Chariots of Fire

Genre: sports drama
Director: Hugh Hudson
Release: 1982
Studio: Enigma Productions Ltd, Allied Stars et al. – 20th Century Fox Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures International
Rating: PG
MBiS score: 8.4/10


A First Crack in de Coubertin’s Olympic Edifice


Upon the death of Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a celebrated English athlete, his teammate Aubrey Montague (Nicholas Farrell) recalls their years of arduous training and the times they shared with Lord Andrew Lindsay (Nigel Havers) and Scotsman Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) preparing for the Paris Olympics of 1924. With Cheryl Campbell (Jennie Liddell, Eric’s sister), Alice Krige (Sybil Gordon, Harold’s love interest), Daniel Gerroll (Henry Stallard), Ian Holm (Sam Mussabini, Harold’s coach), Dennis Christopher (Charles Paddock), Brad Davis (Jackson Scholz), John Gielgud (Master of Trinity), Lindsay Anderson (Master of Caius), Nigel Davenport (Lord Birkenhead) and Struan Rodger (Sandy McGrath).

Basically, I don’t care much for sports movies because many aim to inspire but end up being corny or pretentious; in the genre, I’d rather watch stories about anti-heroes or misfits who don’t give a damn about anything. Nevertheless, I readily recommend CHARIOTS OF FIRE, a serious film that even sportsphobes will appreciate for its human interest and social angles. More than just jocks running around, it portrays dedicated athletes struggling with prejudice, politics and religion, the men and women who support them and the genuine drama behind competitive sport. Thanks to Hugh Hudson’s excellent direction and a masterful screenplay by Colin Welland, you will be treated to a fine, engrossing and valuable movie experience.

Among the athletes, the film focuses on Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell who are driven by very different goals. Harold, a Jewish law student at Cambridge, so desperately wants to be accepted as an Englishman that he hires a professional coach to boost his chances, a move that was frowned upon by the amateur sports establishment of the day. Eric, for his part, has little use for England, being a modest Scotsman and a nationalist; he is destined for missionary work and success in sport is not an endgame for him but a testament to God’s glory on Earth. Both men will strain to reach Paris and faith (in their abilities, their training, their supporters and God) will be instrumental in their quest, as is the case for any athlete on the world stage. Will they win? I won’t say. In sport as in life, many things can go wrong, even unpredictably so, and Hudson’s film depicts mishaps, misunderstandings and rivalries but also surprising acts of sportsmanship. During each and every race, you will feel for the runners, their faces torn by the effort and pain of competition.

Issues aside, the production values in CHARIOTS OF FIRE are simply amazing. Its magnificent settings (the hallowed halls of Cambridge and its College Dash, the Olympic track in Paris), its artistic design, sets, props (the gramophone!), hair and makeup work and beautiful costumes revive the glamour associated with the Roaring Twenties. Pay attention to the movie’s superb visuals and colour palette – an abundant use of brown, black and ivory tones – offering a pleasing, old-fashioned look. Acting-wise, Ben Cross delivers an intense performance as pugnacious Harold while Ian Charleson shows disarming serenity as Eric; behind them, all cast members play admirably, especially Alice Krige. On the negative side, Vangelis Papathanassiou’s synthesizer score has aged poorly in parts and may seem like an odd fit for a period piece; I also thought the movie’s conclusion was a bit rushed. However, these niceties do not detract from Hudson’s worthy film.

From a historical perspective, CHARIOTS OF FIRE also shows that Pierre de Coubertin’s Olympic ideal was already battered three decades after its formal expression. Even before Hitler’s Olympics in Berlin, winning had equaled participation as the prime objective in international games and the seeds of ambition had been sown. In this regard, one exchange between Harold and his Masters at Cambridge is particularly telling: in a few sentences, two sports philosophies are stated and opposed, one that would flourish and the other destined for oblivion. Of course, ambition leads to excellence – for the better – but sometimes to controversy – for worse. The choice was clearer in Harold’s day but it still required a healthy dose of integrity.

As a final irony, I should mention that the executive producer of this quintessentially British film was another man who, like Harold, seeked acceptance from the Brits… Dodi Fayed.


MBiS

© 2010 – All rights reserved