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Some athletes compete to prove something to others. Others compete to prove something to themselves. In the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, British runners Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) were driven by forces other than a desire to see themselves in print or thump their chest in a Neanderthal gesture of male domination. Chariots of Fire, the Oscar winning best picture of 1981, is about how these two men used running as an extension of their deep religious faith. It's a great movie and the antithesis of the modern sports film. There are no last second baskets or 9th inning grand slams. Medal tallies and world records are for those who judge success by what we see. Here, success is judged by what we feel.
Liddell is a devout Protestant whose sister frowns on his Olympic aspirations because he's promised to work a mission outside of Europe. But Liddell believes there is another way to spread the word of God. To Liddell, his running ability is a gift from God and to run is to honor him. Abrahams is a Jew who feels that Olympic success will add dignity and self-worth to his Semitic identity. Getting to the Olympics is the easy part; they're both enormously talented. Even winning hardly seems the point. But it's the journey they take and the powers they gird against in order to cross the finish line that makes the film soar.
Liddell, the overwhelming favorite for Olympic Gold in the 100m, refuses to participate in the race because it's being run on the Sabbath. In one of the film's best scenes, the Prince of Wales tries to convince Liddell to honor his country by putting aside his religious objections for just a few precious seconds. As for Abrahams, when he enters Cambridge University, he enters a world that will always look upon him as a different. The only way to prove his worth is to run. But Abrahams has never seen a runner as good as Eric Liddell. And when Liddell beats him in a preliminary race (their only race together), Abrahams is crestfallen. "If I can't win, I won't run!" he tells girlfriend Sybil (Alice Krige).
Both Liddell and Abrahams are interesting characters, perfectly cast. Abrahams is a petulant man who stops just short of being arrogant. Ben Cross is able to walk that line, risking making Abrahams unlikable in his quest for personal validation and respect. As for Liddell, Ian Charleson is just wonderful. Behind his soft face and warm, comforting smile is a man driven by forces he cannot question or control, but is honored to be influenced by. Director Hugh Hudson surrounded his relatively inexperienced lead actors with some of Britain's best character actors. Ian Holm plays Sam Mussabini, the Italian-Turkish track coach who agrees to train Abrahams after he loses to Liddell. John Gielgud plays one of Cambridge University's stuffy dons, who feels that for Abrahams to hire a trainer is not in the best interest of the amateur-only Olympic Games.
Any discussion of Chariots of Fire is not complete without mentioning the Oscar winning score by Greek composer Vangelis. His all-synth concoction was quite the controversy in its day. It terms of chancy scores, it could have been as disastrous as Tangerine Dream's score for Ridley Scott's Legend, but wound up as amazing as the zither score for The Third Man.
Chariots of Fire is a triumphant film told in gentle strokes. It's the story of two people willing to take the world's biggest stage, and risk failure on the grandest scale, in order to honor their God and validate their faith.
The Video: How Does The Disc Look?
I was really hoping Warner would be able to turn the film around, video wise. The transfer on the first disc was pretty average. Unfortunately, the video continues to be problematic, and now that we've got a two-disc special edition, it's doubtful a full-blown clean up is in the offing. The main culprit here is excessive damage to the print, which takes the form of light brown specks and bits of dirt that are just too heavy for a film from 1981. The print starts to straighten itself out after the opening credits and settles into a decent groove. But it's never what it needs to be. Detail and sharpness do rate higher than average. Black levels are strong once the movie gets going, and shadow detail doesn't flag as often as the dirty print would lead you to believe. The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer also features a subdued color palette. The film is beautifully shot, but purposely drab. Still, it's nicely rendered, with no tearing or wavering or fade.
Overall, I was hoping for the definitive transfer. I didn't get it.
The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is good, but not great. The main problem is a general lack of power and focus in the dialogue. Sure, the dialogue is generally understandable, but it just kind of lies there, with a rather flat quality. The Vangelis score fairs better. Since the dialogue is so average, too much emphasis on the score would have thrown the audio out of whack. Luckily, the score excels, but doesn't overwhelm what it's there to support. Surrounds have very little to do. They come to life mostly during the Olympic crowd scenes. There is neither hiss, nor are there any audio anomalies.
There is also a French 2.0 track, and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
This is Chariots of Fire's second DVD go-around and it certainly couldn't be worse than the first. That effort featured no digital remastering and no real extras. Warner Home Video has done us the great favor of providing a two-disc set filled with good stuff.
Director Hugh Hudson provides an insightful audio commentary. He has a deep, radio-ready voice, which he first uses to discuss the double-flashback structure. He dishes about shooting the movie at the same time as the Warren Beatty epic Reds, which took place during a similar period. As a result, the production had a very hard time finding costumes for the actors. Hudson also claims that actor Kenneth Branagh was an extra in a crowd scene, way before he became famous. A nice way to re-watch the film, if you've seen it multiple times.
The rest of the extras are on the second disc. Wings on Their Heels: The Making of Chariots of Fire is interesting because it proves that not every movie has a torturous, protracted journey to the big screen. As expressed during its 27-minute running time, the film came about is a very normal way. No insult to the filmmakers, but we're used to Making-Of's about movies that took 15 years to make, with cast dropouts and dramatic turns of events. Not here. Good script. Good cast. Good movie. Writer Colin Welland did an enormous amount of research into Abrahams and Liddell, but unfortunately Abrahams died two weeks before he started on the film. It's interesting to note that Ben Cross is not Jewish, but he has a focused intensity about him and played the part wonderfully. Hugh Hudson, Cross, and other important players are interviewed. The footage is full screen and clear. There are also some vintage photos of the real Liddell and Abraham, which are great to see.
Chariots of Fire: A Reunion is a very nice 19-minute roundtable with actors Nicholas Farrell and Nigel Havers, director Hugh Hudson, producer David Puttnam, and DP David Watkin. Puttnam says the project came about when he was ill while on holiday. Convalescing, he came across a book on the history of the Olympic Games. He read the book, which included a paragraph about a runner who refused to run the 100m on religious grounds and instead ran the 400m. And that's where it all began. All the participants toss questions around until the whole thing becomes a mellow remembrance. The video is full screen and is clean, but some of the whites are too hot.
Disc two also includes seven Additional Scenes. The first scene, "Cricket in the Ballroom" can be viewed with optional audio commentary by Hugh Hudson. The director says the scene was dropped in the American version because it revolved around cricket, which means nothing to Americans. It's a good scene however and the video quality is excellent. Other scenes include an extension of the dialogue between Abrahams and the Cambridge elders, and a ballroom scene representing the only time we see Eric Liddell show frustration or negative emotions. Video quality on the last two clips is good.
Finally, there is the trailer, in all it's 80s glory.
Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?
No DVD-ROM features have been included.
Final Thoughts
To enjoy Chariots of Fire, one must unlearn all the cliches of the modern sports film. It is, above all, the story of faith tested and faith affirmed. The movie was an underdog winner at the 1981 Academy Awards and it certainly holds up better than many recent Best Picture winners. After shanking the first DVD effort, Warner Home Video has redeemed itself with a two-disc set filled with watchable extras. Highly recommended.
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