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Chariots of Fire

 
Chariots of Fire

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Chariots of Fire



 
 
"Chariots of Fire" is also an unrelated single by Bodies Without Organs
Bodies Without Organs

Bodies Without Organs is a Sweden electro pop group, formed in 2004. Since early 2006 they have usually been presented under the shortened name BWO....
.
For the Australian 4yo classic harness race see Chariots of Fire (harness race)
Chariots of Fire (harness race)

The Chariots of Fire is a four year harness race in Australia....
.


Chariots of Fire is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 film released in 1981
1981 in film

Events*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate , a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica Corporation to sell it....
. Written by Colin Welland
Colin Welland

Colin Welland . His parents were Jack and Nora Williams. He is an England actor and screenwriter and a Rugby League fanatic. He appeared as PC David Graham in the BBC television series Z-Cars, and in films, including Kes , before also concentrating on writing....
 and directed by Hugh Hudson
Hugh Hudson

Hugh Hudson is an Academy Awards nominated film director....
, it is based on the true story of British athletes preparing for and competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics

The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France....
. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 and won four, including Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture

The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the film industry....
.

The title is a reference to the line, "Bring me my chariot of fire," from the William Blake
William Blake

William Blake was an English people English poetry, Painting, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both poetry and the visual arts of the Romanticism....
 poem adapted into the hymn
Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities, a prominent figure or an epic tale....
 Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time

"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton: a Poem. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun but the poem was printed c....
.






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Quotations


Eric Liddell:

I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.

Harold M. Abrahams:

Aubrey, I've known the fear of losing but now I am almost too frightened to win.

Harold M. Abrahams:

That was the miscalculation of my life.

Lord Andrew Lindsay:

Protocol, Monty, Protocol, he is here to show us what must be done and more essentially what may not be.






Encyclopedia


"Chariots of Fire" is also an unrelated single by Bodies Without Organs
Bodies Without Organs

Bodies Without Organs is a Sweden electro pop group, formed in 2004. Since early 2006 they have usually been presented under the shortened name BWO....
.
For the Australian 4yo classic harness race see Chariots of Fire (harness race)
Chariots of Fire (harness race)

The Chariots of Fire is a four year harness race in Australia....
.


Chariots of Fire is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 film released in 1981
1981 in film

Events*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate , a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica Corporation to sell it....
. Written by Colin Welland
Colin Welland

Colin Welland . His parents were Jack and Nora Williams. He is an England actor and screenwriter and a Rugby League fanatic. He appeared as PC David Graham in the BBC television series Z-Cars, and in films, including Kes , before also concentrating on writing....
 and directed by Hugh Hudson
Hugh Hudson

Hugh Hudson is an Academy Awards nominated film director....
, it is based on the true story of British athletes preparing for and competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics

The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France....
. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 and won four, including Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture

The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the film industry....
.

The title is a reference to the line, "Bring me my chariot of fire," from the William Blake
William Blake

William Blake was an English people English poetry, Painting, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both poetry and the visual arts of the Romanticism....
 poem adapted into the hymn
Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities, a prominent figure or an epic tale....
 Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time

"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton: a Poem. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun but the poem was printed c....
. The Blake poem was influenced by several Bible verses, most notably 2nd Kings 2:11 regarding Elijah being taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. The film's working title was "Running" until Welland saw the scene with the singing of the hymn
Hymn

A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities, a prominent figure or an epic tale....
 and decided to change the title.

Synopsis

The movie is based on the true story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics
1924 Summer Olympics

The 1924 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VIII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1924 in Paris, France....
 in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
. Englishman
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
 Harold Abrahams
Harold Abrahams

Harold Maurice Abrahams, Order of the British Empire was a United Kingdom athletics . He was 1924 Summer Olympics in the 100 metres, a feat depicted in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire....
 (Ben Cross
Ben Cross

Ben Cross is an United Kingdom actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Jewish Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire....
), who is Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish, overcomes anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism

Antisemitism is prejudice against or hostility towards Jews.This prejudice or hostility is usually characterized by a combination of Religion, Race , cultural and ethnic group biases....
 and class prejudice in order to compete against the "Flying Scotsman", Eric Liddell
Eric Liddell

Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish people Athletics , rugby union international and missionary. His surname is and rhymes with fiddle.Liddell was the winner of the Sprint at the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris....
 (Ian Charleson
Ian Charleson

Ian Charleson was a Scotland actor in whose honour the annual Ian Charleson Awards were established in 1991 to reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors aged under 30....
), in the 100 metre race
100 metres

100 m is the shortest outdoor sprint race distance in Athletics . The reigning 100 m Olympic champion is often named "the fastest man/woman in the world", even though the world record for the 200 metres has had a faster average speed in the men's race since the mid 1990s....
.

