Chariots of Fire (film)

Chariots of Fire is a British sports film from 1981, with a screenplay by Colin Welland and directed by Hugh Hudson. The film is based on a real story of British athletes who are preparing for the Olympic Games of 1924. The film was nominated for seven Oscars and won four, including those for Best Film.



Content
[hide] *1 Story  ==Story[ Edit] == The film begins in 1919, when Harold Abrahams is going to study at the University of Cambridge. He is, however, not warmly welcomed by the anti-Semitic staff. However, he admitted to the Gilbert and Sullivan-club, where he was the first person who completes the Trinity Great Court run . Abrahams soon turns to have talent for running multiple games in a row as he wins. He gets during his stay with an eye on the Gilbert and Sullivan soprano Sybil.
 * 2 Cast
 * Background 3
 * 3.1 Scenario
 * 3.2 Historicity
 * 3.3 Music
 * 3.4 Actors
 * 3.5 Locations
 * 4 Prices
 * 4.1 Oscars (1981)
 * 4.2 Cannes Film festival (1981)
 * 4.3 BAFTA's (1981)
 * 4.4 Golden Globes
 * 5 external links

Then it goes one day Eric Liddell, the son of Scottish missionaries, born in China back to Cambridge for a short stay. He sees running races as a perfect means to honor God. He challenges Abrahams out for a match and beats him. Abrahams summarizes this heavy on because it is his first defeat. Sam Mussabini, bids on a professional trainer, Abrahams to help to improve his technique. Harold accepts this offer, to the displeasure of the professors at the University. Liddell accidentally misses his running a church service, on which his sister Jennie accuses him no more to give to God. Eric dismisses this criticism as he is while running right feels inspired by God, and that stop walking right would be an insult to God.

Years pass and both Abrahams and Liddell books great progress in the field of running. Both athletes to represent the United Kingdom at the 1924 summer Olympics in Paris. In addition to Abrahams and Liddell are Abrahams ' Cambridge-friends Lord Andrew Lindsay, Aubrey Montague, and Henry Stallard invited. During the boat trip to France hears Liddell that the 100 meter sprint, the part where he on Sunday on a classified, will take place. Faithful as he is, he therefore refuses to run the race, despite the insistence of the Prince of Wales and the Olympic Committee. Liddell the front pages of the newspapers. Lord Andrew Lindsay, who already has won a silver medal in the 400 m hurdles, Liddell to offers to take his place in the 400 meter sprint next Thursday to Liddell. Liddell accepts this offer and gets gold in the 400 m.

Meanwhile Abrahams soundly defeated by the American in the 200 metres sprint runners. His last shot at a medal is the 100 metres, where he now instead of Liddell is to represent the United Kingdom. Abrahams WINS and can now finally return to his life according to his coach. The British team returns triumphantly back home. ==Division Of Roles[ Edit] == ==Background[ Edit] == ===Scenario<span class="mw-editsection" len="338" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Film producer David Puttnam was looking for the movie to a story equal to A Man for All Seasons (1966).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [2]  Eric Liddells story He discovered by chance in 1978, when he sat at home due to illness and a book about the Olympics las.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [3]  <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]
 * Nicholas Farrell: Aubrey Montague
 * Nigel Havers: Lord Andrew Lindsay
 * Ian Charleson: Eric Liddell
 * Ben Cross: Harold Abrahams
 * Daniel Gerroll: Henry Stallard
 * Ian Holm: Sam Mussabini
 * John Gielgud: Dean of Trinity
 * Lindsay Anderson: Dean of Caius
 * Nigel Davenport: Lord Birkenhead
 * Alice Krige: Sybil Gordon
 * Brad Davis: Jackson Scholz
 * Patrick Magee: Lord Cadogan
 * Struan Rodger: Sandy McGrath
 * Dennis Christopher: Charles Paddock
 * David Yelland: Prince of Wale

