After reviewing Popcorn with the Pope: A Guide to the Vatican Film List, Aleteia has taken on the challenge of watching and reviewing each of the 45 movies recommended by the Vatican for their themes on “religion,” “values,” and “art.” As many of the movies are quite old, the task falls to Aleteia’s in-house Millennial, yours truly, to see how the films stand up in the 21st century.
The film is based on a true story and while it does promote sportsmanship and devotion, it is a slow moving film that lacks compelling drama.
Today, we’re watching Chariots of Fire, a 1981 film in the “values” category, based on the true story of two early 20th-century runners: for England Harold Abrahams and for Scotland Eric Liddell. Along with a dizzying number of footraces, the film depicts the challenges these two young men face on the track and in their lives when attempting to compete in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris.
Abrahams is a Jewish student at Cambridge University, where his religion sets him apart from the predominantly Christian school. While he does complain several times about how his Jewish faith has made things harder for him, however, the film only shows this discrimination in small ways, like quips from the school's upper brass.
Despite the way the film presents his faith as a hindrance, Abrahams fits well into British gentle society: he has no trouble courting a famed actress, he’s popular among classmates, and he single-mindedly chases his goal of becoming the best runner in the world. He is presented as the more worldly of the two main characters, while Liddell provides contrast with a humble demeanor and a mind more focused on his Christian faith.
Liddell is the son of Scottish missionaries to China, and his mission is ever present in the film, as he has to juggle his faith commitments with his running. A natural runner who expresses that he believes his speed is a gift from God, Liddell says that he can feel that his running pleases the Lord. While he is one of the world’s top contenders, however, he is ready to give up running after the Olympics, in favor of taking up his parents’ mission in China.
Chariots of Fire is at its heart about sportsmanship and devotion. Both men focus solely on their goals and maintain their moral compass while in pursuit of greatness, be it Abrahams training to beat Liddell in a rematch or Liddell preaching as a missionary. That being said, there is very little tension throughout the whole movie. Neither man faces particularly high hurdles in any endeavor they take on and, in the end, the lack of a firm antagonist makes the film feel rather dull.
Perhaps what the film does best, however, is present the world of the 1920s in a vivid light. From the costumes to the setting and all the old automobiles in between, it’s like peeking into a view of the early 20th century. There the community is omnipresent and not just something that we visit in our time off from the internet. We especially liked the scenes where groups of people would all sing around a piano, as the way to hear your favorite tunes back then was to sing them yourself.
While the story is based on the real lives of the characters, Chariots of Fire feels like the movie thinks it is more important or profound than it actually is. There is something to be said for the values that the film presents, but the execution was lackluster and could have been achieved in far less time than two hours. It’s worth a watch, but it’s hard to imagine feeling eager to watch it again.
Read also :Vatican Films Review: A Man for All Seasons
Read also :Vatican Films Review: 2001: A Space Odyssey
