The film is based on a true story about British runners competing at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Chariots of Fire analyses the very different motives of two men, where for one the goal was to satisfy his own ambition and the other pursued the glory of God.

Harold Abrahams is an English Jew who works his way through his ambition to high athletic performance. Alongside him is the acclaimed runner Eric Liddell – a devout Scottish missionary running and achieving victories so that he can glorify God.

Abrahams accepts defeats from Liddell with difficulty. Over time, he meets Sam Mussabini, a professional coach who helps him improve his fitness. He is interested in representing the school in top competitions, but encounters rejection because of his Jewish background.

The story is intertwined with several life events of the two main protagonists, which precede their emergence in competition at the Olympic Games.

The climax of the film is Liddell’s representation of England at the Olympics in the 100 metres to be run on Sunday. However, Liddell considers this to be a violation of God’s commandment to keep the seventh day holy.

Here Liddell’s faithfulness to God and his principled nature are shown. Some are outraged, others surprised, the newspapers write about it. His attitude only gets to the point where he is reassigned to another race, another day, and that is the 400 metres.

Parents Guide: Abrahams’ easy-going girlfriend, who is also dressed in a dress with a rather large neckline.

Cast: 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, Peter Egan, David Yelland, Yves Beneyton, Richard Griffiths, Peter Cellier, Peter Jones, Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry, Patrick Doyle

Crew: Hugh Hudson

United Kingdom, 1981

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