, Eric Liddell, is a Protestant, son of missionaries and husband of a devotee of the Presbyterian Church. He sees race as a way to praise and magnify God, and is so strict with his faith that he refuses to participate in races on Sunday. One wishes to affirm himself, to show what he is capable of, while the other knows what he is capable of, wanting only to thank those who believe that he has given him these abilities. Both, however, are marked by society because they do not fit fully into it, one for ethnic reasons, the other for the religious fervor in which he lives. Hypocrisy also appears in this film: university rectors who rejoice over a student's achievements but are not able to show it openly, or the banned trainer who is forced to watch his pupil's run from a window. And we also have something that still happens in today's Olympics: exacerbated nationalism's turning healthy sporting into a matter of national pride, fueled by medals and ovations.From these considerations you may be thinking that the plot is the best thing this movie has to offer and that's true, but it's not bad if you think the essence of any movie is to tell a good story. But it's also true that it's not the only good thing in this movie. The cast has heavy names that worked furiously and played great. Ben Cross was great like Abrahams, being able to express very well the psychological and emotional fragility's of this character; Ian Charleson was equally good in the role of Liddell, especially when speaking or talking about religion. On the track the issue was different, for I hated to see the actor running so affected and artificial, with his mouth wide open and swallowing all the unsuspecting flies that came up on the way. Cinematography is very good, within the standards of the films of the late seventies and early eighties, without the quality that the current film and digital resources have already accustomed our eyes. Some camera shots are excellent and quite unique. As for the soundtrack, composed by Vangelis, it really has become an icon, although I do not like the sound of the synthesizer and prefer the same song in a totally orchestral version. But this is a matter of personal taste.Nominated for seven Academy Awards, this film only achieved four of them, among which "Best Picture" and "Best Soundtrack". I also have some doubts about whether it will age well and stay popular in the coming decades, since it has virtually disappeared from DVD store windows, as well as from TV channels (even those who are especially dedicated to movie broadcasting). In any case, it remains one of the best films of the eighties and is an absolute must for any connoisseur of the seventh art.
cinemajesty "Chariots of Fire", the 1981 sports drama, which stretches a time span from 1919 to 1978, where the two main characters of Harold M. Abrahams, played by Ben Cross and Eric Liddell, performed by Ian Charleson find redemption by winning gold metals at the Olympic Games 1924 in Paris. Director Hugh Hudson, former commercial co-producer and realisateur and English producer David Puttnam, known before for launching Ridley Scott's feature debut "The Duellists" in 1977, who kept tight connections to the Cannes Film Festival committee in his prime to realize some fine artful mainstream pictures in the 1980s, including "The Killing Fields" (1984) and "The Mission" (1986) for which eventually earned the Palme d'Or.The film directed by Hugh Hudson has everything what a dramatic picture should have. Compelling cinematography by David Watkin, who combines every possible instruments from precisely paced dolly shots over hand-held immersive character POVs, flooding Steadicam long tracking shots to the slow-motion running shots, which are beautifully merged with Vangelis Papathanassiou's score, which will win the Academy Award for the Best Score over John Williams' "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" soundtrack, including The Indiana Jones theme."Chariots of Fire" set the tone within 10 minutes of running time, embedding the picture in a death mass ceremony of character H.M. Abrahams in 1978 over to the dreamlike beach running scene in 1924 to the arriving students at Cambridge University in 1919. In the beginning the director keeps tight focus on the Jewish character of Abrahams, who continuously struggles to find recognition despite his genetic heritage. The watchful spectator will recognize that Abrahams is run by fear, not being enough in this world, visually manifested by disfigured by-standers at the train-station and amputated cripples in front of the University's registration office. The character's fore-leading punchline, "They show where water is, but they don't let me drink." will determine each and every step of Abrahams, who does not slip any opportunity to confront the present rigid organized lobby.The driving characteristic force of Abrahams finds his peak in a lunch with the University's Master of Trinity, played by Sir John Gielgud and his second half the Master of Caius, performed by Lindsay Ansderson, in which arrogantly states "I believe in the pursuit of excellence. And I carry the future with me." before excusing himself by showing himself out. The scene represents the harmonic collaboration between Director and Cinematographer by opening with a long slightly left panning dolly-in shot onto John Gielgud's character, breaking the tension with tense close-ups of all three characters before retreating into the full shot again. Hugh Hudson keeps close track that each scene of his picture is fluently connected to the next. A technique he borrowed from Masters as David Lean, who came before. This obvious circumstance might have cost the director the Academy Award for Best Directing, which eventually went to Actor/Director Warren Beatty for his mammut piece "Reds" (1981).As a kind of nemesis to Abrahams, rightfully Academy Award winning screenwriter Colin Welland