And they ran them off their feet...

Rating: 10/10 (18 May 2002)

Eric Liddell says that he runs for the glory of God, and when he runs he feels his pleasure. As Liddell sprints down the field in the last lap of the 400 metres at the Olympic Games what you see in Liddell's face is that joy and so much more. At the finish line is not only at the end of the race, but a moment in time where he can be one with the God that he puts above everyone and everything, including those he loves best in life.
"It's an ache... a helplessness... and an anger" This is Harold Abrahams' reaction to the subtle segregation that he is forced to face in Upperclass English Society as a Jew. To beat Eric Liddell is to prove himself, if not to others, that he is at least the equal of any native Anglo-Saxon Christian Brit. To break the tape at the Olympic Games and beat the fastest man alive is to be for once admired, respected, and accepted by a Society that has only tolerated his presence. The drive for this acceptance is something that he puts above everyone and everything, including those he loves best in life.
Each man has a goal, an aim, an objective and each works hard to reach it. As different as they are it is the drive that they share in common, and the need to have their deepest held desires achieved. At the end of the finish line where Eric Liddell is embraced by his God, Harold Abrahams is embraced by his British peers.
To muddy the waters of these men's personal stories by looking for larger, philosophical themes is a crime. The film itself is beautifully done. Anyone who finds it boring or pretentious needs to go back to watching the WWF.