Chariots of Fire (1981)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1981 is…..”Chariots of Fire.” This is the true story of two British track athletes competing in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Harold Abrahams is a Jewish Cambridge student who runs to overcome social prejudice. Eric Liddell is a devout Scottish Christian who runs to glorify God, and later became a missionary to China. Director Hugh Hudson assembled a high quality movie which stands out in production values, performances, cinematography (David Watkin), and writing. The screenplay was written by Colin Welland.

The two primary actors turned out memorable performances – Ben Cross as Abrahams and Ian Charleson as Liddell. Co-stars include Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, John Gielgud, Alice Krige, Nigel Davenport, Patrick Magee, Brad Davis, and Stephen Fry. The watchable and memorable “Chariots of Fire” was the seventh highest grossing film of 1981 for Allied Stars Ltd., Enigma Productions, The Ladd Company, and 20th Century Fox.

It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning four – Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score (Vangelis). Non-winners include Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Holm), and Best Film Editing. Filming of “Chariots of Fire” took place in England and Scotland.