Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire | |
---|---|
Directed by | Hugh Hudson |
Written by | Colin Welland |
Produced by | David Puttnam |
Starring | |
Cinematography | 20th Century-Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 124 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Budget | $5.5 million (£3 million)[1] or £4,032,859[2] |
Box office | $59 million (U.S. and Canada)[3] |
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British
Chariots of Fire was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score for Vangelis' electronic theme tune. At the 35th British Academy Film Awards, the film was nominated in 11 categories and won in three, including Best Film. It is ranked 19th in the British Film Institute's list of Top 100 British films.
The film's title was inspired by the line "Bring me my Chariot of fire!" from the William Blake poem adapted into the British hymn and unofficial English anthem "Jerusalem"; the hymn is heard at the end of the film.[4] The original phrase "chariot(s) of fire" is from 2 Kings 2:11 and 6:17 in the Bible.
Plot
During a 1978 funeral service in London in honour of the life of Harold Abrahams, headed by his former colleague Lord Andrew Lindsay, there is a flashback to when he was young and in a group of athletes running along a beach.
In 1919, Harold Abrahams enters the University of Cambridge, where he experiences antisemitism from the staff but enjoys participating in the Gilbert and Sullivan club. He becomes the first person ever to complete the Trinity Great Court Run, running around the college courtyard in the time it takes for the clock to strike 12, and achieves an undefeated string of victories in various national running competitions. Although focused on his running, he falls in love with Sybil Gordon, a leading Gilbert and Sullivan soprano.[a]
Eric Liddell, born in China to Scottish missionary parents, is in Scotland. His devout sister Jennie disapproves of Liddell's plans to pursue competitive running. Still, Liddell sees running as a way of glorifying God before returning to China to work as a missionary. When they first race against each other, Liddell beats Abrahams. Abrahams takes it poorly, but Sam Mussabini, a professional trainer he had approached earlier, offers to take him on to improve his technique. This attracts criticism from the Cambridge college masters, who allege it is not gentlemanly for an amateur to "play the tradesman" by employing a professional coach. Abrahams dismisses this concern, interpreting it as cover for antisemitic and class-based prejudice. When Liddell accidentally misses a church prayer meeting because of his running, Jennie upbraids him and accuses him of no longer caring about God. Eric tells her that though he intends to return eventually to the China mission, he feels divinely inspired when running and that not to run would be to dishonour God.
After years training and racing, the two athletes are accepted to represent Great Britain in the
Abrahams is badly beaten by the heavily favoured United States runners in the 200-metre race. He knows his last chance for a medal will be the 100 metres. He competes in the race and wins. His coach Mussabini, who was barred from the stadium, is overcome that the years' dedication and training have paid off with an Olympic gold medal. Now Abrahams can get on with his life and reunite with his girlfriend Sybil, whom he has neglected for the sake of running. Before Liddell's race, the American coach remarks dismissively to his runners that Liddell has little chance of doing well in his new, far longer, 400-metre race. But one of the American runners, Jackson Scholz, hands Liddell a note of support that quotes 1 Samuel 2:30. Liddell defeats the American favourites and wins the gold medal. The British team returns home triumphant.
A textual epilogue reveals that Abrahams married Sybil and became the elder statesman of British athletics while Liddell went on to do missionary work and was mourned by all of Scotland following his death in Japanese-occupied China.
