I'm crazy about this film

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 1999)

This movie is my very favorite. It only improves with viewing. The story seems simple: nearly everyone thinks it's a movie about running. But there's so much more to it than that. For every character in the movie, running accomplishes some goal. Yet each character approaches running in a different way. Eric Liddell, one of the two main characters, runs for God. 'When I run, I feel His pleasure,' he says, and as he runs, the viewer gets caught up in this belief. I am not a religious person, but watching Eric run, I too feel pleasure. Emotion swells up as he runs around the track. And how could it not, with Vangelis' brilliant soundtrack playing in the background? For Harold Abrahams, the other main character, running also has to do with religion, but Harold runs not to become closer to God but to combat the anti-Semitism he feels wherever he goes. Harold is Jewish, and he runs to show the world that he can outrun anyone else. Great as the racing and training scenes are, what makes this movie memorable are the little touches. Each character is a little miracle unto himself. There are no weak links in the chain. Watch this movie once, then watch it again. Every time you see it, you notice some new nuance, something new to love. This is no action movie suited for large group viewing; it deserves absolute attention. Enjoy.