Chariots of Fire

Rating:
Summary: The Brilliant Resurgence Of The British Movie Industry
Review: The time is 1924. The finest athletes of England have begun their quest for glory in the Olympic Games. Their success will win honor for their nation - but for two champion runners, the honor at stake is a personal one...and their challenge one from within.

Chariots Of fire tells the exciting, inspiring true story of Harold Abrahams, Eric Liddell, and the dedicated team of competitors who brought Great Britain one of her most legendary victories in international sports. It is also the film that marked the brilliant resurgence of the British movie industry - and won four 1981 Academy Awards - including Best Picture.

Virtually a succession of smashing debuts, which it proved to be for Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers, Nicholas Farrell, Alice Krige, Jeremy Sinden, and Daniel Gerroll in their first major film roles, and Hugh Hudson (a veteran of British Television)directing his first theatrical feature. With such other wonderful talents by veteran actors Sir Ian Holm, Sir John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson, and Nigel Davenport, the collective people together shaped a film whose impact is still lasting and unique. From its bracing footage of competition and pagentry, to the haunting image of the English runners on the beach, to the extraordinary music score by Vangelis, Chariots Of Fire has left its mark on film fans everywhere. It also has proven that British filmmakers and film crews are the best, and only the best, in the world.

If you are looking for the finest in entertainment, art films, or otherwise, you need not look any furthur than Chariots Of Fire. The finest of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves its Oscar
Review: Some other reviewers here have suggested that the movie is slow and boring, the music is bad, etc. I disagree. It's slow and boring if you have an attention span geared only to the Matrix movies; the music has become a cliche due to excessive use by sports shows (not to mention excessive parody by comedy shows) following the release of the film. But it fits the movie well.
Others have called the story "manipulative". That charge could be made against any movie that offers an inspiring message. I did not find the message of this movie to be heavy-handed.
One of the things that most impresses me about this movie is attention to detail. Not just the wonderful sets, costumes, automobiles, etc. -- but little moments that might be missed by most viewers. For example, when the French national anthem is played at the Olympic opening ceremony, the camera pans across the athletes holding national flags. All are dipped in homage to the French anthem -- except the U.S. flag. I'm impressed that the British film-makers knew about this American tradition (begun by an athlete in an earlier Olympics) of not dipping the Stars and Stripes to any other nation. Or how about the scene in which Eric Liddell is reading Scripture in the Paris church, while scenes of track and field action are intercut: one such scene shows a runner with a flag of Finland on his chest breaking the tape at the finish line. This is Paavo Nurmi, a legendary Olympic distance runner. Also, as Eric crosses the finish line in the 400, you can see another runner trip and fall -- something that happened in the actual race.
The inclusion of minute details such as this adds much to the film. (Of course, not every detail is perfect; if you freeze frame at the right time while the U.S. team is working out, you'll see that the flags on their warmup outfits have 50 stars. Hawaii and Alaska did not become states until 36 years later).
All in all, a beautiful, moving, and memorable film that well deserved the Best Picture Academy Award.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointed in this film and the quality of the DVD
Review: I had expected so much more from this film. There were two interwoven stories that at times were very difficult to follow. I think a stronger narrative would have helped tie things together.

The story of the Scot who wouldn't race on the Sabbath was well acted but the woman who played his girlfriend was dreary. It was refreshing to see a Protestant hero that wasn't presented as a hypocrite.

The other story of Abrahams was not well thought out. I kept waiting to hear more about his motivations. It must have been difficult to be Jewish in an ultra WASPY British Private School but the movie left too much out....

The story line was very hard to follow and even boring at times.

Filming was washed out. The slow motion scenes were awful.

Very similar to many Masterpiece Theater productions but not as well produced, acted or as sophisticated. I thought the intro at the college where different students tried to get freshmen to join their clubs was incredibly corny.

I can't believe this was picture of the year!

Rating:
Summary: Uplifting and Inspiring
Review: "Chariots of Fire" makes the list of my ten favorite movies of all-time. The film depicts the true life journey of two sprint champions from the 1924 Paris Olympics. This isn't your average sports movie as the character development is more significant than the competition on the track. The "Flying Scotsman" Eric Liddell is man of deep moral conviction and joyful heartfelt devotion to God. As he runs he senses God's pleasure. Harold Abrams is an intense Jewish student at Cambridge who is driven to win in defiance of the obstacles of prejudice and institutionalism. He runs to prove his worth.