In 1919, Abrahams enters Cambridge University
University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge , located in Cambridge, England, is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation university in the Anglosphere....
. He attempts and succeeds at the Trinity Great Court run
Trinity Great Court

Great Court is the main Courtyard of Trinity College, Cambridge, and reputed to be the largest enclosed court in Europe.The court was completed by Thomas Nevile, master of the college, in the early years of the 17th century, when he rearranged the existing buildings to form a single court....
, which involves running around the court
Courtyard

For alternative meanings of the word "court", see: Court .A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky....
 before the clock finishes striking 12. Meanwhile, Liddell sees running as a way of glorifying God before traveling to China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 to work as a missionary. He represents Scotland against Ireland, and preaches a sermon on "Life as a race" afterwards.

At their first meeting, Liddell shakes Abrahams' hand to wish him well, then beats him in a race. Abrahams takes it badly, but Sam Mussabini
Sam Mussabini

Scipio Africanus 'Sam' Mussabini was an athletics coach best known for his work with Harold Abrahams.He was born in London of Arab, Turkish, Italian and French ancestry....
 (Ian Holm
Ian Holm

Sir Ian Holm Order of the British Empire is an England award-winning actor known for his stage work and for many film roles, including the hobbit Bilbo Baggins in the first and third films of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element and the android Ash in Alien ....
), a professional trainer who was introduced to him by Liddell that he had approached earlier, offers to take him on to improve his technique. However, this attracts criticism from the college authorities because they are not sympathetic to a Jewish student representing the college. They allege it is against the rules for an amateur athlete seeking to compete in the Olympics to use professional help, but Abrahams, knowing that is cover for their anti-Semitism, dismisses their concern.

Eric's sister Jennie (Cheryl Campbell
Cheryl Campbell

Cheryl Campbell in is an England actor of Stage , film and television....
) worries he is too busy running to concern himself with their mission, but Eric tells her he feels inspired: "I believe that God made me for a purpose... (the mission), but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure."

Despite pressure from the Prince of Wales
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

Edward VIII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the dominion, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936, following the death of his father, George V of the United Kingdom, until his abdication on 11 December 1936....
 and the British Olympic committee, Liddell refuses to run a heat of the 100 metres at the Olympics because his Christian
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 convictions prevent him from running on Sunday. To remedy the sensitive issue, his teammate Lord Andrew Lindsey (Nigel Havers
Nigel Havers

Nigel Allan Havers is a BAFTA Awards nominated England actor.He is probably best known for his BAFTA-nominated role as Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 United Kingdom film Chariots of Fire....
) proposes to trade places with Liddell so that Lindsey would represent Great Britain in the 100m, while Liddell would instead compete in the 400 metre race
400 metres

400 m is a common track running event. It is the longest common Sprint distance. On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track....
 on the following Tuesday, thus averting his need to run on Sunday. Liddell at church on Sunday is seen quoting Isaiah
Isaiah

Isaiah is the main figure in the Biblical Book of Isaiah, and is traditionally considered to be its author. He was an 8th-century Before Christ Judean prophet who declared that all the world belonged to God and that God will destroy it....
 40, verse 31:
'But they that wait upon the shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and be not weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.'


Historical accuracy

Trinitycollegecamgreatcourt


The film depicts Abrahams as attending Caius College, Cambridge, with two other Olympic athletes, Aubrey Montague and Lord Andrew Lindsey. Montague did in fact compete in the Olympics, although little is known about him. The main source of information about Montague was a series of letters he wrote to his parents about his time at Cambridge and the Olympics; these letters were the basis of Montague's narration in the film.

