#CHARIOTS OF WAR TRAINER MOVIE#

As the '24 Olympics approaches, Harold is embittered by the cold attitude of his school's Masters (John Gielgud & Lindsay Anderson). He has a tough time convincing his demanding, loving sister Jennie (Cheryl Campbell of Dennis Potter's Pennies from Heaven) that his ambition to race in the Olympics does not conflict with his chosen vocation as a missionary in China. In Scotland, devout missionary Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) is considered one of the fastest foot racers in the world, 'The Flying Scotsman'. At the fancy Caius College, students Aubrey Montague and Lord Andrew Lindsay (Nicholas Farrell & Nigel Havers) become fast friends with Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a multi-talented and aggressively competitive Jewish colleague who wins a traditional school footrace challenge not claimed in 700 years.

#CHARIOTS OF WAR TRAINER MOVIE#

The movie begins in 1978 but flashes back to several moments in time before settling in on 1924, the year of the Paris Olympics. Writer Colin Welland's portrait of non-mainstream athletes navigating the strictures of an intolerant English society has enough fascinating detail to impress us, without exaggeration.

Chariots of Fire did well because audiences pulled in by the sports theme and Vangelis' top-ten title instrumental liked its celebration of sportsmanship and fair play. But no film should be judged that narrowly.

It is true that the movie biz seems to pause every few years to give a high-minded English picture a place in the sun: The Queen, The King's Speech, etc. In his book Adventures in the Screen Trade, the persuasive William Goldman buried this film's reputation on the grounds that it wasn't a popcorn movie, and named several other 1981 releases that he thought were far better. By now, thirty years later, it may be considered to be on the same road to obscurity given Cavalcade, the 1933 Best Picture winner that almost nobody alive has seen. The prime example of the kind of prestige English production that garners top honors every few years at the Academy Awards, Hugh Hudson and David Puttnam's Chariots of Fire has been falsely slammed for being dull and irrelevant. Starring Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers, Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, Ian Holm, John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson, Nigel Davenport, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Dennis Christopher, Brad Davis, Patrick Magee. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me.' If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.1981 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 124 min. Jesus said, 'Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. So who am I to say, 'Believe, have faith,' in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. But how long does that last? You go home. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. I want to compare faith to running in a race.

But I want you to do more than just watch a race. Who said it? 'You came to see a race today.

Chariots of war trainer