Chariots of Fire is a British film from 1981 directed by Hugh Hudson , winner of four Academy Awards, among which that for best picture. The title is an extract from the words of William Blake's poem And did those feet in ancient time.
Plot
The movie is based on the true story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Englishman Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross ), having overcome racial and class prejudice in order to compete, finds himself up against the "Flying Scotsman", Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) in the 100 metres, but Liddell drops out of the event because his religious convictions prevent him from running on a Sunday. However, Liddell is allowed to compete in the 400 metres instead. The story is deceptively complex, Abrahams and Liddell being vastly different characters who face adversity in quite different ways.
Historical accuracy
The only people believed to have actually completed the run around Trinity Great Court in time are Lord Burghley in 1927 and Sebastian Coe when he beat Steve Cram in a charity race in October 1988.
One major historic inaccuracy in the movie surrounds Liddell's refusal to race in the 100 metres. The film portrays Liddell as finding out that one of the heats was to be held on a Sunday as he was boarding the boat that would take the British Olympic team across the English Channel on their way to Paris. Actually, the schedule was made public several months in advance. Liddell then spent the remaining months training for the 400, an event in which he had previously excelled. The scene in the movie where Liddell fell early in a 400 race in a Scotland-France dual meet and made up a 20-metre deficit to win the race is historically accurate.
Abrahams was an outsider for the medals at the 1924 Olympics. He won the 100 m, beating all the American favourites, including Jackson Scholz and Charlie Paddock. In the 200 m, he reached the final, in which he ranked sixth and last. As an opening runner for the 4 x 100 m team, Abrahams won a second Olympic medal, a silver one.
Arthur Porritt represented New Zealand at the 1924 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the 100 m. He refused permission for his real name to be used in the film, allegedly out of modesty. The bronze medallist was portrayed in the film by a fictional 'Tom Watson'.
Awards
Cast and roles include
Other crew
Producers
Music
The original music, which won the movie an Academy Award, was composed by Vangelis.
Filming locations
See also
External links
