A fresh view on sports

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2002)

To me, a movie is only as good as the number of times you can watch it, and still feel entertained. Suffice it to say that I have watched "Chariots of Fire" many times, and will continue to do so. The film takes us to the most unlikely of places; The 1924 Summer Games, and the focus is on runners from the British team! The central characters of Abrahams and Liddell are well portrayed, but the best performances come from the old pros Sirs Anderson, Holm, and Gielgud. Amongst the other "Young Turks" from Cauis College, I favor the performance of Nigel Havers the most.
Many others have mentioned how the richness of the score lifts the film to another level, and I heartily concur. While the story is good, I could not imagine the movie flowing with such a mystical quality if the music had not been there to guide along the scenes. In fact my two favorite scenes have no dialogue at all, but instead just focuses on the actions of the athletes and the music that captures their movement. It almost seems like ballet, with a beat!
Another strong scene is when Abrahams discusses the driving force behind his running with the two college masters. Amateurism is hardly given a thought nowadays, what with the exorbitant salaries that athletes earn in the professional arena. But in 1924, there was still a belief held that the more glorious road was "the way of the amateur". You can hear the scorn on Anderson's lips when he says "You've hired a professional coach, you've adopted a PROFESSIONAL attitude". This ideology was the accepted stance of most upper-class members of society concerning sports at this time.

To see this film is to understand the glory and fear that is the Olympics, and how a viewer can appreciate the magic of cinema to bring it before our eyes. A deserving winner of the title, "Best Picture".