Chariots of Fire

No this post has nothing to do with Ancient Rome...it deals with several british men trying to make it to the 1924 Olympics in Paris with running. My mom recommended this film to me and she said it was a hit back when it came out in 1981. It is directed by Hugh Hudson and stars some actors I didn't know except for John Gielgud and Ian Holm which some of you may not know either. Anyway, I liked the film and I would say for others to watch it, but there were moments where this film lagged a bit. I think for the length of this movie, it could have been faster paced and had more action. It is based on a true story of Eric Liddell, a Scotsman who was the best and fasted runner in the 1920's and Harold Abrahams an Englishman from Cambridge. They are both competing against each other when they make it to the Olympics in the 100m race. Harold is Jewish and he is fighting against anti-semetisim and prejudeces against his faith, while Eric is heavly involved in the Christian faith and when it is learned that he must race on a Sunday he will not do it, he sticks to what he believes in. Eric competes in a 400 m race instead. This complex film was up for 7 Academy Awards and won 4 which included Best Picture.

Now I want to talk about the music which really made me laugh. It's a mix of the piano and synthesizer. The theme of this music we all should know by now. What struck me as weird was the fact that 80s music was used in the 1920s...very odd. I think this film stands alone in the 80s and I don't think I can compare it to any other film. It is a classic after all...

Here is the trailer:

http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/trailer.html?v_id=8929