Home
search
more | tips
SHOP CHARIOTS OF...
Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk Amazon.de Amazon.fr
IMDb > Chariots of Fire (1981)
Chariots of Fire
[Add to My Movies]
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsnews articles
Promotional
taglinestrailers and videospostersphoto gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Chariots of Fire (1981)

advertisement
Register or login to rate this title
User Rating: 7.3/10 (11,712 votes)
Photos (see all 36 | slideshow) Videos

Overview

Director:
Hugh Hudson
Writer:
Colin Welland (original screenplay)
Release Date:
9 October 1981 (USA) more view trailer
Genre:
Drama | History | Sport more
Tagline:
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. more
Plot:
The story of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian who compete in the 1924 Olympics. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won 4 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 15 nominations more
User Comments:
Sheer Beauty more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)
Nicholas Farrell ... Aubrey Montague
Nigel Havers ... Lord Andrew Lindsay
Ian Charleson ... Eric Liddell

Ben Cross ... Harold Abrahams

Daniel Gerroll ... Henry Stallard

Ian Holm ... Sam Mussabini

John Gielgud ... Master of Trinity (as Sir John Gielgud)
Lindsay Anderson ... Master of Caius
Nigel Davenport ... Lord Birkenhead
Cheryl Campbell ... Jennie Liddell
Alice Krige ... Sybil Gordon
Dennis Christopher ... Charles Paddock
Brad Davis ... Jackson Scholz
Patrick Magee ... Lord Cadogan
Peter Egan ... Duke of Sutherland
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
123 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English | French
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.66 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Australia:PG (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:F (Ontario) | Brazil:Livre | UK:PG (DVD rating) (2005) | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1986) | USA:PG | West Germany:12
MOVIEmeter: ?
V 6% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The funeral service at the beginning of the film was deleted when the film was shown on the In Flight Entertainment. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the long shot of the departing boat that takes the athletes to France, there's a rather obvious radar antenna. Fortunately, it's not rotating. more
Quotes:
Sam Mussabini: Eric Liddell? He's no real problem...
Harold M. Abrahams: [Eric has already beaten Harold once] You could have fooled me.
Sam Mussabini: Yeah, he's fast! But he won't go any faster. He's a gut runner, digs deep! But a short sprint is run on nerves. It's tailor-made for neurotics.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' (2007) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Jesus Shall Reign more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
14 out of 20 people found the following comment useful:-
Sheer Beauty, 16 February 2002
Author: Paul Halsall from Jacksonville, FL

I was a student at Edinburgh University in 1981 and was actually lodging with one branch of Eric Liddell's family.

My friends and I all went to see this movie repeatedly -- and I mean five, six, or seven paid entrances. Why?

Personally, I don't think it had anything to do with the plot, character development, the music, or moral virtue. It was simply that the film was so utterly beautiful.

The men were beautiful in a clean, non-glamorous way that we had never seen before. Not in British films, and certainly not in Hollywood movies.

The social and educational expectations shared by all were beautiful. I know it is fashionable to decry the British class system, and in principle I agree with all the criticisms. But it also seems that erasing class-by-birth leaves little else but crass meritocracy and the sheer vulgarity of the uneducated masses. Abraham's fellow students at Cambridge and Liddell's at Edinburgh participated in a social and educational system not driven by concerns about jobs, and not pathetically challenged by students who saw themselves as consumers and professors as entertainers.

Britain was beautiful. Of course some parts still are, but Nazi bombs, post-war architecture, and modern cars have destroyed much. This was a Britain where people at the time might have decried "Victorian" architecture, but we in 1981 were just coming to realize how great it was. And this was a Britain where, for good or ill, middle class people kept their houses tasteful, and working-class door-steps were white-stoned each week.

In all this movie was a connection to the beautiful aspects of the British past. That past might never have existed in reality, but in 1981 we could just about touch it, above all in Edinburgh, spared by German bombs and still one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for Chariots of Fire (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
7 stars? highrground
cricket scene highrground
Anybody I questioned... rwsmith29456
This is the perfect film vroeser
Most boring film I have ever seen thrice_greatest_hermes
and this beat Raiders of the Lost Ark...WHY? danmac21
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Gandhi Once Upon a Time in America Munich The Godfather: Part II The Game of Their Lives
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Add a recommendation | Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Drama section IMDb UK section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.