The idea that using professional trainers was illegal is contradicted by the two facts, first Sam Mussabini trained many other British athletes, both in 1924 and in previous Olympics, dating back to 1908, (see Sam Mussabini, Wikipedia), and also that using professional trainers was a common practice in ancient Olympics.(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/amat.html)

The character of Lord Lindsey was loosely based on Lord Burghley, a significant figure in the history of British athletics. Although Burghley did attend Cambridge, he was not a contemporary of Harold Abrahams, as Abrahams was an undergraduate from 1919 to 1923 and Burghley was at Cambridge from 1923 to 1927. Burghley was still living at the time of the film, and it was a notable historical inaccuracy in the script which reportedly led him to refuse permission for his name to be used in the film. One scene in the film recreates a race in which the runners attempt to run round the perimeter of the Great Court
Trinity Great Court

Great Court is the main Courtyard of Trinity College, Cambridge, and reputed to be the largest enclosed court in Europe.The court was completed by Thomas Nevile, master of the college, in the early years of the 17th century, when he rearranged the existing buildings to form a single court....
 at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is one of the 31 Colleges of the University of Cambridge of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or University of Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduate students, and over 160 Fellows; however, counting only the student body it has somewhat fewer than Homert...
 in the time it takes the clock to strike 12 at midday. The film shows Abrahams performing the feat for the first time in history. In fact, at the time of filming the only person known to have succeeded was Lord Burghley in 1927 (the feat has since been accomplished by Sebastian Coe in a charity race in October 1988, and 2012 Olympic hopeful Sam Dobin, in October 2007.

The film also takes liberties with the events at the 1924 Olympics itself, most notably the events surrounding Liddell's refusal to race on a Sunday. In the film, he only learns on boarding the boat to Paris that one of the heats is to be held on the Sabbath. In fact, the schedule was made public several months in advance, and Liddell spent the remaining months training for the 400 metres, an event in which he had previously excelled. The film depicts Lord Lindsey, having already won a medal in the 400 metre hurdles, giving up his place in the 400 metres for Liddell. In fact Burghley was eliminated in the heats of the 110 hurdles (he would go on to win a gold medal in the 1928 Olympics), and Lindsey's deference to Liddell in the 400 was entirely fabricated.

The film does not mention the further exploits of the protagonists at the Olympics. After winning the 100 metres, Abrahams also reached the final of the 200 metres
200 metres

File:Usain Bolt 200 m world record 20-08-2008 - Beijing Olympics 2008.jpgA 200 metre race is a Sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race....
 but finished last. This is hinted at in the film during the athletic montage which accompanies Liddell's Sunday sermon in Paris, with Mussabini scolding Abrahams ("Juvenile!") for rocking backward at the start; and, during the scene where Abrahams speaks with his friend Montague ("You are my most complete man") while receiving a massage from Mussabini, there is a French newspaper clipping showing Scholz and Paddock with a headline which, when translated, states that the 200 metres was a triumph for the United States. In the same conversation, Abrahams laments getting "beaten out of sight" in the 200.

Eric Liddell also ran in the 200m and finished third (behind Paddock and gold medal winner Jackson Scholz
Jackson Scholz

Jackson Volney Scholz was an USA track and field who specialized in the sprint. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games....
). (This was the only time that Liddell and Abrahams competed in the same race. Their meeting in the 1923 AAA
Amateur Athletic Association

The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880....
 Championship in the film was fictitious, though Liddell's win spurred Abrahams to train even harder.) As an opening runner for the 4 x 100 metres relay
4 x 100 metres relay

The 4 ? 100 metres Relay race or sprint relay is an Athletics track event run in lanes over one lap of the track with four runners completing 100 meters each....
 team, Abrahams won a silver medal
Silver medal

A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc.First and third place finishers traditionally receive a gold medal and bronze medal, respectively....
 (see article on 1924 Olympics
Great Britain and Ireland at the 1924 Summer Olympics

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland competed as 'Great Britain and Ireland' at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Despite the name, athletes from the newly-independent Irish Free State competed separately....
.)

Other historical inaccuracies include: In the film, the 100m bronze medallist is a fictional character called "Tom Watson"; the real medallist was Arthur Porritt
Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt

Arthur Espie Porritt, Baron Porritt, Baronet, Order of St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order, Order of the British Empire was a New Zealand physician, military surgeon, statesman and Athletics ....
 of New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, who refused permission for his name to be used in the film, allegedly out of modesty. His wish was accepted by the film's producers, even though his permission was not necessary.

