Chariots of Fire: good or terrible?

Gene Siskel's ghost wrote:

I have seen Chariots of Fire approximately 30 times. Each time, I find something new. It is a very deep movie.

I believe that some of the reason for people disliking it is as suggested on other posts -- a generational aspect of a slowly told story. However, I think another key reason that people -- specifically on this board -- may not like it is that Chariots of Fire is really NOT a movie about track & field. It is a movie about many other things.

Three of the most interesting and deep scenes in the movie took place outside of the track:

1 - When Abrahams is being rubbed out by Coach Mussabini between semis and finals of the 100m, he talks to Aubrey Montague in a long soliloquy. It is a deep look at how a man handles pressure, the drive to be the best at something, and how his religion (and others' perceptions of him as a Jew in 1920's Europe) affected everything in his life.

2 - After Abrahams wins, in the locker room Montague is excited and wants Abrahams to celebrate, but he quietly gets dressed and leaves. Lord Lindsey tells Montague that "someday you will win too, and it is a very hard pill to swallow." If you have ever achieved anything of greatness, you will understand this scene. If not, you will be lost.

3 - Eric Liddell addresses the crowd after a meet in Scotland. His homily talks about how his faith guides him as a man and an athlete. I think people today may struggle, because we rarely have men who are as principled as Liddell was portrayed in the movie. It is not just about not running on Sunday. It is about how a man decided he was going to live his life.

The movie is not about track. It is about many things -- faith, Christianity vs Judaism, the things that drive a man to greatness, the overwhelming sense of loss that happens once you achieve your lifetime goal, falling in love, standing for principles....and yes, track as it existed in the 1920s.

empire building buul pooh detector wrote:

Gene Siskel's ghost wrote:

I have seen Chariots of Fire approximately 30 times. Each time, I find something new. It is a very deep movie.

I believe that some of the reason for people disliking it is as suggested on other posts -- a generational aspect of a slowly told story. However, I think another key reason that people -- specifically on this board -- may not like it is that Chariots of Fire is really NOT a movie about track & field. It is a movie about many other things.

Three of the most interesting and deep scenes in the movie took place outside of the track:

1 - When Abrahams is being rubbed out by Coach Mussabini between semis and finals of the 100m, he talks to Aubrey Montague in a long soliloquy. It is a deep look at how a man handles pressure, the drive to be the best at something, and how his religion (and others' perceptions of him as a Jew in 1920's Europe) affected everything in his life.

2 - After Abrahams wins, in the locker room Montague is excited and wants Abrahams to celebrate, but he quietly gets dressed and leaves. Lord Lindsey tells Montague that "someday you will win too, and it is a very hard pill to swallow." If you have ever achieved anything of greatness, you will understand this scene. If not, you will be lost.

3 - Eric Liddell addresses the crowd after a meet in Scotland. His homily talks about how his faith guides him as a man and an athlete. I think people today may struggle, because we rarely have men who are as principled as Liddell was portrayed in the movie. It is not just about not running on Sunday. It is about how a man decided he was going to live his life.

The movie is not about track. It is about many things -- faith, Christianity vs Judaism, the things that drive a man to greatness, the overwhelming sense of loss that happens once you achieve your lifetime goal, falling in love, standing for principles....and yes, track as it existed in the 1920s.

Well said.

And Abrahams was a strict enforcer of amateurism but lived off the sport all his life.

And took strictnene.