Nostalgic, Nationalistic Film about Sporting Ethics

Rating: 8/10 (7 October 2015)

The name of this film Chariots of Fire is also a line from a famous poem / hymn called Jerusalem. It is treated as a national anthem amongst many in England. This film taps into nationalistic pride of winning in sport while conveying a subtle message that the ethics of the Olympic Games are lost in the pursuit of success.
Two sportsmen from a bygone era Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson)are rivals for the gold medal sprint at the Paris Olympic Games. Both are incredibly talented but very different personalities even though they are both outsiders in the society they live in. Abrahams is the son of a migrant Jew who is studying Law at Cambridge and feels out of place amongst the establishment he so detests, while Liddell is also a foreigner in his own land as he was born the son of a missionary in China and he is now back in Scotland but his religious views are seen as a bit odd.
This film is based on real life people and an extraordinary situation which occurred in 1924. These guys ran in a different era when amateurism was the right way to compete, and Christian values were still relevant to a lot of people. Abrahams is unashamed ambitious and just wants to be the best and win for himself and his country and university. Liddell is also ambitious, but his religious activities with the missionary interferes with his goals, but he is convinced by his father that running in the name of God is honourable.
There is an exploration of what motivates athletes, how to take defeat and how to run a straight race which is quite interesting. There also some other athletes in the group - Nigel Havers plays Lord Linsey who is competing in the hurdles. He brings another angle to the film as a true sportsman who just loves taking part. He plays a crucial role near the end of the film.
There are good performances from the lead actors, and I thought the sporting action looked realistic while keeping the period details very well. The Vangelis music score is another major reason to like this film. There are some cheesy moments of athletes back slapping each other and pompous speeches about God King and Country, but on the whole this is an interesting movie - 8/10