This is my
favorite sports movie of all time, by a huge margin. If you haven’t seen it, you are in for a
great treat!
Chariots of Fire is the almost-factual history of the
Brit involvement in the 1924 Olympics.
(With embellishments: The director is quoted as saying “never let facts get in the way of a
good story”). The principals are two
sprinters, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell,
respectively a viscerally driven Jew and an incredibly pious Christian missionary. Both guys are
legitimate: Liddell won the Olympic 400 and placed third in the 200, and
Abrahams won the 100. Not so authentic
is the contribution of _Lord Andrew Lindsay" who, in the movie, is instrumental
in getting Liddell a shot at the 400.
Actually, the character of Lindsay is based somewhat loosely on the
career of David Cecil, 6th Marquess of Exeter, who in fact did
compete in the 1924 Olympics as a hurdler, but failed to place. (Happy to relate, in subsequent Olympics Cecil
did win several medals.) Finally, the
scene wherein Abrahams successfully challenges for the Caius College run is non-factual; Cecil accomplished it several years later and his run has never
since been duplicated!
The two Americans who appear in bit parts are
real: Charlie Paddock and Jackson Schultz
were leading sprinters of the day, with Paddock holding the world record of
10.4 for 100m.
Finally, even
if you aren’t a track and field fanatic, as I tend to be, you will enjoy this
movie for the love stuff, the scenery, and the Cambridge ambiance. Be sure to look it up. It is free on Amazon Prime for the time being. A
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