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.
Chariots of Fire, British dramatic film, released in 1981, that tells the true story of two British runners who brought glory to their country in the Olympic Games of 1924 in Paris. The film won both the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for best picture and also garnered the Golden Globe Award for best foreign movie. Based on a true story, Chariots of Fire is the internationally acclaimed Oscar-winning drama of two very different men who compete as runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell (Ian.
He sees running as a win-win in that the notoriety of being fast. Alternate VersionsThere 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. I saw this film - an account of British athletes at the Paris Olympics of 1924 - twice when it came out, but i was prompted to watch it again by the holding of the 2012 Olympic Games in my home city of London. The contrast between the movie of the 1926 Games and the television coverage of the 2012 extravaganza showed just how massive the Games have become and yet how the personal factors involved are essentially the same.
'Chariots Of Fire' opens and closes with the iconic scene of the British bare-foot runners exercising on a beach by the sea as the haunting music of Vangelis soars - a scene borrowed by Mr Bean (aka Rowan Atkinson) for a very funny pastiche at the 2012 Opening Ceremony. All the characters are real life, even if some of them seem larger than life and there is a degree of artistic licence in the story-telling. The two main ones are Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a sprinter driven by a need to prove himself in a world where being Jewish is still a problem for the English Eastablishment, and Eric Liddell ( Ian Charleston, a deeply religious Scot who refuses to take part in an Olympic heat because it is scheduled for a Sunday (an issue echoed in the 2012 Games which coincided with Ramadan and posed problems for some Muslim athletes). Among a strong support cast, special mention should be made of Ian Holm as the Arab-Italian trainer Sam Mussabini. It is a wonderfully uplifting story told with style and panache.
The film won five Academy Award, including Best Picture, leading the writer Colin Welland to shout: 'The British are coming!'
Ben Cross in Chariots of Fire Ben Cross (centre) as Harold Abrahams crossing the finish line in Chariots of Fire (1981). © 1981 Warner Bros. PicturesThe film begins at the 1978 memorial of the runner. It then moves back to 1919 when Abrahams (played by ), the son of a wealthy Jewish financier, arrives at the. He becomes the first sprinter to complete the Trinity Great Court Run—to circle the courtyard in the time it takes for the clock to strike 12, beginning at the first chime. In addition to winning national running contests, Abrahams becomes involved with a and company and falls in love with a, Sybil (Alice Krige).
In, ( ), the son of Scottish missionaries, also engages in running competitions. Though his sister, Jennie (Cheryl Campbell), fears that running will distract him from missionary activity, Liddell feels that his victories glorify God.
Eventually, Abrahams and Liddell meet in a British open race, and Liddell wins. The driven Abrahams is crushed at his defeat, but noted trainer Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm), offers to take him on, telling him that he can teach him to run faster than Liddell. The Cambridge college masters ( and ) think accepting professional coaching is ungentlemanly, but Abrahams sees their objections as and class-based in nature. Havers, Nigel; Cross, Ben; Chariots of Fire Nigel Havers (foreground) and Ben Cross in Chariots of Fire (1981). Courtesy of Warner Brothers, Inc.Liddell, Abrahams, and the Cambridge runners Lord Andrew Lindsay (Nigel Havers), Aubrey Montague (Nicholas Farrell), and Henry Stallard (Daniel Gerroll) are chosen for the British Olympic team. As they depart for, Liddell learns that the 100-metre heat in which he was to compete is to be held on Sunday. His religious will not allow him to compete on the Sabbath, and he resists the arguments made by the Prince of Wales (David Yelland) and the British Olympic Committee.
However, Lindsay offers to yield his place in the 400-metre race, scheduled for the following Thursday, to Liddell, and he accepts. At the Games, American runner Charles Paddock (Dennis Christopher) easily outpaces Abrahams to win the 200-metre race, but Abrahams is triumphant in the 100-metre contest, winning the gold medal. Liddell is not expected to do well at the 400-metre distance, but he nonetheless goes on to take gold. After the team returns home, Abrahams reunites with Sybil, and Liddell takes up missionary work in China.