Cast
- Ben Cross as Harold Abrahams, a Jewish student at Cambridge University
- Ian Charleson as Eric Liddell, the son of Scottish missionaries to China
- Nigel Havers as Lord Andrew Lindsay, a Cambridge student runner (partially based on David Burghley and Douglas Lowe)
- Aubrey Montague, a runner and friend of Harold Abrahams
- Ian Holm as Sam Mussabini, Abrahams' running coach
- John Gielgud as Master of Trinity College at Cambridge University
- Caius Collegeat Cambridge University
- Cheryl Campbell as Jennie Liddell, Eric's devout sister
- Alice Krige as Sybil Gordon, a D'Oyly Carte soprano and Abrahams' fiancée (his actual fiancée was Sybil Evers)
- Struan Rodger as Sandy McGrath, Liddell's friend and running coach
- Nigel Davenport as Lord Birkenhead, member of the British Olympic Committee, who counsels the athletes
- Patrick Magee as Lord Cadogan, chairman of the British Olympics Committee, who is unsympathetic to Liddell's religious plight
- Prince of Wales, who tries to get Liddell to change his mind about running on Sunday
- Peter Egan as the Duke of Sutherland, president of the British Olympic Committee, who is sympathetic to Liddell
- Daniel Gerroll as Henry Stallard, a Cambridge student and runner
- Brad Davis as Jackson Scholz, American Olympic runner
- Dennis Christopher as Charley Paddock, American Olympic runner
- Richard Griffiths as Mr Rogers, Head Porter at Caius College
Other actors in smaller roles include John Young as Eric and Jennie's father Reverend J.D. Liddell, Yvonne Gilan as their mother Mary, Benny Young as their older brother Rob, Yves Beneyton as French runner Géo André, Philip O'Brien as American coach George Collins, Patrick Doyle as Jimmie,[5] and Ruby Wax as Bunty.[6] Kenneth Branagh, who worked as a set gofer, appears as an extra in the Cambridge Society Day sequence.[7] Stephen Fry has a likewise uncredited role as a Gilbert-and-Sullivan Club singer.[7]
Production
Screenplay
Producer
Screenwriter
Welland's original script also featured, in addition to Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, a third protagonist, 1924 Olympic gold medallist Douglas Lowe, who was presented as a privileged aristocratic athlete. However, Lowe refused to have anything to do with the film, and his character was written out and replaced by the fictional character of Lord Andrew Lindsay.[15]
Initial financing towards development costs was provided by Goldcrest Films, who then sold the project to Mohamed Al-Fayed's Allied Stars, but kept a percentage of the profits.[16]
Ian Charleson wrote Eric Liddell's speech to the post-race workingmen's crowd at the Scotland v. Ireland races. Charleson, who had studied the Bible intensively in preparation for the role, told director Hugh Hudson that he didn't feel the portentous and sanctimonious scripted speech was either authentic or inspiring. Hudson and Welland allowed him to write words he personally found inspirational instead.[17]
Puttnam chose
Casting
Director Hugh Hudson was determined to cast young, unknown actors in all the major roles of the film, and to back them up by using veterans like John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson, and Ian Holm as their supporting cast. Hudson and producer David Puttnam did months of fruitless searching for the perfect actor to play Eric Liddell. They then saw Scottish stage actor Ian Charleson performing the role of Pierre in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Piaf, and knew immediately they had found their man. Unbeknownst to them, Charleson had heard about the film from his father, and desperately wanted to play the part, feeling it would "fit like a kid glove".[19]
Ben Cross, who plays Harold Abrahams, was discovered while playing Billy Flynn in Chicago. In addition to having a natural pugnaciousness, he had the desired ability to sing and play the piano.[14][20] Cross was thrilled to be cast, and said he was moved to tears by the film's script.[21]
All of the actors portraying runners underwent an intensive three-month training regimen with renowned running coach Tom McNab. This training and isolation of the actors also created a strong bond and sense of camaraderie among them.[21]
Filming
The beach scenes showing the athletes running towards the Carlton Hotel at Broadstairs, Kent,[23] were shot in Scotland on West Sands, St Andrews next to the 18th hole of the Old Course at St Andrews Links. A plaque now commemorates the filming.[24][25] The impact of these scenes (as the athletes run in slow motion to Vangelis's music) prompted Broadstairs town council to commemorate them with a seafront plaque.[26]
All of the Cambridge scenes were actually filmed at Hugh Hudson's alma mater Eton College, because Cambridge refused filming rights, fearing depictions of anti-Semitism. The Cambridge administration greatly regretted the decision after the film's enormous success.[14]
Editing
The film was slightly altered for the U.S. audience. A brief scene depicting a pre-Olympics
Soundtrack
Although the film is a period piece set in the 1920s, the Academy Award-winning original soundtrack composed by Vangelis (credited as Vangelis Papathanassiou) uses a contemporary 1980s electronic sound, with a strong use of synthesizer and piano among other instruments. This was a departure from earlier period films, which employed sweeping orchestral instrumentals. The title theme of the film has been used in subsequent films and television shows during slow-motion segments.
