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Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!
Review: I bought the DVD and have no complaints whatsoever. It's wonderful.
This movie though I saw it years ago......when I bought the DVD it was as if I saw it for the first time. Wonderful movie. So sad they don't make movies like this anymore. Ben Cross a wonderful actor, with his dark eyes cold yet his heart so warm. From the first time I saw the movie I was so wrapped up and taken by how wonderfully written it was....I would hear the music and close my eyes and see Eric Liddell and Harold Abraham's running along the beach then I could picture myself running along side of them. If you have pre teen / young adults at home I highly recommend this movie for encouragement and inspiration. It's a lot more encouraging for the better things in life than some of the gang related movies that are out there today! This is a movie for both parent and young adults to see together!! Very possitive movie! Wonderful DVD! This is a movie you will never regret nor forget!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT ACTING
Review: SCOUR THIS FILM FOR GEMS. MADE IN 1980-1 IT CONTAINS THE FINEST OF BRITAIN'S YOUNG ACTING TALENT. THE GREAT IAN CHARLESON IS SUBLIME IN HIS FIRST AND ONLY GREAT MOVIE ROLE. BEN CROSS MAKES SOMETHING OF HIS JOB AS THE COMPLEX ABRAHAMS, NIGEL HAVERS SWANS THROUGH THE ROLE OF THE SEEMINGLY BLITHE ARISTOCRAT LINDSAY BUT NICHOLAS FARRELL AND DANIEL GERROLL BRING TEXTURE TO WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MERE EXERCISE IN SENTIMENTAL STORY-TELLING. LINDSAY ANDERSON, JOHN GIELGUD, NIGEL DAVENPORT AND PATRICK MAGEE ROOT THE ENTERPRISE IN THE FINE TRADITION OF GREAT BRITISH FILMS. IF ONLY TONY WALTON HAD DESIGNED IT.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the most positive movies ever
Review: I first saw this in the theatre when I was a teenager with my teenager girlfriend and this was the most boring movie ever... so we made-out. Now that I am 33 and a Christian I rented the movie and loved it! The principles espoused by Eric Liddel throughout the movie will make every person who loves the Lord smile. The characters in this film are deep and multi-dimentional. I highly recommend this movie to all that wish to be inspired.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great movie: Pity it's not in wide screen for DVD
Review: This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is a story that enobles all in it, dealing with religion and principle and commitment and social class in truly insightful and inspiring ways. Because it is one of my favorites, I quickly bought the movie when I realized it was available in DVD without reading the technical specs closely. Alas, it is currently only available in standard format. That's a pity, because the wide screen views would have been magnificent. To the manufacturers, I say, please, release this in wide format and I'll buy another copy. This movie is worth it. For those who haven't bought the movie yet, you might want to wait a bit to see if a wide-screen DVD is made available.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Reverent, Dynamic, Dignified, Powerful
Review: I've paid more attention to this film more during the past decade than I did when it was originally released. Although the story might take some liberties, it captures the stately beauty of the British Isles.--Of Harold Abraham's world of Cambridge, theatre, and restaurants, and of Eric Liddell's world of the natural beauty of the Scottish glen, church life, family, and friends. The parallel to the subsequent Oscar winner for Best Picture, "Gandhi", is that both films feature Ian Charleson as a warmhearted minister, and John Gielguld as an upper-crust English bigot. As the object of Gielguld's bigotry, Ben Cross gives an intense, but dignified performance. He is a young man eager to prove himself, and he is very attentive to the advice of his coach, Massabini, a societal outcast like himself played by Ian Holm. He also succeeds in winning the affection of a beautiful Gentile actress/singer played by the very photogenic Alice Kriege. Cheryl Campbell as Liddell's sister, Jenny, helps her brother keep his life's goals in perspective. The American runners at the Paris Olympics are played by a lean and tense-looking Dennis Christopher, and an amiable Brad Davis. Nigel Haver's Lord Lindsay was personable and impish-looking. The costumes were splendid, the cinematography was sharp, the modern synthesized score by Vangelis representative of youthful zeal and energy, whatever profanity featured was mild, and despite the fact that the movie begins and ends at a memorial service, the singing of "Jerusalem"--however reminiscent it may be of the ending of "The Lonliness of the Long Distance Runner"--an earlier British film about running-was somehow uplifting.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "I don't run to take beatings; I run to win!"
Review: So Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) impassionately exclaims to girlfriend Sybil (Alice Krige) after his unexpected loss to Eric Liddell (Ian Charleston). But of course, that's the story of both men, really, in this magnificient movie about Great Britain's 1924 Olympic track team. And Abrahams and Liddell, both outside British establishment, are each pursuing their own reasons for ultimate victory. Abrahams is a Jewish man studying at Cambridge, who is angered by the anti-Semitism he encounters even though he tries to fit into Anglican upper crust society. He runs on the desire to show them all that he is the best, in spite of prejudice. He cannot brook disappointment at all. Liddell is a Scottish missionary, a staunch Presbyterian. Some of the reviewers have merely identified him as Protestant, but to understand the opposition he encounters, one must note that as a Scot and a Presbyterian, Liddell is no more a part of the Anglican upper crust than Abrahams. He will have serious decisions to make in Paris regarding the Olympics because of this. Supporting cast is excellent. John Gielgud is wonderfully infuriating as one of a pair of Cambridge dons who begrudge the Jewish Abrahams his successes. Alice Krige, who plays Abrahams operetta star girlfriend, should have gotten more to do after this movie besides the Borg Queen of Star Trek. And Ian Holm is great as Abrahams' coach, helping him to become one of the earliest modernly trained athletes. One of my most rewarding moments as a college writing professor was the unexpected response of my class to this movie, which they were viewing as the preparation for a compare/contrast essay. Here were students from the Caribbean, from Ivory Coast, from Bensonhurst, and yet they just loved it. Many were athletes and others were fundamentalists, so they really identified with the characters and their plights. Winner of the 1981 Academy Award for Best Picture, "Chariots of Fire" is a sublime accomplishment--I can't recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Yuck.
Review: There were no chariots and there was no fire. This is really bad and amateurish stuff. Get a Seagal movie instead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of my favorite movies and here is why...
Review: A movie that is rare simply because it doesn't shy away from the subject of deep faith and personal ethics and commitment.

