CHARIOTS OF FIRE

The acting is superb. The cinematography is breathtaking. The period wardrobe is beguiling. The score is iconic and a dynamic complement to the film (though I did have to dust off the opening theme song from the archive of “I never want to hear it again”, like “Feelings” or “You Light Up My Life”!). The story itself is one of overcoming adversity, which is a theme that typically resonates deeply with me. Yet despite all these advantages, I’m left feeling that the overall product was simply mediocre. The winner of the Best Picture Oscar in 1982 was Chariots of Fire.

The story is centered on two real-life athletes who represented Great Britain in the 1924 Olympics, runners Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. Liddell is Scottish and was born into a Christian missionary family. He considers running a form of honoring and glorifying his god. Abrahams is Jewish and runs on behalf of his people, attempting to counter the all too prevalent anti-Semitism of the period. The film opens several years before the Olympics as Abrahams is attending the University of Cambridge while Liddell is in Scotland promoting sport and Christianity. When the two first meet and race each other, there is excitement and energy as we wait to see who will come out the victor. This race is just about halfway through the film, and unfortunately, the excitement it raised never returns.

Following their initial competition, the pace dulls as both runners continue their training and personal journeys. Liddell’s running causes him to miss a single church prayer meeting (which causes his sister much distress) and then is confronted with the dilemma of his Olympic running event being scheduled on a Sunday, a day his devout convictions will not allow him to compete. Meanwhile, Abrahams is faced with further scrutiny from his university who accuse his use of a personal trainer as a sign of poor sportsmanship and self-indulgence. Additionally, he loses his first Olympic run and must overcome his own self-doubts for his final event and chance to win a medal. Unsurprisingly, both men are able to achieve a positive outcome, though their personal conquests are dulled by the mundane storytelling.