In the film, Liddell is tripped up by a Frenchman in the 400 metre event of a Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 international athletic meeting. He recovers, makes up a 20 metre deficit, and wins. This was based on fact, though his achievement was in fact even greater, as he had already won the 100- and 220-yard events that day.

It omits the fact that it was Liddell who introduced Abrahams to Sam Mussabini
Sam Mussabini

Scipio Africanus 'Sam' Mussabini was an athletics coach best known for his work with Harold Abrahams.He was born in London of Arab, Turkish, Italian and French ancestry....
.

During training, the American athletes wear shirts with anachronistic 50-star US flags. The number of stars should in fact be 48, as it would not be until 1959 that Alaska
Alaska

Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
 and Hawaii
Hawaii

File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
 would be granted statehood.

Production details


Filming locations

The famous beach scenes associated with the theme tune were filmed at West Sands, St. Andrews (the last scene of the opening titles crosses the 1st and 18th holes at St. Andrews Golf Course
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf clubs in the world, with the oldest being the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield....
); a plaque commemorating the filming can be found there today. The scene at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is one of the 31 Colleges of the University of Cambridge of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or University of Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduate students, and over 160 Fellows; however, counting only the student body it has somewhat fewer than Homert...
 was actually filmed at Eton College
Eton College

Eton College, also known as Eton, is a world-famous British independent school for boys, founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England. It was founded as the King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor....
. Liverpool Town Hall was the setting for the scenes depicting the British Embassy in Paris. The Colombes
Colombes

Colombes is a commune in France in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the Kilometre Zero....
 Olympic Stadium
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir

The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes, near Paris, France was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time....
 was represented by The Oval Sports Centre, Bebington
Bebington

Bebington is a small town and Ward within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. It lies south of Liverpool and west southwest of Manchester, along the River Mersey on the eastern side of the Wirral Peninsula....
, Merseyside
Merseyside

Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. Taking its name from the River Mersey, the title "Merseyside" came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974, after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, and the county consists of five metropolitan boroughs adjoining the Mersey estuary,...
. The nearby Woodside
Woodside, Merseyside

Woodside is a small riverside locality in Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, situated almost opposite Liverpool Pier Head across the River Mersey....
 ferry terminal was used to represent the scenes set in Dover
Dover

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel....
. Other scenes were filmed at Birchington, Kent
Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
. A scene depicting a performance of The Mikado
The Mikado

The Mikado or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan....
 was filmed in the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre

The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand, London in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy Operas...
 with members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company

The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy Operas in the UK, Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia and elsewhere from the 1870s until it closed in 1982....
, which lead to a small inaccuracy – the costumes worn by the performers were designed several years after the historical events depicted in the film.

Music

Although the film is a period piece, set in the 1920s, the Academy Award-winning original soundtrack composed by Vangelis
Vangelis

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou , is a Greek composer of electronic music, Progressive music, Ambient music and neoclassicism music, under the artist name Vangelis ....
 uses a modern, 1980's electronic sound with a strong use of synthesizer and piano
Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
 among other instruments. This was a bold and significant departure from earlier period films which employed sweeping orchestral instrumentals.

The title theme of the film has become iconic and has been used in subsequent films and television shows during slow-motion.

The film also incorporates a traditional work: a British choir singing "Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time

"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton: a Poem. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun but the poem was printed c....
" at the 1978 funeral of Harold Abrahams, the event which 'bookends' the film and which inspired its title. Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan

'Gilbert and Sullivan' refers to the Victorian era partnership of librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan . Together, they wrote fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S....
 also features heavily.

Cast


Starring

  • Ben Cross
    Ben Cross

    Ben Cross is an United Kingdom actor of the stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of the Jewish Olympic athlete Harold Abrahams in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire....
     - Harold Abrahams
    Harold Abrahams

    Harold Maurice Abrahams, Order of the British Empire was a United Kingdom athletics . He was 1924 Summer Olympics in the 100 metres, a feat depicted in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire....
  • Ian Charleson
    Ian Charleson

    Ian Charleson was a Scotland actor in whose honour the annual Ian Charleson Awards were established in 1991 to reward the best classical stage performances in Britain by actors aged under 30....
     - Eric Liddell
    Eric Liddell

