Chariots of Fire Review

        When talking about Sports films, there’s usually some films that involve the Olympics. Combing through some of them, they mostly focus during the Summer Games, specifically Track and Field. I think the only good Winter Games film is with Disney’s Miracle, but we’re not talking about that one. I was surprised that this one won Best Picture, since it’s unorthodox with how it is as a sports film. So here’s what I think about Chariots of Fire. 

1. Period Piece

        I think people’s first exposure to this movie is that the intro has been parodied a lot. My first exposure of it was in the Xbox video game Kinect Sports. Then as I grew older it was during the final moments of National Lampoon’s Vacation. I never really understood why the music was when the Griswold’s were running with jubilation towards Wally World. I’ll go over the soundtrack choice since it’s one of the most significant aspects of the film. 

        Anyways, the film takes place just after World War 1. We follow two athletes from different corners of the United Kingdom. Harold arrives at Cambridge University but experiences antisemitism sentiments. In Scotland, Eric is a devoutly religious Christian who enjoys sprinting, much to the dismay from his family. So much so that his own sister pleads him to drop sprinting and go into missionary work. 

        The two cross paths and inevitably join the United Kingdom national team in the Summer Olympics. What I like about the film is that we really understand where the two athletes come from on a personal level. Eric is religious but is privately shamed since he puts his beliefs first, while Harold experiences coded hate. It’s one of those rare instances where it’s not an underdog story but seeing their talents trump any of the baggage they have. 

        One thing that is kind of surprising is that the film sort of operates as a faith film. Not as one where faith is used to find the correct belief system or having the power of God overcome any challenge. No, instead how this film operates is that it uses religion as a thing where it’s both a way of life and a misunderstanding. The two characters provide the split where one belief is right and the other is mocked. It boils down to this, which is are these gifted athletes bound to their beliefs or can they prove that they’re more than that.

        Overall, I love the attention to detail that was used to set the world in the 1920s. No shortcuts were taken with this one. It’s one of those things where they had to film either in the countryside or a part of London where it still doesn’t have the 80s aesthetic. Seeing the characters run with shoes that look like Sunday’s best shoes is fascinating. Especially when technology has advanced to a ridiculous degree to help any runner. 

2. The Soundtrack

        I know I’m stretching when I’m talking about the soundtrack of all things. To me, it sort of fits the movie since it’s nothing like a by the numbers sports movie. There’s no harmonic symphony when the runners are sprinting in the beach or when Harold and Abrahams are competing in the games. All of it is synth from former composer Vangelis. I can imagine people hearing this and just be in a mixture of being weirded out and fascinated when hearing the music. 

        It's not in the least but patriotic since it involves the Olympics, but it has that thing where it’s uplifting. That opening scene perfectly surmises that feeling of freedom when we see the group of runners sprinting in the coastline. Also, I think it’s subverting since it’s not time accurate in the least bit when we have a setting that has music that won’t be relevant 60 years in the movie’s time. It deserved to win Best Original Score, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Warner Brothers’ idea to have Vangelis also score Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Vangelis had a style that’s still imitated with other composers like Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Goransson.

3. Overall 

        Chariots of Fire is a different type of Sports film where there is no underdog. It’s one where the main athletes prove that their more than their religious beliefs.