developed the character of Eric Liddell living isolated and secured in the Scottish Highlands, pushed by his brother and local priest to become a hardcore Catholic. "Don't compromise. Compromise is the devil's companion" as the priest states in his short but decisive appearance. Liddell being set off does social work for native children's, holding lectures in churches and representing the so-called mascular Christian. Later the Abrahams supporting character of coach Sam Mussabini, brought to life by actor Ian Holm will say about Liddell that he is man to be a runner "He is all heart, running on pure nerves." The pacifistic rivalry between Liddell & Abrahams becomes the character-driven theme, which lets "Chariots of Fire" stand out of the dramatic competition.The timelessly designed setting by a handful of Art Directors and the simplistic, nevertheless neatly researched running outfits by Milena Canonero, leads the the picture at running time marker 46mins 00sec at a local sport arena, where Abrahams & Liddell have there uneventful showdown in the year 1923. Suspense is carefully risen in an Interior Locker room, where Liddell wins, before the race even hears its initiating gunshot, by the shaking Abrahams hand after a slowly fading synthesizer composition by Vangelis "May the best man win". At that moment everything in this picture stops in an blink of an eye and all departures from producer, director, cast, cinematography and designers become one - winning Best Picture for the year 1981 at the Academy Awards on March 29th 1982, but considered unworthy by the Cannes Festival's Jury around Jacques Deray on May 27th 1981 to gain momentum as a full circle cinematic achievement.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend
Phillip Charles What an incredible film.Chariots of Fire tells the true story of two British Olympians who strove for gold in the 1924 Paris Olympics. The two, however, begin as rivals and each of their ambitions act as counterpoint to the other. Eric Lidell (Ian Charleson) is a devout Christian missionary but so naturally gifted as a runner and driven by his belief in God he is able to succeed. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) runs because he has something to prove; as a Jewish man in England in the 1920s, he is an outcast. He runs out of a sense of indignation and to prove his worth to others and to himself.This is where the film becomes exceptional. It focuses on the characters. The races are not seen as events of celebration and are not focused on by the director Hugh Hudson. Running is shown in the runners' perspectives; gritty and real, a struggle and a journey. Their focus is shown in the quiet, muted background noise, and the firm thuds of their feet as they run. Their self-fulfilment is evoked by Vangelis' soundtrack, which truly deserves all the praise it is given.Cross acts very well as a confused, brooding but determined young man. We feel his anger at loss, sympathise with his situation and are inspired by his hard work. Charleson plays the quintessential honourable Christian, a trope made interesting by the conflict the character has reconciling his faith and his running.It's very easy to say this film is dated and represents bygone British patriotism and class distinction unpalatable with today's norms. But films like this find their relevance in the examination of human nature and everything else in the film is merely the stage for these ideas to be realised.Chariots of Fire hearkens back to the idea of being able to succeed no matter your background, beliefs or challenges.
brchthethird Continuing my streak of past Best Picture winners, I took the opportunity to watch (for the first time) CHARIOTS OF FIRE. While it's about as unchallenging and "white bread" as you can get for this type of fare, it still remains an inspirational sports drama and character study that explores the reasons behind wanting to achieve greatness. The two points of comparison are Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), the former a British Jew and the latter a Scottish Christian. Both have intensely personal reasons for wanting to win the gold in the 1924 Olympics. Harold is in it for personal achievement as a way to transcend the anti-Semitism he experiences, while Eric runs for God. Although the film sets them up as rivals, they only ever compete against each other once, and not in the Olympics (they are in separate events). This actually works in the film's favor, though, as this allows the audience to root for the success of both. It goes without saying that the acting is all top-notch, and the cast contains a who's-who of famous British actors. Aside from the two leads, you have John Gielgud and Ian Holm in supporting roles as the Master of Trinity and Harold's coach, respectively. Then there's the iconic theme by Vangelis which is certain to inspire you. Even if this film isn't too well remembered, the theme music is, and it's one of the most stirring ever composed. There is also the excellent use of slow motion during the racing scenes. Although it's been parodied and spoofed dozens of times since, here it remains free of irony and is a brilliant way to showcase the physical form of the competitors. The only thing I can think of that really dampens the experience is how simplistic and "safe" the film is. It's not really a surprise that the Academy chose it as the Best Picture for its year, but it could have explored its themes of patriotism and spirituality with a little more depth. The story itself was also very predictable (as sports dramas often are) and its resolution a foregone conclusion. Still, what really makes the film worth watching is what happens in between, the journey to the Olympics that its two leads embark upon. Overall, it's not necessarily the best sports movie I've ever seen (nor the most memorable), but it's a wholesome and endearing film that should appeal to all ages.