    Eric Henry Liddell was a Scottish people Athletics , rugby union international and missionary. His surname is and rhymes with fiddle.Liddell was the winner of the Sprint at the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris....
  • Nicholas Farrell
    Nicholas Farrell

    Nicholas Farrell is an England Stage , film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire....
     - Aubrey Montague
  • Nigel Havers
    Nigel Havers

    Nigel Allan Havers is a BAFTA Awards nominated England actor.He is probably best known for his BAFTA-nominated role as Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 United Kingdom film Chariots of Fire....
     - Lord Andrew Lindsay
  • Cheryl Campbell
    Cheryl Campbell

    Cheryl Campbell in is an England actor of Stage , film and television....
     - Jennie Liddell
  • Alice Krige
    Alice Krige

    Alice Maud Krige is a South African actor known for introducing the role of the Borg #Borg Queen in the motion picture Star Trek: First Contact....
     - Sybil Gordon, Abrahams's wife (her actual name was Sybil Evers)


Supporting Cast

  • Lindsay Anderson
    Lindsay Anderson

    Lindsay Gordon Anderson was an Indian-born England feature film, theatre and documentary film director, film critic, and leading light of the Free Cinema movement and the British New Wave....
     - The Master of Caius
    Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge

    Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Located in Cambridge, England, in the United Kingdom, the college is often referred to simply as Caius after the College?s second founder John Caius who fashionably Latin the spelling of his name after studying in Italy....
     (Hugh Kerr Anderson)
  • Dennis Christopher
    Dennis Christopher

    Dennis Christopher is an United States actor. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.His breakthrough role was as Dave Stoller in the coming-of-age classic Breaking Away ....
     - American sprinter Charlie Paddock
    Charlie Paddock

    Charles "Charlie" William Paddock was an United States Athletics and twofold Olympic Games champion.After serving in World War I as a lieutenant of field artillery, Paddock - a native of Gainesville, Texas - studied at the University of Southern California....
  • Nigel Davenport
    Nigel Davenport

    Nigel Davenport is an England stage, television and film actor....
     - Lord Birkenhead
    F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead

    Frederick Edwin Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead, Order of the Star of India, Privy Council of the United Kingdom was a United Kingdom Conservative Party statesman and lawyer of the early 20th century....
  • Brad Davis
    Brad Davis (actor)

    Brad Davis was an United States actor, best known for his role in the 1978 film Midnight Express ....
     - American sprinter Jackson Scholz
    Jackson Scholz

    Jackson Volney Scholz was an USA track and field who specialized in the sprint. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games....
  • Peter Egan
    Peter Egan

    Peter Egan is a United Kingdom actor known for playing smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in 1980s sitcom Ever Decreasing Circles.Egan was born in London, England, the son of Doris and Michael Thomas Egan....
     - The Duke of Sutherland
    George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland

    George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Knight of the Thistle was the son of Cromartie Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 4th Duke of Sutherland....
  • Sir John Gielgud
    John Gielgud

    Sir Arthur John Gielgud, Order of Merit , Companion of Honour was an England actor and singer, particularly known for his warm and expressive voice, which his colleague Alec Guinness likened to "a silver trumpet muffled in silk"....
     - The Master of Trinity
    Trinity College, Cambridge

    Trinity College is one of the 31 Colleges of the University of Cambridge of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or University of Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduate students, and over 160 Fellows; however, counting only the student body it has somewhat fewer than Homert...
     (J. J. Thomson
    J. J. Thomson

    Sir Joseph John ?J.J.? Thomson, Order of Merit , Fellow of the Royal Society was a United Kingdom physicist and Nobel laureate, credited for the discovery of the electron and of isotopes, and the invention of the mass spectrometer....
    )
  • Sir Ian Holm
    Ian Holm

    Sir Ian Holm Order of the British Empire is an England award-winning actor known for his stage work and for many film roles, including the hobbit Bilbo Baggins in the first and third films of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element and the android Ash in Alien ....
     - Sam Mussabini
    Sam Mussabini

    Scipio Africanus 'Sam' Mussabini was an athletics coach best known for his work with Harold Abrahams.He was born in London of Arab, Turkish, Italian and French ancestry....
    , Abrahams's coach
  • Patrick Magee
    Patrick Magee (actor)

    Patrick Magee was a Northern Irish Tony Award-winning actor best known for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, as well as his appearances in horror films....
     - Lord Cadogan
    Gerald Cadogan, 6th Earl Cadogan