One is a devout Protestant, Eric Liddell, and divinity student whose joy of running along the beaches in all weather to be a spiritual experience. As they say it made him feel closer to God. Harold Abrahams a highly competitive Jewish student at Britains wonderful Cambridge University which at the time was sadly anti-semetic. Both young men were hoping for the Olympics, in Paris in the 1920's. Sure the music is awesome but for me it was the fact that Eric Liddell was true to his faith and refused to take part in races on the sabbath. Same with devoute Jews too. The movie is so beautifully filmed and the nice thing is that David Puttnam who produced the film produced such a great movie because he himself understood the deep faith element.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Nice Film
Review: It is very difficult to rate this film. The Cinematography, Set Design, Art Direction, and Costume Design, are all top quality. The overall quality of the film, however, is not as good as these individual factors. First and foremost, this is a very good story, but it was made far to long! 124 minutes may seem reasonable, but when all you're seeing is the same simple story, it gets boring. Had they either made it shorter, or had a more complex story, it would have been much better. Next, one mustn't forget the acting. The two actors (whose name's escape me) that played Abrahams and Liddell were fine. Ian Holm, however, was pathetic. How he managed to extract an Oscar Nomination from his pitiful performance is beyond me. He reacted to things to slowly: it appeared he was trying to be subtle, but failed miserably.

All and all, this is a good movie to rent and enjoy, but it's no epic and it will never be a classic.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting
Review: I found this movie to be quite interesting. It is a beautiful film--its cinematography shows the beauty of the European setting, and the costumes and set designs are exquisite. The story was a bit too cerebral to be any inspiration to me. Sure, it was nice to see Harold and Eric win their races, but it just didn't have the same power as other sports movies like "Rocky" or "The Natural." Of course, I may have been prejudiced before seeing it, since it won the Best Picture Oscar over two of my very favorite movies, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "On Golden Pond." I give it three and a half stars (it doesn't quite acheive four star status, but three stars seems too low too).


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