I was discussing this movie just last night with a friend of my Grandma. She said she saw in theaters and fell asleep through most of the movie. Her date said it was really good and Grandma joked "Which part?" and laughed. There are a few slow parts, hence my 8, but overall I think it's decent. But it definitely was not really earning of Best Picture.(I told my Grandma's friend that it won and she could not believe it.) Raiders of the Lost Ark was nominated and that's much better-and more iconic. Plus, Mommie Dearest won the Razzie("Worst Picture") and I actually think that's the year's best movie.In short, it's worth seeing-but it's not the "Best Picture."

This Oscar-winning UK picture has been long bad-mouthed as an overachiever and unworthy champion ever since it usurped the top honor from its more artistically ambitious opponents, especially, Warren Beatty's long-in-gestation, epic passion project REDS (1981). It is an underdog's triumph, not unlike the real-life story it depicts, two Golden medals from UK running team in the Paris Olympics, 1924. One of the two winners is Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), an English Jew who enters the Cambridge in 1919, and the other is Eric Liddell (Charleson), a Scottish missionary born in China (and would later die in China in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945), thereof, the main obstacle against Abrahams' rising is the anti-Semitism pervading the British academia, whereas in Liddell's case, the through-line is his devout persuasion and unswerving conviction that "he will not run on Sundays" not even for the sake of the monarchy. Both accounts are interwoven steadily with jaunty verve and charming lucidity, and put the reasons behind their running to the forefront.In spite of a face-off in the same competition, brotherly rivalry is never the thorny issue (although it would be undeniable more interesting than the patriotic hagiography in the offer) once they both are recruited to partake in the Olympics, together, they must take up the gauntlet from the elite across the Atlantic Ocean (two US cinematic rising stars, Brad Davis and Dennis Christopher, are cast in small parts). Liddell would stir quite a controversy with his intractability but as long as he would win, it only incarnates his integrity. Inherently, running doesn't entail too much visual grandeur and their duration is fleeting, Abrahams wins in the 100 meter (barely over 10 seconds) and Liddell prevails in the 400 meter race (less than 50 seconds) respectively, so in order to accentuate the tension and glory of the process, director Hugh Hudson pragmatically implements the slo-motion shots to capture the racing moments of the two, especially Liddell, whose spiritual immersion has reached an almost grotesque state of hallowed elation, shows up the sublime pull of competitive sports from a rarefied stance. And of course, it couldn't be honed up to that effect without the anachronistic electronic score by Greek musician Vangelis. The core young cast boosts great empathy of comradeship and determination (although one can quibble not all of them is endowed with a professional runner's physique), Ben Cross and the late Ian Charleson are fine picks but a beaming Nigel Havers is the one who infuses something altruistically wonderful in his wide-eyed conviviality meanwhile Alice Krige is radiant in her silver- screen debut as Sybil, Abrahams' love-interest. Among the veteran bracket, John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson delightfully pair up as a Cambridge duo of uppishness and Nigel Davenport leaves a pungent mark of cunningness as Lord Birkenhead, but it is Ian Holm's half-Arabic, half- Italian running coach Sam Mussabini takes the token Oscar nomination for the ensemble. In hindsight, CHARIOTS OF FIRE is an ostensibly feel-good fare with all its edges being circumspectly smoothed, a dedicates piece of work to propagate sportsmanship and a not-too- subtle agitprop boasting UK's glory and heritage, as well as the consummate devotion of one's religion, a safe bet pandering to a more general, Western-leaning taste but of high-calibre production value, that is, to this day, still the winning formula to allure Oscar votes.

CHARIOTS OF FIRE is undoubtedly one of the finest sports movies ever made because it isn't just about sports per se. Instead, it's a period picture summoning up life in the 1920s, with deep characterisation, strong and subtle acting from the principle actors, and a great attention to detail. The subject matter explores the topic of religion in a sensitive way, while the various running scenes are artily directed and extremely memorable, thanks in part to that classic theme music which really is something to behold.The film stars Ben Cross in a strong turn as a put-upon Jew whose bad temper and grievances threaten to derail him; also here are career-making performances from Nicholas Farrell and Nigel Havers, two actors who would go on to repeat the same type of roles they play here throughout their careers. Although the familiar faces of John Gielgud and Nigel Davenport round out the 'elder statesman' type roles, it's Ian Holm who really shines in a part which is a 180 degree turn from his one in ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

Hugh Hudson's Chariots of Fire is unlike any other sports movie that I have ever seen before, and it is by far one of the most inspirational films of that genre. The film tells the story of two British track athletes one named Harold Abrahams (played by Ben Cross) who is Jewish, the other who also happens to be a missionary named Eric Liddel (played by Ian Charleson) who does track in order to please God though are trying to beat one another while competing in the 1924 summer Olympics. Though unfortunately for Abrahams every time he runs the track with Liddel he takes the first few losses not very seriously until the most recent time he lost to Liddel there was a scene where he was sitting on a chair in the stadium wallowing in self pity thinking that Liddel may be "a little too competitive" and his girlfriend is trying to help him out and he hires a pro training coach named Sam Mussabini (played by Ian Holm in an Oscar nominated performance) whose character reminds me of the boxing manager Mickey Goldmill in the first few Rocky movies. though this movie is unlike all the sports movies that I have seen but it has one thing in common with all the ones I watched and liked that all of them were inspirational works like Raging bull (1980), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Cinderella Man (2005), the Pride of the Yankess (1942), Remember the Titans (2000) etc. The thing about this film was the neatest part to me was the fact that every track running scene all the runners were moving in slow-motion, as well as the classical score that made me get a lot more involved in the story to this movie. In this film there were a few other great supporting performances besides the Ian Holm performance but as well as by the legendary John Gielgud as the master of trinity, Lindsay Anderson as the master of Caius, as well as the second greatest supporting performance of the entire film was by Brad Davis as an American track runner named Jackson Scholz. This film is very profound but to me it didn't deserve the Academy award for best picture as much as Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark which was nominated alongside this film, but I still enjoyed it, and I really do think it is one of the best movies of 1981.