    Gerald Oakley Cadogan, 6th Earl Cadogan .He inherited the title of Earl Cadogan on 6 March 1915....
  • Daniel Gerroll
    Daniel Gerroll

    Daniel Gerroll is a United Kingdom theatre, television, and film actor.Born in London, Gerroll has appeared on television in both Great Britain and the United States, although his greater contribution has been to the stage in both countries....
     - Henry Stallard
    Henry Stallard

    Hyla Bristow "Henry" Stallard was a Great Britain athlete who competed mainly in the 1500 metres.He competed for Great Britain in the 1924 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France in the 1500 metres where he won the bronze medal....
  • Struan Rodger
    Struan Rodger

    Struan Rodger is a United Kingdom actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles since 1971. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Barbara Flynn's husband in the television detective series Chandler & Co....
     - Sandy McGrath
  • David Yelland
    David Yelland (actor)

    David Yelland is an English actor. He portrayed Cultural depictions of Edward VIII of the United Kingdom in Chariots of Fire, Nick Rumpole in Rumpole of the Bailey, and most recently played Ralph Nickleby in a revival of the play The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ....
     - The Prince of Wales
    Edward VIII of the United Kingdom

    Edward VIII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the dominion, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936, following the death of his father, George V of the United Kingdom, until his abdication on 11 December 1936....
  • Yves Beneyton - George Andre
  • Jeremy Sinden
    Jeremy Sinden

    Jeremy Sinden was an England actor....
     - President of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society
  • Gordon Hammersley
    Gordon Hammersley

    Gordon Hammersley was a United Kingdom actor with a fine voice and striking stage presence who performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before appearing in the Movie Chariots of Fire....
     - President of the Cambridge Athletic Club
  • Andrew Hawkins - Secretary of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society
  • Richard Griffiths
    Richard Griffiths

    Richard Griffiths Order of the British Empire is an English actor of theatre, film and television. He has received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play, and the Tony Award for Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leadi...
     - Head Porter of Caius
  • John Young
    John Young (actor)

    'John Young' was a Scotland actor. He is the father of the actor Paul Young .Some of his credits include Doomwatch, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, Chariots of Fire, Time Bandits and Rab C....
     - The Reverend J. D. Liddell
  • Benny Young - Rob Liddell
  • Yvonne Gilan - Mrs Liddell
  • Jack Smethurst
    Jack Smethurst

    Jack Smethurst is an England TV and film comic actor whose career has run from the 1950s to the present day....
     - Sleeping car attendant
  • Gerry Slevin - Colonel John Keddie
  • Peter Cellier
    Peter Cellier

    Peter Cellier is an England actor who has appeared in film, stage and television.He is from a family of actors including his father Frank Cellier and sister Antoinette Cellier....
     - Head waiter at the Savoy
    Savoy Hotel

    The Savoy Hotel is a five-star hotel located in the Strand, London, in the City of Westminster in central London that opened on 6 August 1889. The hotel remains one of London's most prestigious and opulent hotels, with 263 rooms and panoramic views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Victoria Embankment, part of the Thames Embankm...
  • Stephen Mallatratt
    Stephen Mallatratt

    Stephen Mallatratt was an English playwright and television screenwriter. He is best known for his television work on the ITV series Coronation Street, The Forsyte Saga and Island at War , and for his stage adaptation of the novel The Woman in Black....
     - Watson, based on Arthur Porritt
    Arthur Porritt, Baron Porritt

    Arthur Espie Porritt, Baron Porritt, Baronet, Order of St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order, Order of the British Empire was a New Zealand physician, military surgeon, statesman and Athletics ....
  • Ruby Wax
    Ruby Wax

    Ruby Wax is an United States comedian who made a career in the United Kingdom as part of the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s....
     - American in audience, called "Bunty" in the credits. In early scripts, she was a sort of girlfriend for Eric while he was in Paris.


Ratings

The film is rated PG in the UK
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 for thematic elements. In the US, to avoid the initial child's G rating which might have hindered sales, Puttnam dubbed in an obscenity
Shit

Shit in its literal meaning is usually considered a vulgarity and profanity in English language. As a noun it refers to feces matter and as a verb it means to defecation or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea....
 in order to be awarded a PG rating.