Vangelis, a Greek-born electronic composer who moved to Paris in the late 1960s, had been living in London since 1974.
Hudson originally wanted Vangelis's 1977 tune "L'Enfant",[35] from his Opera Sauvage album, to be the title theme of the film, and the beach running sequence was actually filmed with "L'Enfant" playing on loudspeakers for the runners to pace to. Vangelis finally convinced Hudson he could create a new and better piece for the film's main theme – and when he played the "Chariots of Fire" theme for Hudson, it was agreed the new tune was unquestionably better.[36] The "L'Enfant" melody still made it into the film: when the athletes reach Paris and enter the stadium, a brass band marches through the field, and first plays a modified, acoustic performance of the piece.[37] Vangelis's electronic "L'Enfant" track eventually was used prominently in the 1982 film The Year of Living Dangerously.
Some pieces of Vangelis's music in the film did not end up on the film's soundtrack album. One of them is the background music to the race Eric Liddell runs in the Scottish highlands. This piece is a version of "Hymne", the original version of which appears on Vangelis's 1979 album, Opéra sauvage. Various versions are also included on Vangelis's compilation albums Themes, Portraits, and Odyssey: The Definitive Collection, though none of these include the version used in the film.
Five lively
The film also incorporates a major traditional work: "Jerusalem", sung by a British choir at the 1978 funeral of Harold Abrahams. The words, written by William Blake in 1804–08, were set to music by Hubert Parry in 1916 as a celebration of England. This hymn has been described as "England's unofficial national anthem",[38] concludes the film and inspired its title.[39] A handful of other traditional anthems and hymns and period-appropriate instrumental ballroom-dance music round out the film's soundtrack.
Release
The film was distributed by
The film was distributed by The Ladd Company through Warner Bros. in North America and released on 25 September 1981 in Los Angeles, California and in New York Film Festival, on 26 September 1981 in New York and on 9 April 1982 in the United States.[42]
Reception
Since its release, Chariots of Fire has received generally positive reviews from critics. As of 2022[update], the film holds an 83% rating from the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 111 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.7/10. The site's consensus reads: "Decidedly slower and less limber than the Olympic runners at the center of its story, Chariots of Fire nevertheless manages to make effectively stirring use of its spiritual and patriotic themes."[43] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 78 out of 100 based on 19 critics' reviews.[44]
For its 2012 re-release, Kate Muir of The Times gave the film five stars, writing: "In a time when drug tests and synthetic fibres have replaced gumption and moral fibre, the tale of two runners competing against each other in the 1924 Olympics has a simple, undiminished power. From the opening scene of pale young men racing barefoot along the beach, full of hope and elation, backed by Vangelis's now famous anthem, the film is utterly compelling."[45]
In its first four weeks at the Odeon Haymarket it grossed £106,484.
Accolades
The film was nominated for seven
American Film Institute recognition
- 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers - No. 100
Other honours
- BFI Top 100 British films (1999) – rank 19
- Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1982 (USA)(8 May) – Vangelis, Chariots of Fire theme
Historical accuracy
Chariots of Fire is a film about achieving victory through self sacrifice and moral courage. While the producers' intent was to make a cinematic work that was historically authentic, the film was not intended to be historically accurate. Numerous liberties were taken with the actual historical chronology, the inclusion and exclusion of notable people, and the creation of fictional scenes for dramatic purpose, plot pacing and exposition.[51][52][53][54][55]
Characters
The film depicts Abrahams as attending
The character of Lindsay was based partially on Lord Burghley, a significant figure in the history of British athletics. Although Burghley did attend Cambridge, he was not a contemporary of Harold Abrahams, as Abrahams was an undergraduate from 1919 to 1923 and Burghley was at Cambridge from 1923 to 1927. One scene in the film depicts the Burghley-based "Lindsay" as practising hurdles on his estate with full champagne glasses placed on each hurdle – this was something the wealthy Burghley did, although he used matchboxes instead of champagne glasses.[13] The fictional character of Lindsay was created when Douglas Lowe, who was Britain's third athletics gold medallist in the 1924 Olympics, was not willing to be involved with the film.[57]
