Beautiful

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 1999)

I am surprised at all the negative comments this film has received. Many people have been saying that without the music, it would have been nothing. Complete nonsense. Yes, it was a small film. So! Since when do films have to be three-hour epics (Reds)?
This film is not about competition, but about repression with exhilaration (Thank-you Leonard Maltin). The characters are three-dimensional, the script is truly wonderful. The score is obviously one of the best of all time. The timelessness of it, the memories of the runners as the main title skims across your mind. Vangelis started a synthesizer revolution with this film, and we can't forget it.
In the end, while I don't think this is necessarily the best film of all time, it is certainly the best of 1981.