Awards and recognition


Academy Awards (1981)

Chariots of Fire was very successful at the Academy Awards. When he accepted his Oscar for Best Original Screenplay Colin Welland famously announced "The British are coming"

  • Best Picture
    Academy Award for Best Picture

    The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the film industry....
     - David Puttnam
    David Puttnam

    David Terence Puttnam, Baron Puttnam, Order of British Empire, Royal Society of Arts, is a film producer and politician. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords....
    , producer
    Film producer

    A film producer is someone who creates the conditions for making film. The producer initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fund-raising, hiring key personnel and arranging for distributors....
     - won
  • Original Music Score
    Academy Award for Original Music Score

    The Academy Award for Original Music Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of Film score written specifically for the film by the submitting composer....
     - Vangelis
    Vangelis

    Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou , is a Greek composer of electronic music, Progressive music, Ambient music and neoclassicism music, under the artist name Vangelis ....
     - won
  • Writing Original Screenplay
    Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay

    The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Awards for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. Before 1940, there was an Academy Award for Best Story for writing....
     - Colin Welland
    Colin Welland

    Colin Welland . His parents were Jack and Nora Williams. He is an England actor and screenwriter and a Rugby League fanatic. He appeared as PC David Graham in the BBC television series Z-Cars, and in films, including Kes , before also concentrating on writing....
     - won
  • Costume Design
    Academy Award for Costume Design

    This Academy Awards was first given for films made in 1948 when separate awards were given for black-and-white and color movies....
     - Milena Canonero
    Milena Canonero

    Milena Canonero is an Italy-born three-time Academy Award winning costume designer. She has been nominated eight times for her work in film.Born in Turin, Italy, Canonero studied art, design history and costume design in Genoa....
     - won
  • Best Supporting Actor
    Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

    Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry....
     - Ian Holm
    Ian Holm

    Sir Ian Holm Order of the British Empire is an England award-winning actor known for his stage work and for many film roles, including the hobbit Bilbo Baggins in the first and third films of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Father Vito Cornelius in The Fifth Element and the android Ash in Alien ....
     - nominated
  • Directing
    Academy Award for Directing

    The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing is one of the Academy Award presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Film directors working in the film industry....
     - Hugh Hudson
    Hugh Hudson

    Hugh Hudson is an Academy Awards nominated film director....
     - nominated
  • Film Editing
    Academy Award for Film Editing

    The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. The name of this award is occasionally changed; in 2008, it was listed as the Academy Award for Achievement in Film Editing....
     - Terry Rawlings
    Terry Rawlings

    Terry Rawlings is a film editor and sound editor with several BAFTA Award nominations and one Academy Award nomination. His credits as a sound editor date from 1962 – 1977, after which he is credited primarily as a film editor....
     - nominated


Cannes Film Festival (1981)

  • Best Supporting Actor - Ian Holm - won
  • Prize of the Ecumenical Jury - Special Mention - Hugh Hudson - won
  • Palme d'Or
    Palme d'Or

    The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee....
     (Golden Palm) - Hugh Hudson - nominated


BAFTA Awards (1981)

  • BAFTA Award for Best Film
    BAFTA Award for Best Film

    This page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for each year, in addition to the retired earlier versions of those awards....
     (1981) - won


Popular lists

  • BFI Top 100 British films
    BFI Top 100 British films

    In 1999 the British Film Institute surveyed 1000 people from the world of UK film and television to produce the BFI 100 list of the greatest Cinema of the United Kingdom of the 20th century....
     (1999) - rank 19
  • Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1982 (USA) (May 8) - Vangelis, Chariots of Fire theme
  • AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers
    AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers

    100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies is a list of the most inspiring movies as determined by the American Film Institute....
     (2006) - rank 100


See also

  • Sabbath breaking
    Sabbath breaking

    Sabbath breaking is defined as "not observing the holy Sabbath day", and is usually considered a sin within traditional Sabbath in Christianity and classical Shabbat....
  • Philip Noel-Baker


External links

  • from BBC Radio 5 Live
  • from AmericanRhetoric.com
  • In August 2003, actors Ben Cross and Nigel Havers, director Hugh Hudson, writer Colin Welland, and producer David Puttnam discussed the movie in a 45-minute radio interview. Requires to listen.
  • at the list