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Screenwriter Colin Welland did a lot of research for the film. So did he in the newspaper calls to athletes who had experienced the play to send him information about the games. The son of Aubrey Montague Welland sent copies of the letters from his father, which Welland used as a basis for the text of the Narrator.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Ian Charleson wrote the dialogue for Eric Liddells speech in the Church.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [5]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The scenario bore the working title "Runners". The inpsiratie for the title "Chariots of Fire" came when turned on the TV on Sunday evening, and a Welland hymn of the religious Songs of Praise music program saw.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The film was adapted for the American public something. Thus a short scene with a cricket competition taken away. ===Historicity<span class="mw-editsection" len="343" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Music<span class="mw-editsection" len="336" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The music for the film was composed by Vangelis. Although the film is set in the 1920s, Vangelis used electronic music from the 80 's as a basis for the soundtrack. This was a great deviation from previous films, in which the music is always connected to the time period in which the story played.
 * The film shows Abrahams, Henry Stallard, Aubrey Montague, and Lord Andrew Lindsay as students at the University of Cambridge. The real Abrahams and Stallard were indeed students, but Montague studied at Oxford.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aubrey_6-0" len="182" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [6]
 * The character Lindsay is based on David Burghley (Lord Burghley), an important figure in the history of British Athletics. In 1924 he was the only person ever who could complete the Trinity Great Court run, not Abrahams.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [7]
 * In the film, Liddell in the 400 m, but overturned by a Frenchman wins it. This is based on a real race, just not during a match against France but during a match between Scotland, England and Ireland in July 1923.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [8]
 * Abraham's fiance is called Sybil Gordonin the film, a D'Oyly Carte Opera Companysoprano of the. The real Abrahams married in 1936 with Sybil Evers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" len="175" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [9]  <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" len="177" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]
 * Liddells sister was in the really younger than in the movie.
 * In reality were the course schedules months before the start of the Olympics already published, causing Liddell in plenty of time already knew that the 100 m would be on a Sunday.
 * Abrahams won the 100 metres, In reality first and then ran only the 200 m.
 * Abrahams also won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 meter relay.
 * Eric Liddell also ran into reality in the 200 metres.

<p lang="en" len="158" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Some of the pieces of music by Vangelis did not until the music album, including the background music of Eric Liddells race in the Scottish Highlands. ===Actors<span class="mw-editsection" len="337" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Director Hugh Hudson insisted that young, unknown actors would be chosen for the leading roles. For the supporting roles were veterans chosen as John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson, and Ian Holm. Hudson and producer David Puttnam took months to a candidate for the role of Eric Liddell. Their eye fell on the Scottish stage actor Ian Charleson when they saw him in the role of Pierre in the play Piaf. Charleson had at that time already heard of the movie and wanted to play a role in it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" len="177" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [11]  Ben Cross, who plays the role of Harold Abrahams, was discovered when he appeared in the role of Billy Flynn in Chicago.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hudson_12-0" len="184" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [12]  <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" len="177" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]

<p lang="en" len="115" style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">All actors who were chosen as runners underwent three months of training under the supervision of coach Tom McNab. ===Locations<span class="mw-editsection" len="338" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The famous scene of runners on the beach at the beginning of the film was shot on West Sands, St Andrews. Here is now a plaque to commemorate this fact. The last scene of the intro piece was recorded on St. Andrews Golf Course. This scene you can also see at the credits at the end of the film

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">All scenes on Cambridge were recorded on Hugh Hudson's alma mater Eton College, because Cambridge refused for recording on the territory. This because of the display of anti-Semitism in the film.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:22.3999996185303px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The Liverpool Town Hall served as the location for the scenes in the British Embassy in Paris.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hudson_12-1" len="184" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [12]  the scenes in the Olympic Stadium of Colombes were included in The Oval Sports Centre, Bebington, Merseyside.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-where_14-0" len="183" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"> [14] ==Prices<span class="mw-editsection" len="337" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Oscars (1981)<span class="mw-editsection" len="344" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Cannes Film festival (1981)<span class="mw-editsection" len="361" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===BAFTA's (1981)<span class="mw-editsection" len="345" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===Golden Globes<span class="mw-editsection" len="344" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ Edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" len="1" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ===
 * Won
 * Best picture - David Puttnam, producer
 * Best Original Score- Vangelis
 * Best Original Screenplay- Colin Welland
 * Best Costume Design- Milena Canonero
 * Nominated
 * Best supporting actor-Ian Holm
 * Best Director
 * Best film editing
 * Won
 * Prize of the Ecumenical Jury-special mention-Hugh Hudson
 * Best actor in a supporting role-Ian Holm
 * Nominated
 * Golden Palm
 * BAFTA Award for Best Film (1981)
 * Golden Globe for best foreign Film