Another scene in the film recreates the Great Court Run, in which the runners attempt to run around the perimeter of the Great Court at Trinity College, Cambridge in the time it takes the clock to strike 12 at midday. The film shows Abrahams performing the feat for the first time in history. In fact, Abrahams never attempted this race, and at the time of filming the only person on record known to have succeeded was Lord Burghley, in 1927. In Chariots of Fire, Lindsay, who is based on Lord Burghley, runs the Great Court Run with Abrahams in order to spur him on, and crosses the finish line just a moment too late. Since the film's release, the Great Court Run has also been successfully run by Trinity undergraduate Sam Dobin, in October 2007.[58]
In the film, Eric Liddell is tripped up by a Frenchman in the 400-metre event of a Scotland–France international athletic meeting. He recovers, makes up a 20-metre deficit, and wins. This was based on fact; the actual race was the 440 yards at a Triangular Contest meet between Scotland, England, and Ireland at Stoke-on-Trent in England in July 1923. His achievement was remarkable as he had already won the 100- and 220-yard events that day.[59] Also unmentioned with regard to Liddell is that it was he who introduced Abrahams to Sam Mussabini.[60] This is alluded to: in the film, Abrahams first encounters Mussabini while he is watching Liddell race.
Abrahams and Liddell did race against each other twice, but not as depicted in the film, which shows Liddell winning the final of the 100 yards against a shattered Abrahams at the 1923 AAA Championship at Stamford Bridge. In fact, they raced only in a heat of the 220 yards, which Liddell won, five yards ahead of Abrahams, who did not progress to the final. In the 100 yards, Abrahams was eliminated in the heats and did not race against Liddell, who won the finals of both races the next day. They also raced against each other in the 200 m final at the 1924 Olympics, and this was also not shown in the film.[61]
Abrahams' fiancée is misidentified as Sybil Gordon, a soprano with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. In fact, in 1936, Abrahams married Sybil Evers, who also performed with D'Oyly Carte, but they did not meet until 1934.[62] Also, in the film, Sybil is depicted as singing the role of Yum-Yum in The Mikado, but neither Gordon nor Evers ever sang that role with D'Oyly Carte,[63][64] although Evers was known for her charm in singing Peep-Bo, one of the two other "little maids from school".[62] Harold Abrahams' love of and heavy involvement with Gilbert and Sullivan, as depicted in the film, is factual.[14]
Liddell's sister was several years younger than she was portrayed in the film. Her disapproval of Liddell's track career was creative licence; she actually fully supported his sporting work. Jenny Liddell Somerville cooperated fully with the making of the film and has a brief cameo in the Paris Church of Scotland during Liddell's sermon.[65]
At the memorial service for Harold Abrahams, which opens the film, Lord Lindsay mentions that he and
Paris Olympics 1924
In the film, the 100m bronze medallist is a character called "Tom Watson"; the real medallist was Arthur Porritt of New Zealand, who refused permission for his name to be used in the film, allegedly out of modesty, and his wish was accepted by the film's producers, even though his permission was not necessary.[66] However, the brief back-story given for Watson, who is called up to the New Zealand team from the University of Oxford, substantially matches Porritt's history. With the exception of Porritt, all the runners in the 100m final are identified correctly when they line up for inspection by the Prince of Wales.
Jackson Scholz is depicted as handing Liddell an inspirational Bible-quotation message before the 400 metres final: "It says in the Old Book, 'He that honors me, I will honor.' Good luck."[67] In reality, the note was from members of the British team, and was handed to Liddell before the race by his attending masseur at the team's Paris hotel.[68] For dramatic purposes, screenwriter Welland asked Scholz if he could be depicted handing the note, and Scholz readily agreed, saying "Yes, great, as long as it makes me look good."[14][69]
The events surrounding Liddell's refusal to race on a Sunday are fictional. In the film, he does not learn that the 100-metre heat is to be held on the Christian Sabbath until he is boarding the boat to Paris. In fact, the schedule was made public several months in advance; Liddell did however face immense pressure to run on that Sunday and to compete in the 100 metres, getting called before a grilling by the British Olympic Committee, the Prince of Wales, and other grandees,[14] and his refusal to run made headlines around the world.[70]
The decision to change races was, even so, made well before embarking to Paris, and Liddell spent the intervening months training for the 400 metres, an event in which he had previously excelled. It is true, nonetheless, that Liddell's success in the Olympic 400m was largely unexpected.
