Wings on their heels! (Chariots Of Fire (DVD))

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Chariots Of Fire (DVD)
Date:	01/08/08 (291 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: wonderful film and perfect soundtrack

Disadvantages: none!

I had a wonderful evening a few nights ago watching one of my favourite films of all time - Chariots of Fire. This amazing film depicts the events of the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris and the personal and public struggles of two athletes- Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddle.

The film starts at a memorial service in 1978 giving thanks for the life of Harold Abrahams. We are then taken back in time to when those two men were hardly more than boys starting out on their quest for glory. Harold Abrahams is a student at Cambridge with rather a big chip on his shoulder mainly due to his being jewish. Eric Liddle is a Scottish missionary who is running for God as well as himself. These two men could not be more different from each other but they end up as rivals but both competing for their country. It's a fascinating insight into the lives of these real men.

I absolutely love this film and it is one I can watch many many times. The way it is filmed is incredibly moving and a lot of the athletic action is accompanied by very haunting but also uplifting music. The athletic scenes are often slowed down and all of these effects add to the impact of the film.

The casting in this film is excellent and I think both main characters are so convincing. Ian Charleson gives an absolutely magnificent portrayalof the passionate and devotely religious Liddle. Much of the film centres on his being torn between running and his religion and on his refusal to run on the Sabboth. He plays the part with such humility that you can't help but admire both the actor and the man he portrays.

Ben Cross gives an equally impressive performance as Harold Abrahams. He is much more arrogant than Liddle and will do anything he can in order to win including employing a professional coach which does not go down at all well.

There is also wonderful array of supporting actors as well including the wonderful Sir John Gielgud, Nigel Havers, Ian Holm and Lindsay Anderson. Every part is played so well and the film is so well cast. The music is mainly by Vangelis and also contrasts with many restrains from Gilbert and Sullivan which is very uplifting.

There are so many moving moments in this film and I cannot watch it without being moned to tears at some time. I think that my favourite moment though is when Eric Liddle refuses to run a heat in a Sunday despite enormous pressure from Lord Birkenhead and the Prince of Wales. ERic remains resolute and the situation is only saved by the opportunity to switch races and run the 400 metres instead. After Liddle goes the committee are quite relieved because it looked at one point that Liddle had them beaten. The Duke of Sutherland says that 'He did have us beaten, and thank God he did' and goes on to explain that Liddle is such a principled man running for God, that if they had forced him to run they would have taken all the fight out of him.

There are also wonderful settings in this film. Right at the start you see a group of athletes running along a somewhat bleak British beach. This is a truly mesmorising image and unforgetable for anyone who has seen the film. The action moves between the hallowed colleges of Cambridge and the gorgeous backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.

There are also many scenes depicting races in stadiums and these are all staged very well. It's also fascinating to compare the styles and the dress of the athletes compared with today. In those days they ran on sandy tracks and rather than having starting blocks they each had their own trowel in order to dig out little grooves in the ground! The athletes were much more raw than the toned precision athletes we know today.

Overall this is a wonderful film and as it is depicting real events you do get a sense of history. It is a very uplifting film - at times very emotional and at other times quite funny. Every time I have watched it I have been totally absorbed from the word go and I always feel the tension of the races even though I always know who won!

As we have the two disc special edition I have also really enjoyed watching two features on the second disc. Firstly, there is a documentary called Wings on their Heels which goes into how the film was made. You are given insights from the director Hugh Hudson and the writer Colin Welland. It's very interesting to find out how they researched the film and how it was cast. I was also fascinated to learn that all the actors who played the athletes actually went through three months of physical training before the filming started. Ben Cross and Nigel Havers certainly have some memories about that.

There is also a Chariots of Fire reunion where a number of people involved including Welland and Havers sit round and leisurely reminisce about how it all began. this was also very enjoyable to watch as well.

On this second disc there are aslso some deleted scenes. It's always interesting to watch these and to wonder why some of them were left out!

Overall, this is an excellent DVD - a brilliant film with some really good extra features as well. The two disc special is available on Amazon at the moment for only £7.97 - which is fantastic value!

Summary: A very uplifting and moving film!