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Chariots of Fire

  • 19811981
  • PGPG
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
60K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,579
728
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Trailer for Chariots of Fire
Play trailer1:31
6 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • Sport

Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
60K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,579
728
  • Director
    • Hugh Hudson
  • Writer
    • Colin Welland(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ben Cross
    • Ian Charleson
    • Nicholas Farrell
Top credits
  • Director
    • Hugh Hudson
  • Writer
    • Colin Welland(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ben Cross
    • Ian Charleson
    • Nicholas Farrell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 261User reviews
    • 96Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 4 Oscars
      • 18 wins & 19 nominations total

    Videos6

    Chariots of Fire
    Trailer 1:31
    Chariots of Fire
    Chariots of Fire: 2012 UK Re-Release
    Trailer 1:10
    Chariots of Fire: 2012 UK Re-Release
    Chariots of Fire: 2012 UK Re-Release
    Clip 2:05
    Chariots of Fire: 2012 UK Re-Release
    Chariots of Fire: 2012 UK Re-Release
    Featurette 2:08
    Chariots of Fire: 2012 UK Re-Release
    How TIFF Gets the Oscars Right
    Video 2:26
    How TIFF Gets the Oscars Right
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 5
    Video 29:09
    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 5

    Photos133

    Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross and Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, and Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, and Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, and Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Cheryl Campbell and Ian Charleson in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Alice Krige and Ben Cross in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross and Ian Charleson in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross and Ian Charleson in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross and Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire (1981)
    Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, and Nigel Havers in Chariots of Fire (1981)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ben Cross
    Ben Cross
    • Harold Abrahamsas Harold Abrahams
    Ian Charleson
    Ian Charleson
    • Eric Liddellas Eric Liddell
    Nicholas Farrell
    Nicholas Farrell
    • Aubrey Montagueas Aubrey Montague
    Nigel Havers
    Nigel Havers
    • Lord Andrew Lindsayas Lord Andrew Lindsay
    Daniel Gerroll
    Daniel Gerroll
    • Henry Stallardas Henry Stallard
    Ian Holm
    Ian Holm
    • Sam Mussabinias Sam Mussabini
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Master of Trinityas Master of Trinity
    • (as Sir John Gielgud)
    Lindsay Anderson
    Lindsay Anderson
    • Master of Caiusas Master of Caius
    Nigel Davenport
    Nigel Davenport
    • Lord Birkenheadas Lord Birkenhead
    Cheryl Campbell
    Cheryl Campbell
    • Jennie Liddellas Jennie Liddell
    Alice Krige
    Alice Krige
    • Sybil Gordonas Sybil Gordon
    Dennis Christopher
    Dennis Christopher
    • Charles Paddockas Charles Paddock
    Brad Davis
    Brad Davis
    • Jackson Scholzas Jackson Scholz
    Patrick Magee
    Patrick Magee
    • Lord Cadoganas Lord Cadogan
    Peter Egan
    Peter Egan
    • Duke of Sutherlandas Duke of Sutherland
    Struan Rodger
    Struan Rodger
    • Sandy McGrathas Sandy McGrath
    David Yelland
    David Yelland
    • Prince of Walesas Prince of Wales
    Yves Beneyton
    • George Andreas George Andre
    • Director
      • Hugh Hudson
    • Writer
      • Colin Welland(original screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    It's the post-World War I 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 an added outlet to spread the word of God, while he sees his speed as being a gift from God, and he wants to run to honor God and that gift. This view does not sit well with his sister, Jennie Liddell, who sees his running as only taking away time from his work to God. Harold and Eric's lives do intersect in national races, but it is the one hundred meter track event at the 1924 Paris Olympics which the two men and their supporters most anticipate. Beyond the fact that Americans Charles Paddock and Jackson Scholz are favored in the event, the much anticipated head to head between Harold and Eric may be further shadowed by other issues, especially as it affects Eric's Christian beliefs. —Huggo
    • 1920s
    • athlete
    • paris 1924 summer olympics
    • olympic games
    • running
    • 236 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • 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.
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
      • Sport
    • Certificate
      • PG
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.
    • Goofs
      In the 1920s, American flags had 48 stars, not 50.
    • Quotes

      Eric Liddell: I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Stevie, Southern Comfort, Chariots of Fire, All the Marbles (1981)
    • Soundtracks
      He is an Englishman
      (1878) (uncredited)

      from "H.M.S. Pinafore"

      Music by Arthur Sullivan

      Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert

    User reviews261

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Two Men Who Ran
    I'm not sure Chariots Of Fire deserved to be the Best Picture of 1981, I think Reds, Atlantic City, or On Golden Pond deserved that honor. But it's still quite the inspirational story of two men on the British track team of the 1924 Olympics who ran to prove something, but not the same thing.

    Ben Cross and Ian Charleson play Harold Abraham and Eric Liddell who are among the survivors of a lost generation to enter college, Cambridge to be precise in 1919, the year after World War I ended. It was called The Great War and the contemplation of another was too horrible to imagine. Cross as Abraham was a veteran of the war, though that fact is curiously downplayed in Chariots Of Fire.

    What is emphasized is his Jewish faith. Though Benjamin Disraeli had been Prime Minister and Lord Isaacs as Chief Justice and Sir Herbert Samuel never had to convert as Disraeli did for a political career, the very top of British society was still closed to Jews. I wonder if Ernest Hemingway had known the real Harold Abraham because he could have been a model for Robert Cohn in The Sun Also Rises. Abraham is not obnoxious like Cohn, but has reason for the chip on his shoulder as the Cambridge dons led by John Gielgud confront him about employing a 'professional' trainer. Gielgud could have been some mossback running the NCAA.

    Eric Liddell is running for his faith as well. He was not in the war, he was in China with his missionary father. Today he'd be a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, back in the day he typified what was then called 'muscular Christianity', the idea to show that being a Christian was not something for weaklings.

    Of course each in his own way makes his point, that in fact is the sum and substance of Chariots Of Fire. With Ian Charleson as Liddell, he makes an issue out of not running in an Olympic event held on the sabbath. I remember back in the day Sandy Koufax refusing to pitch in the World Series game held on Yom Kippur. Of course since the Dodgers also had Don Drysdale and Claude Osteen available at the time that was hardly a detriment. In fact the sabbath dispute over Liddell's views is solved in much the same manner.

    Chariots Of Fire is a nice depiction of the United Kingdom during the Twenties. It was not all the jazz age of partying, there were some very serious folk, even young folk at the time. Cross and Charleson play two such.

    There might be dispute over whether it was the Best Film of 1981, but the unforgettable musical score there was no doubt about. The awards that Chariots Of Fire won for Costume Design and Original Screenplay were also deserved.

    I think the value of Chariots Of Fire is that not only is it an inspirational film, but it takes place during an age when such things were scorned in some quarters. For that reason the film is both a good historical record and of timeless value.
    helpful•9
    1
    • bkoganbing
    • Jul 18, 2009

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 9, 1982 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Die Stunde des Siegers
    • Filming locations
      • The Oval Sports Centre, Bebington, Merseyside, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Enigma Productions
      • Allied Stars Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $58,972,904
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $68,907
      • Sep 27, 1981
    • Gross worldwide
      • $59,303,359
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    ‘Chariots Of Fire’ Composer Vangelis Dies At 79
    ‘Chariots Of Fire’ Composer Vangelis Dies At 79
    May 20Uinterview
    Legendary composer Vangelis dies by Jennie Kermode - 2022-05-20 15:46:23
    Legendary composer Vangelis dies by Jennie Kermode - 2022-05-20 15:46:23
    May 20eyeforfilm.co.uk

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