The film is slow moving and filled with numerous flashbacks. Knowing the history of the characters would enable you to better follow the story and appreciate the men portrayed. The acting is excellent with terrific performances by supporting actors such as Ian Holm as track coach Sam Mussabini; John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson as the stuffy masters of the university; and Nigel Havers as the likeable Lord Lindsay. The electronic sounding musical score is the most recognizable part of the movie and the costuming is exceptional. I was deeply moved and inspired by "Chariots of Fire."

Rating:
Summary: Hello - Widescreen???
Review: Why hasn't this movie been released in Widescreen? Acadamey award winning; awesome panoramic views of the statdium, the freighter, the school yard, the beach...Come on already with the only format which will do this film justice. Would have been one of my first 10 purchases if not for the full-screen format. What are they waiting for, the Olympics? What is that - the Olympics are this summer in Greece? What a great time for a re-release in W-I-D-E-S-C-R-E-E-N!!! Then we go up to more stars for sure.

Rating:
Summary: Chariots of Fire
Review: Excellent video. Condition as described by seller was on target for a used video. Service from seller was wonderful, no problems.

Rating:
Summary: The Finest Film in the Land
Review: Chariots of Fire is and will always remain my favorite film in history. As a child, my father used it as a tool in teaching me how to be a man. What is success? What defines a man? How does a man define himself?

These questions, and countless others, are rarely considered in contemporary films (especially those produced in Hollywood). Chariots of Fire is one of very few film experiences that has the capacity to broaden and deepen the soul of its audience.

Every time I watch this film I glean something new from it - something I carry into my everyday existence. As a filmmaker myself (a recent graduate of USC's School of Cinema/Television) Chariots of Fire along with the films of Krzysztof Kieslowski set the highest standard of achievement in Cinema. If I can achieve only a quarter of what these films have, I will consider my work a great success.

Like a few other reviewers, I am praying for the release of a special edition with widescreen, commentary, behind-the-scenes, a documentary on the actual event, and other special features. I am thankful to own the current edition, but this film is long overdue for an expanded collector's edition.

If you are looking for a superficial melodrama about the Olympics, don't watch Chariots of Fire - it threatens to answer more about our human purpose on earth than many of us are yet comfortable with.

Rating:
Summary: Fine story, clunky directing, anachronistic score...
Review: This is kind of strange because I have owned this soundtrack for years (on LP) and have grown to love many of the tracks, excepting the first one because it's so corny and overplayed. The story of Eric Liddel is excellent, and has to go down as one of the inspiring sports triumphs in the motion pictures. That having been said, the film has an odd sense of rhythm and editing, and shows its age. The Vangelis score doesn't help matters any, as it is very existential yet the technical aspects of the film are quite pedestrian. i particularly did not think the undercranked (slow-motion) footage was very well utilized. Overall, a superior sports film mired in a self-concious presentation. Additionally, the "bookending" of the film with brief scenes from the present day was completely unnecessary.

Rating:
Summary: All-time, all-galaxy, all-life-form top 10 flick
Review: Every human being should see this film, particularly if he or she is in need of a good jolt of optimism and human feeling. But 'nuff said about its greatness, as other reviewers have done a gold medal job of describing its qualities. [See also the citizen reviews on imdb.com]

What's interesting to me about this all-time classic is how shabbily it is being treated these days. You would think that for its 20th anniversary its owners and "caretakers" would have done a better job with it. Instead, it has been treated like a movie as rancid as "Jaws III." Interesting, too, how no one associated with it ever struck gold again. Nonetheless, this movie about the 1924 Olympics stands frozen in time for me in 1981 as one of the greatest films ever made.

Rating:
Summary: cinematography oscar and pan/scan dvd? unacceptable
Review: I cannot believe that other reviewers have not commented on the fact that this film is presented in 1.33 pan/scan on the dvd. That is totally unacceptable in 2004, and especially because this film won an Oscar for cinematography. Unacceptable. Please do not purchase this DVD until the studio releases a version of this film that we can all see. Totally lame, very disappointing, and ultimately unnecessary. What, they couldn't afford the extra bits on the DVD? Come on...