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Movies / On DVD / Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire

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Chariots of Fire (1981)

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Reviews Counted:36

Fresh:31

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: Decidedly slower and less limber than the Olympic runners at the center of its story, the film nevertheless manages to make effectively stirring use of its spiritual and patriotic themes.

Runtime: 2 hrs 4 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Director Hugh Hudson's absorbing drama, based on a true story, deals with the personal struggles faced by two very different long-distance runners competing for Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympic... Director Hugh Hudson's absorbing drama, based on a true story, deals with the personal struggles faced by two very different long-distance runners competing for Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) is a devout Christian who sees victory as a testament to the glory of God, while the other, Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), is a Jewish Cambridge student who sees victory as a challenge to anti-Semitism and his ongoing struggle for acceptance by Britain's elite. Eric, a hometown Scottish hero to the people, gives rousing sermons after victory and works at a local missionary. Harold runs with a zealous commitment, upsetting Cambridge's educational upper crust (played with enjoyable wit and candor by Sir John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson) while enjoying social life with his university chums and his beautiful showgirl girlfriend (Alice Krige). But when faced with such a competent challenger, Harold hires trainer Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm) to further his dreams of winning the gold. Ultimately, the two runners meet in Paris to run for British victory in a rousing finale. Featuring an unforgettable soundtrack by Vangelis, this Academy Award-winning film is an inspirational story of athletic excellence and spiritual awakening that captures the zeal of post-WWI Britain and the glory of the Olympics. [More]

Starring: Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell

Starring: Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, Nigel Havers, Cheryl Campbell, Ian Holm

Director: Hugh Hudson

Director: Hugh Hudson
Composer: Vangelis

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Release:

Aug 22, 1997

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Chariots of Fire

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Like every element in this picture, the actors look right; they seem to emerge from the past, instead of being pasted on to it, as so many characters in historical movies seem to be.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
08/01/08
Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A pleasant inspirational movie that failed to inspire me.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/24/08
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Lavish and uplifting sports movie driven by finely honed performances, and home to one of the most iconic sequences in 1980s British film.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
01/29/08
Channel 4 Film

No imbalance mars the pic, whose cross-the-board achievement lifts it to an impressive level of unified accomplishment.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/07
Jack Pitman
Jack Pitman
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This manipulative inspirational-religious sports drama, about the 1924 Olympics, benefited immensely from Vangelis stirringly brilliant score and editor Terry Rawlings slow-motion of the running sequences.

Full Review Source: Screendaily | comment Comment
01/25/07
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
Screendaily

Emotionally lacking, Chariots of Fire is only limitedly entertaining as a piece of cinematic history and a glimpse into the history of a handful of Olympic hopefuls.

Full Review Source: Oscar Guy | comment Comment
12/22/06
Wesley Lovell
Wesley Lovell
Oscar Guy

A pleasant, mildly inspirational movie but hardly worthy of all the accolades it received.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
12/17/06
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The battered Britons may have some excuse for enjoying this nostalgic re-creation of empire ideology, but what's ours?

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/17/06
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Really this is an overblown piece of self-congratulatory emotional manipulation perfectly suited for Thatcherite liberals.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/19/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

worth watching despite providing another reason to put words "Oscar" and "overrated" in the same sentence

Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/05/05
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews

Worthy sports flick that avoids playing only to cliche

comment Comment
02/27/05
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
ToxicUniverse.com

There's drama here, but it's work getting to it

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/12/05
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Director Hugh Hudson turns a relatively small story into a rhapsodic epic of spiritual and heroic dimensions.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
02/06/05
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A period piece that explores timeless themes of temporal ambitions and higher purposes, of commitment and sacrifice, of ability and spirit.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
02/03/05
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

Most sport movies make winning the goal. Here, running is a metaphor for life, and the way these men run tells us volumes about their hearts.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
01/15/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

No review available.

comment Comment
12/21/04
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

This is strange. I have no interest in running and am not a partisan in the British class system. Then why should I have been so deeply moved by Chariots of Fire?

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
07/16/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

No review available.

comment Comment
02/08/04
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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