Review of Chariots of Fire (1981) by Aaron A — 13 Sep 2011

"I'm forever in pursuit and I don't even know what I am chasing.".

Synopsis: Two very different runners -- hotshot Jewish Cambridge scholar Harold Abrahams and rigid Presbyterian missionary Eric Liddell -- compete for the British team in the 1924 Olympics, facing intense pressure and complex personal tests of faith.

Chariots of Fire is a rich and lavish production. The costumes are wonderfully realized. The art direction does a fantastic job of putting you in the early 1920's, and there is some terrific talent behind the camera (such as electronic composer Vangelis) as well as great actors within it's frame, and all of the talent are at the top of their game.

The first aspect you might notice is it's score. It's a score many are likely to be familiar with by now as it's one of the most iconic scores in cinematic history. After your done with that "oh wait, i'v heard this song before" moment, your likely to be intrigued by it's visual power, as the aforementioned terrific art and costume designs are coupled with stellar cinematography, all of which combine to make a film thats aged extremely well, even by the casual moviegoing audiences' standards (which are usually the hardest to please).

The picture spends the majority of it's 118 minute runtime concerned with characterization. We get to know why these runners love running and their motivation to do so when everyone else concentrates on less unique pursuits, in short, it's more than just footrace after footrace (though theres plenty of those as well), it's got a solid script that keeps things from standing still. Also the direction (though sometimes relying too much on slow mo) keeps things from getting repetitive by shaking the formula up a bit; keeping you from predicting it's outcome.

With a rousing electronic score from Vangelis, a character focused script, excellent direction and rich production values; Chariots of Fire is a moving sports picture.