The film depicts Lindsay, having already won a medal in the 400-metre hurdles, giving up his place in the 400-metre race for Liddell. In fact
The film reverses the order of Abrahams' 100m and 200m races at the Olympics. In reality, after winning the 100 metres race, Abrahams ran the 200 metres but finished last, Jackson Scholz taking the gold medal. In the film, before his triumph in the 100m, Abrahams is shown losing the 200m and being scolded by Mussabini. And during the following scene in which Abrahams speaks with his friend Montague while receiving a massage from Mussabini, there is a French newspaper clipping showing Scholz and Charley Paddock with a headline which states that the 200 metres was a triumph for the United States. In the same conversation, Abrahams laments getting "beaten out of sight" in the 200. The film thus has Abrahams overcoming the disappointment of losing the 200 by going on to win the 100, a reversal of the real order.
Eric Liddell actually also ran in the 200m race, and finished third, behind Paddock and Scholz. This was the only time in reality that Liddell and Abrahams competed in the same finals race. While their meeting in the 1923
Abrahams also won a silver medal as an opening runner for the
London Olympics' 2012 revival
Chariots of Fire became a recurring theme in promotions for the
The film's theme was also performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Simon Rattle, during the Opening Ceremony of the games; the performance was accompanied by a comedy skit by Rowan Atkinson (as Mr. Bean) which included the opening beach-running footage from the film.[77] The film's theme was again played during each medal ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.
As an official part of the London 2012 Festival celebrations, a new digitally re-mastered version of the film screened in 150 cinemas throughout the UK. The re-release began 13 July 2012, two weeks before the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.[78]
A
Stage adaptation
A stage adaptation of Chariots of Fire was mounted in honour of the 2012 Olympics. The play, Chariots of Fire, which was adapted by playwright Mike Bartlett and included the Vangelis score, ran from 9 May to 16 June 2012 at London's Hampstead Theatre, and transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End on 23 June, where it ran until 5 January 2013.[83] It starred Jack Lowden as Eric Liddell and James McArdle as Harold Abrahams, and Edward Hall directed. Stage designer Miriam Buether transformed each theatre into an Olympic stadium, and composer Jason Carr wrote additional music.[84][85][86] Vangelis also created several new pieces of music for the production.[87][88]
The stage version for the London Olympic year was the idea of the film's director, Hugh Hudson, who co-produced the play; he stated, "Issues of faith, of refusal to compromise, standing up for one's beliefs, achieving something for the sake of it, with passion, and not just for fame or financial gain, are even more vital today."[89]
Another play, Running for Glory, written by Philip Dart, based on the 1924 Olympics, and focusing on Abrahams and Liddell, toured parts of Britain from 25 February to 1 April 2012. It starred Nicholas Jacobs as Harold Abrahams, and Tom Micklem as Eric Liddell.[90][91]
See also
- List of films about the sport of athletics
- Chariots of Fire, a race, inspired by the film, held in Cambridge since 1991
- Great Britain at the 1924 Summer Olympics
- Sabbath breaking
References
- Chapman, James (2005). "The British Are Coming: Chariots of Fire (1981)". Past and Present: National Identity and the British Historical Film. London: I.B. Tauris & Co. pp. 270–298.
- McLaughlin, John (February 2012). "In Chariots They Ran". Runner's World. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
- Ryan, Mark (2012). Running with Fire: The True Story of Chariots of Fire Hero Harold Abrahams (paperback). Robson Press.
(Original hardback: JR Books Ltd, 2011.)
Notes
- ^ Alexander Walker, Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984-2000, Orion Books, 2005 p28
- ^ Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 314.
- ^ a b Chariots of Fire at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Dans, Peter E. Christians in the Movies: A Century of Saints and Sinners. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. p. 223.
