Chariots of Fire (1981)
I find it rather ironic that a film about record-breaking speeds and fast runners is somewhat slowly paced. Chariots of Fire is a good film but not a great one. It crossed the finish line in an upset for Best Picture, edging out a blockbuster favorite and two critics’ darlings that likely split votes. Still, this is an impressive production, featuring Oscar-winning costumes, great period flavor, gorgeous cinematography, and solid performances.
I discovered a second irony this time around while watching the famous title sequence. A sleek team of athletes from the 1920s jogs along a beach in slow-motion, juxtaposed with the popular strains of Vangelis’s Oscar-winning score. It was a novel approach, four decades ago, intended to lend a modern perspective to the period setting. Now, the music itself is of a distant era, with echoing drum machines and droning synthesizers—so instead of feeling new and immediate, it offers an additional layer of nostalgia to the moment, making it seem doubly remote today.
After Rocky, Chariots of Fire became the second sports film ever to win Best Picture. The movie is loosely based on actual events surrounding the 1924 British Olympic running team, but the story is really about conviction of purpose. The plot follows two main characters.
Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) is a new student at Cambridge and the fastest runner that school has seen in seven centuries. He’s also Jewish—and for Abrahams, being the best in the world is his way of challenging antisemitism. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Christian, was raised in China by Scottish missionary parents. Liddell can also run like the wind. Before he returns to China with his sister Jennie (Cheryl Campbell), he agrees against her better judgment to race for God and country … but God first.
When the two athletes face off in their first competition Liddell wins, which devastates Abrahams. He’s never lost a race before and doesn’t handle it well. Up to this point, his impeccable record has defined who he is, empowering him with an unspoken weapon against racism. His fiancée Sybil (the lovely Alice Krige) tries to comfort him without success and ultimately advises him to grow up. That’s when Abrahams enlists the aid of a well-known personal trainer named Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm in his only Oscar-nominated performance), which goes against the wishes of the Cambridge University masters (John Gieldgud and Lindsay Anderson). They dislike the idea of an amateur student hiring a professional coach, but Abrahams refutes their objections as both racist and classist.
The plot progresses as expected, with everyone focusing on the Olympic games. Two peripheral American runners arrive on the scene, played by Dennis Christopher and Brad Davis, but their roles have next to no lines and amount to little more than impressive cameos. The only real drama centers around the discovery that Liddell’s qualifying heat is on a Sunday, and he flat-out refuses to race on the sabbath. Despite the intervention of royalty (David Yelland) to persuade him to reconsider, he won’t budge. Enter Lord Andrew Lindsay (Nigel Havers), one of the team’s runners who isn’t scheduled to compete on the same day. He offers to switch races with Liddell, giving him a chance to run in the games.
In the end, both principal runners triumph. They return to their respective homes in Great Britain and are celebrated as exceptional athletes, leaving their mark in history. Chariots of Fire is enjoyable enough to watch, due largely to the cast and production values. The theme music was so popular in the early 1980s, and it still brings a smile to my face all these decades later. I don’t consider this movie in the same league as other top Oscar-winners, but I won’t write it off as a dud either. I suppose it drew voters in with its compelling portrayal of two young men who realize their potential and purpose in life while staying true to their beliefs. That was enough in its favor for the Academy to select it as their best of the year.
Chariots of Fire
Director | Hugh Hudson |
Primary Cast | Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Nicholas Farrell, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Lindsay Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Nigel Davenport, Brad Davis, Peter Egan, John Gielgud, Ian Holm, Patrick Magee, Richard Griffiths |
Familiar Faces | John Gielgud from Around the World in 80 Days, Nigel Davenport from A Man for All Seasons |
Firsts | First and only Oscar nomination for Ian Holm |
Total Wins | 4 (Picture, Screenplay: Original, Costume Design, Score: Original) |
Total Nominations | 7 (Picture, Director, Supporting Actor: Ian Holm, Screenplay: Original, Editing, Costume Design, Score: Original) |
Viewing Format | Blu-ray Disc |
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