Chariots of Fire (1981)

Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian, compete in the 1924 Olympics.

Director:

Hugh Hudson

Writer:

Colin Welland (original screenplay)

Stars:

Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell

Won 4 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 19 nominations.

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

Storyline

It's the post-WWI era. Britons Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell are both naturally gifted fast sprinters, but approach running and how it fits into their respective lives differently. The son of a Lithuanian-Jew, Harold, who lives a somewhat privileged life as a student at Cambridge, uses being the fastest to overcome what he sees as the obstacles he faces in life as a Jew despite that privilege. In his words to paraphrase an old adage, he is often invited to the trough, but isn't allowed to drink. His running prowess does earn him the respect of his classmates, especially his running teammates, and to some extent the school administration, if only he maintains what they consider proper gentlemanly decorum, which isn't always the case in their minds. Born in China the son of Christian missionaries, Eric, a Scot, is a devout member of the Church of Scotland who eventually wants to return to that missionary work. He sees running as a win-win in that the notoriety of being fast gives him...

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Plot Keywords:

athlete | olympic games | missionary | race | jew | 

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Taglines:

Two men chasing dreams of glory!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

9 April 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Carros de fuego

Filming Locations:

Ruskin Drive Sports Ground, St.Helens, Merseyside, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$68,907, 27 September 1981, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$58,972,904

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox,Allied Stars Ltd.,Enigma Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real life, Lord David Bughley (Lord Lindsay in this movie) was the first man to do the Great Court Run, not Harold Abrahams. It was changed because Producer David Puttnam was a Socialist, and did not want to show a Lord winning. It's one reason Lord Burghley did not allow his name to be used in the movie.

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Goofs

In 1924, the future Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor was Prince of Wales. At the meeting between "the committee" and Eric Liddell, Lord Birkenhead calls him "David". Some have assumed that this is a goof because he is played by David Yelland, but in fact the prince was known to his friends and family as David, and it is coincidence that an actor with the same name plays him.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lord Andrew Lindsay: Let us praise famous men and our fathers that begat us. All these men were honoured in their generations and were a glory in their days. We are here today to give thanks for the life of Harold Abrahams. To honour the legend. Now there are just two of us - young Aubrey Montague and myself - who can close our eyes and remember those few young men with hope in our hearts and wings on our heels.

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Alternate Versions

There is at least one slightly different version of the movie, issued in Europe on homevideo. The beginning is different - shorter - and introduces Harold Abrahams while playing cricket with his colleagues. The scene in the train station, where Monty meets Harold is absent, as well as the loading of the baggage in the taxi they share. We simply see Monty writing a letter to his parents, mentioning that "Harold is as intense as ever" (cut to the cricket scene, maybe 30 seconds long), and then continues with "I remember our first day... we shared a taxi together" (cut to the two students unloading their stuff from the car). This alternate version also have slightly different end credits, and does not mention Harold marrying Sybil. The differences are minor (the U.S. version provides a more shocking memento of WWI, when it shows crippled baggage handlers in the station); one of the reasons the cricket scene was dropped in favour of the station one was due to the distributor's worry that the American market would not understand it.

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Connections

Referenced in The Ringer (2005)

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Soundtracks

With Catlike Tread
(1879) (uncredited)
from "The Pirates of Penzance"
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert

User Reviews

Good family film

We watched it with our children aged 8 to 16. Everybody enjoyed it, but for different reasons. It prompted much discussion about conscience, peer pressure, resistance to authority, and prejudice. A historical note: the Prince of Wales depicted in the movie later became king, only to abdicate his throne to marry the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. His speech on "duty" (to Liddell) is especially ironic given his later actions. Both Abrahams and Liddell are characters with depth. Abrahams struggles with his identity and desire for acceptance, while Liddell struggles with his duty to God. I could relate to both. The pace is a bit slow, but this allows us to digest what we have experienced. There is no violence or sex, despite the PG rating. For Star Trek fans, look for the "Borg Queen."