- ^ "SCORE – The Podcast – Patrick Doyle". SoundTrackFest. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ "Ruby Wax". Metro. 27 October 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Forty years since Chariots of Fire, the quintessential Olympic film". www.insidethegames.biz. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ Goodell, Gregory. Independent Feature Film Production: A Complete Guide from Concept Through Distribution. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982. p. xvii.
- ^ "REEL BRITANNIA". Abacus Media Rights. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ "Reel Britannia". BritBox. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Nichols, Peter M. The New York Times Essential Library, Children's Movies: A Critic's Guide to the Best Films Available on Video and DVD. New York: Times Books, 2003. p. 59.
- ^ a b Hugh Hudson in Chariots of Fire – The Reunion (2005 video; featurette on 2005 Chariots of Fire DVD)
- ^ a b c McLaughlin, John. "In Chariots They Ran". Runner's World. February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hugh Hudson's commentary to the 2005 Chariots of Fire DVD
- ^ Chapman 2005, pp. 274–295.
- ^ Eberts, Jake; Illott, Terry (1990). My indecision is final. Faber and Faber. p. 34.
- ISBN 0-09-470250-0
- ^ a b Round, Simon. "Interview: Hugh Hudson". The Jewish Chronicle. 10 November 2011.
- ^ Ian McKellen, Hugh Hudson, Alan Bates, et al. For Ian Charleson: A Tribute. London: Constable and Company, 1990. pp. xix, 9, 76.
- ^ Ben Cross – Bio on Official site Archived 22 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Wings on Their Heels: The Making of Chariots of Fire. (2005 video; featurette on 2005 DVD).
- ^ Chapman 2005, pp. 273–274.
- ^ "Carlton Hotel, Victoria Parade, Broadstairs". www.dover-kent.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire – St Andrews Scotland: The Movie Location Guide". www.scotlandthemovie.com. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
- ^ "Grannie Clark's Wynd". www.graylinescotland.com. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2010.
Grannie Clark's Wynd, a public right-of-way over the 1st and the 18th of the Old Course, which was where the athletes were filmed running for the final titles shot
- ^ "'Chariots of Fire' plaque unveiled in Broadstairs". www.theisleofthanetnews.com. 29 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Chariots of Fire". Where Did They Film That?. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire". Movie Locations.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire". Movie Location Hunter.
- ISBN 9780198167105.
- ^ Puttnam interviewed in BBC Radio obituary of Jack Valenti.
- ^ a b "Daily Telegraph newspaper, 21 November 1982".
- ^ MacNab, Geoffrey. "Everyone Was a Winner when British Talent Met the Olympic Spirit". The Independent. 13 April 2012.
- ^ Hubbert, Julie. Celluloid Symphonies: Texts and Contexts in Film Music History. University of California Press, 2011. p. 426.
- ^ ""L'Enfant", from Opera Sauvage". YouTube.
- ^ Vangelis in Chariots of Fire – The Reunion (2005 video; featurette on 2005 Chariots of Fire DVD)
- ^ "Trivia about Vangelis".
- ^ Sanderson, Blair. Hubert Parry. AllMusic Guide, reprinted in Answers.com.
- ^ Manchel, Frank. Film Study: An Analytical Bibliography. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1990. p. 1013
- ^ "Chariots of Fire (advertisement)". The Times. 31 March 1981. p. 11.
- ^ "Putnam's Careful Engineering Of Public Response In Homeland". Variety. 13 May 1981. p. 241.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (6 February 1982). "Sometimes a Movie Makes a Studio Proud". The New York Times. p. 11. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ [1]. "First Night Reviews: Chariots of Fire". Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Premiere Engagement at the Odeon Haymarket (advertisement)". Variety. 13 May 1981. pp. 242–243.
- ^ "Top Grossing British Films on the U.K. Market: '81-'82". Variety. 12 January 1983. p. 146.
- ^ Cohn, Lawrence (7 July 1982). "'Chariots of Fire' Becomes Top Import Pic In U.S. B.O. History". Variety. p. 1.
- ^ "This week's new theatre and dance". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2012
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: Chariots of Fire". festival-cannes.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire: history gets the runaround". The Guardian. 19 July 2012.
- S2CID 159478372.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire". History Today. 62 (8). August 2012.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire". The Outlook. 1982.
