Chariots of Fire (1981) on Netflix
PG19812h 5mBiographyDramaSport
Harold Abrahams, an English Jew at Cambridge running to overcome prejudice, and Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish runner competing for the glory of God, both aim at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb7.1/1071,712 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes84%
Trailer
Plot summary
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 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 100 meter track event at the 1924 Paris Olympics which the two men and their supporters most anticipate.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Chariots of Fire (1981)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The note handed to Liddell before his race actually came from members of the British team, and was delivered by his attending masseur at the team's Paris hotel. Screenwriter Welland asked Scholz whether he could be shown handing it over, and Scholz agreed: "Yes, great, as long as it makes me look good."
- All the indoor Cambridge scenes were filmed at Hugh Hudson's old school, Eton College, because Cambridge refused filming rights, fearing depictions of anti-Semitism. The Cambridge administration greatly regretted the decision after the film's enormous success.
- The 100m bronze medallist in the film is a character called Tom Watson; the real medallist was Arthur Porritt of New Zealand, who refused permission for his name to be used, allegedly out of modesty, and the producers accepted his wish even though it was not necessary.
- Chariots of Fire was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture, the first Warner Bros. release to take Best Picture since My Fair Lady in 1964. Accepting his screenplay Oscar, Colin Welland famously announced "The British are coming".
- Vangelis meant the theme as a family tribute. After composing it he told Puttnam, "My father is a runner, and this is an anthem to him."
- Screenwriter Colin Welland did an enormous amount of research for his script: he took out advertisements in London newspapers seeking memories of the 1924 Olympics, went to the National Film Archives for pictures and footage, and interviewed everyone involved who was still alive.
