Great.

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2018)

This film addresses the trajectory and rivalry between two Olympic runners of the English racing team who participated in the 1924 Olympics, in Paris. However, its far from be a mere sports film and can be seen under different prisms and approaches. Harold Abrahams is a young Jewish athlete who is determined to win all the races he runs in order to prove his worth to everyone, and perhaps to himself in the first place. The subjects of anti-Semitism and social elitism are evident and greatly affect his character and personality. His rival, Eric Liddell, is a Protestant, son of missionaries and husband of a devotee of the Presbyterian Church. He sees race as a way to praise and magnify God, and is so strict with his faith that he refuses to participate in races on Sunday. One wishes to affirm himself, to show what he is capable of, while the other knows what he is capable of, wanting only to thank those who believe that he has given him these abilities. Both, however, are marked by society because they do not fit fully into it, one for ethnic reasons, the other for the religious fervor in which he lives. Hypocrisy also appears in this film: university rectors who rejoice over a student's achievements but are not able to show it openly, or the banned trainer who is forced to watch his pupil's run from a window. And we also have something that still happens in today's Olympics: exacerbated nationalism's turning healthy sporting into a matter of national pride, fueled by medals and ovations.
From these considerations you may be thinking that the plot is the best thing this movie has to offer and that's true, but it's not bad if you think the essence of any movie is to tell a good story. But it's also true that it's not the only good thing in this movie. The cast has heavy names that worked furiously and played great. Ben Cross was great like Abrahams, being able to express very well the psychological and emotional fragility's of this character; Ian Charleson was equally good in the role of Liddell, especially when speaking or talking about religion. On the track the issue was different, for I hated to see the actor running so affected and artificial, with his mouth wide open and swallowing all the unsuspecting flies that came up on the way. Cinematography is very good, within the standards of the films of the late seventies and early eighties, without the quality that the current film and digital resources have already accustomed our eyes. Some camera shots are excellent and quite unique. As for the soundtrack, composed by Vangelis, it really has become an icon, although I do not like the sound of the synthesizer and prefer the same song in a totally orchestral version. But this is a matter of personal taste.
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, this film only achieved four of them, among which "Best Picture" and "Best Soundtrack". I also have some doubts about whether it will age well and stay popular in the coming decades, since it has virtually disappeared from DVD store windows, as well as from TV channels (even those who are especially dedicated to movie broadcasting). In any case, it remains one of the best films of the eighties and is an absolute must for any connoisseur of the seventh art.