- Runners World. 20 June 2018.
- ^ a b Aubrey Montague biography at SportsReference.com
- ^ Chapman 2005, pp. 275, 295.
- ^ "Student runs away with "Chariots of Fire" record". Reuters. 27 October 2007. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- ISBN 0-88270-624-1.
- ^ "A Sporting Nation: Eric Liddell". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
- ISBN 1572931302.
- ^ a b Ryan 2012, p. 188.
- ^ Stone, David. Sybil Gordon at the Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company website, 23 September 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2022
- ^ Stone, David. Sybil Evers at the Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company website, 28 January 2002. Retrieved 25 October 2022
- ^ Ramsey, Russell W. A Lady – A Peacemaker. Boston: Branden Publishing Company, 1988.
- ^ Arthur Espie Porritt 1900–1994. "Reference to Porritt's modesty". Library.otago.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 30 October 2005. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ The quoted passage is First Samuel 2:30.
- ^ Reid, Alasdair. "Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell". The Times. 1 August 2000.
- People. 17 (18). 10 May 1982. Archived from the originalon 13 December 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
- ^ Murray, Feg. "DID YOU KNOW THAT ...". Los Angeles Times. 24 June 1924. Full headline reads, "Did You Know That Famous Scotch Sprinter Will Not Run in the Olympic 100 Metres Because The Trials Are Run on Sunday".
- ^ "Recollections by Sir Arthur Marshall". Content.ericliddell.org. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ^ "London Fireworks 2012 - New Year Live - BBC One". YouTube.
- ^ "London 2012: Olympic Park Runners Finish Race". BBC News. 31 March 2012.
- ^ "Musicians Set to Fanfare the Flame" Archived 28 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph. 3 April 2012.
- ^ Line the Streets: Celebration Guide Archived 24 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine. London 2012. p. 4.
- ^ "News: Torch Relay". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Mr. Bean's 'Chariots of Fire' Skit at 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony". International Business Times. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire Returns to UK Cinemas Ahead of the Olympics" Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. British Film Institute. 23 March 2012.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire – Blu-ray". Amazon.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire – 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Blu-ray". Amazon UK.
- ^ Sluss, Justin. "1981 Hugh Hudson Directed Film Chariots of Fire Comes to Blu-ray in July" Archived 21 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine. HighDefDiscNews.com.
- ^ "Chariots of Fire Blu-ray press release". Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
- ^ Rees, Jasper. "Chariots of Fire Is Coming!" The Arts Desk. 18 April 2012.
- ^ "Cast Announced for Hampstead Theatre's Chariots of Fire; Opens May 9". Broadway World. 2 April 2012.
- ^ Girvan, Andrew. "Black Watch's Lowden plays Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire" Archived 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine. What's on Stage. 9 March 2012.
- ^ Chariots of Fire – Hampstead Theatre Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Twitter: Chariots Tweeter, 16 April 2012, 18 April 2012.
- ^ Rees, Jasper. "Chariots of Fire: The British Are Coming... Again". The Daily Telegraph. 3 May 2012.
- London Evening Standard. 30 January 2012.
- ^ Elkin, Susan. "Running for Glory". The Stage. 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Olympic Play Is Victory on Stage" Archived 5 May 2013 at archive.today. This Is Kent. 10 February 2012.
External links
- Vangelis performing theme with film clips on YouTube "VangelisVEVO". YouTube. June 2017.
- The Real Chariots of Fire (2012) documentary on YouTube
- Chariots of Fire at IMDb
- Chariots of Fire at the TCM Movie Database
- Chariots of Fire at AllMovie
- Chariots of Fire at Rotten Tomatoes
- Critics' Picks: Chariots of Fire retrospective video by A. O. Scott, The New York Times (2008)
- Four speeches from the movie in text and audio from AmericanRhetoric.com
- Chariots of Fire Archived 22 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine review by Roger Ebert
- Chariots of Fire review in Variety
- Chariots of Fire at the Arts & Faith Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films
- Chariots of Fire Archived 14 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine Filming locations
- Chariots of Fire screenplay, second draft, February 1980
- Great Court Run
- Chariots of Fire play – Hampstead Theatre