Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire at first glance looks like another sports film about running. There are elements of that genre, but also many variations and layers that make it worth watching.

The movie is about the Olympic games, and about the hard work, dedication, and intensity of competing at that level. But it's also about what drives different people to succeed. The characters of Harold Abraham and Eric Liddell had such different motivations for their athletic achievements, and the movie explored them well.

Ian Charleston played the role of Eric Liddell, a strongly principled christian missionary. The sincerity, conviction, and faith of the character came across in every scene. He was soft-spoken, kind, and confident in his beliefs. Many times in movies strongly principled characters come across as very one-dimensional, but this role was acted so well that Eric came across as real and someone the audience could root for. This range for the character wasn't done with his lines, because most of them were about faith and strength of character. The dimension of the character came more from expressions and non-verbal cues. Ian Charleston truly understood the man he was portraying, and acted it well.

The role of Harold Abraham was played by Ben Cross. Harold's motivation for his success in running was to escape the prejudice against him as a Jewish man in England. From the beginning, it was understood that Harold had a chip on his shoulder about his heritage, and an expectation of being the victim of prejudice. When those expectations were fulfilled, as in the meeting with the leaders of Cambridge, Harold's part was acted well.  On his face were mixed emotions of anger and hurt, but also somehow a thrill of being right all along, and met expectations. This scene in particular was acted so well, and the nuances of what the character may have been thinking and feeling came across in his mannerisms and facial expressions better than any delivered lines. This character required an intensity that could easily have been overacted, but wasn't.

The supporting cast was well played, it seemed that every actor portrayed their role well. Some worth mentioning are Dennis Christopher as Paddock, who did a great job with almost no actual lines, and Cheryl Campbell as Jennie Liddell who made her small role into an important part of the plot. Ian Holmes' role as trainer was interesting and his portrayal moving. The scene where he finds out that Harold has won the medal was especially well done.

I don't think I can talk about this movie without mentioning the score. It is truly iconic, and has been rattling around in my head since I saw the movie. The scenes at the beginning and end on the beach with what I would call the "theme" of the music just couldn't be better.

Set and costume design were a great part of the movie as well, I truly felt transported to the 1920s. The running gear, the Olympic ceremonies, even the small details of the hats they all wore, were parts of the transformation to an earlier era.