Chariots of Fire (1981)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1981
	Director: Hugh Hudson (Greystoke)
	Actors: Ben Cross (Star Trek), Ian Charleson (Greystoke, Dario Argento's Opera), Nicholas Farrell
	Country: GB
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 23.11.2016, In-flight Entertainment, 10" tablet screen.
Synopsis: Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, aim at competing in the 1924 Olympics.
Review: After the touching Eddie the Eagle, I had the opportunity to watch the classic Chariots of Fire that I had never seen and which story also revolves around the Olympic games, but with a totally different approach. The difference between both is well discussed in the comment section to our post on Eddie the Eagle, and indeed the British classic is more about "Faster, Higher, Stronger". The first thing I noticed when watching the movie is the theme by Vangelis which, although its electronic sounds are very dated to the 80's, works well on this story taking place in the 1920's, even when watched now near the 2020's. The same goes for the whole movie soundtrack, discreet so not overly disco or electronic like some of other movies of the time which now suffer from it. I liked seeing in a small role Ian Holm at the same age as he has in Alien and the other actors, mostly British, are quite natural in their dramatic roles. But then I had trouble keeping track of the characters and the story, partly due to many flashbacks and ellipses, the fact that some characters are not well introduced and their motivation unclear, and also because the image and sound quality of the movie I saw was rather poor. It may deserve to be seen in better conditions. The timeless message of the movie about racism, accepting the other, social classes, religion... is definitely strong, but I couldn't immerse myself enough in the story to fully appreciate it.
Rating: 5 /10