Inspirational masterpiece

LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Today is Friday, July 12th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day. Good morning. I’m Lindsay Mast.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: a classic sports movie. On Monday’s History Book, we noted that this week marks the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell winning the gold medal in the 400 meter race during the 1924 Olympic games.

MAST: The story of Liddell’s missionary call and his convictions about not competing on a Sunday are the primary conflicts in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire. WORLD Radio executive producer Paul Butler believes it stands up well more than 40 years after its first release.

AUDIO: [OLYMPIC SOUNDS]

PAUL BUTLER: I remember watching Chariots of Fire in high school while my parents served overseas as missionaries. We checked out the worn VHS tape from the mission library.

MOVIE CLIP: It says in the old book: He who honors me, I will honor…

Chariots of Fire is a historical sports drama based on real events that follows two very different British athletes. One is Harold Abrahams—portrayed by Ben Cross. Abrahams is an English Jew struggling to overcome prejudice … striving to find acceptance through his accomplishments:

MOVIE CLIP: Well if you can’t take a beating, perhaps it’s for the best. I don’t run to take beatings. I run to win.

The other athlete is of course Eric Liddell—played by Ian Charleson. Liddell is a devout Scottish Christian…

MOVIE CLIP: I believe that God made me for a purpose. For China. But he also made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure.

Chariots of Fire won four Academy Awards—including Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Original Score.

TED KLUCK: You mention Chariots of Fire, and people start, like humming the theme song to it.

Ted Kluck is associate professor of journalism at Union University. Chariots of Fire is one of his favorite films:

KLUCK: Oh man, I saw it at like age six with my dad. And I didn't understand all the stuff about race and all the stuff about Abrahams. I just knew that I liked running and sports movies…

MOVIE CLIP: To your marks. Get set. [GUN FIRE]

But the movie isn’t actually about running. Track and field events, foot races, and the Olympics games are just the setting for much more substantial story elements: themes of friendship, love, fulfillment, longing, purpose, and loyalty.

KLUCK: I grew up with it as an athlete. As a coach. And I really loved what it was saying about competition and about where we find our identity in life.

MOVIE CLIP: When we were in China, my father here was always waxing lyrical about his wee home in the Glen…

The sets and filming locations are superb. The costumes and characters age well…even after 40 years. The cinematography is strong. There are a handful of sequences that reveal director Hugh Hudson’s documentary background—especially during the film’s 1924 Olympic reenactments.

Just a few of the reasons why Ted Kluck returns to the film again and again:

KLUCK: My favorite scene in the whole movie is after Abraham's wins, and he has that scene in the pub with his coach, where it's kind of like, well, what, what do we do now?

MOVIE CLIP: It’s out of your system…go home to that girl of yours and start living…

Most viewers remember Chariots of Fire because of Eric Liddell and the assurance that in the end, “good guys win.” But Kluck says he’s personally convicted by the flaws of the other main character: Harold Abrahams.

KLUCK: Abrahams is really an idolater. And I say that with great sympathy, because I tend to be an idolater in the same ways. You know, we think that gaining this thing will fulfill us, and as Christians, we know that that's not true. Only Christ can do that, but the movie shows the pursuit of that in pretty profound ways.

MOVIE CLIP: There’s one right, one wrong, one absolute ruler. A dictator you mean? Aye. But a benign, loving dictator…

Chariots of Fire is not a Christian film—but it adeptly reflects Eric Liddell’s faith and treats Christianity reverently…though it doesn’t always get it quite right. Life in the 1920s is also on full display in the film. There is some alcohol use, quite a bit of smoking, and a handful of curse words but no vulgarities. There are a few scenes set in locker rooms but nothing gratuitous.

The film does take liberties with the facts of the story. For instance, Abrahams didn’t actually run the quad race featured at the beginning of the film. Additionally, at the Olympics he lost the 200 after winning the 100 meter race…the film reverses the order for dramatic effect. And then there’s the problem of running on Sunday for Eric Liddell. In the film Eric doesn’t learn about the Sunday heats until he’s headed to the Olympic games.

CLIP: When did you get to know? Did you not see the paper this morning? They have the whole program. The heats for the 100 are on the Sunday after the Opening Ceremony.

In reality, he learned months before the Olympics and began training for the 200 and 400 meter events which weren’t scheduled to run on Sundays.

CLIP: My boy, as things stand, you must not run…

When the film came out, the Liddell family was pleased with the film’s treatment of Eric’s life by and large…Patricia Liddell Russell is Eric’s daughter:

PATRICIA: My mother met Ian Charleston and became good friends with him. He said, “How did I do?” And she said, “You did beautifully, Ian, but he was not as sober, as you made out.”

Patricia adds the family was upset over how Eric’s sister Jennie came across in the film.

MOVIE CLIP: Your mind’s not with us any more son. It's full of running, and starting, and medals, and paces. You have no room for standing still.

PATRICIA: She was horrified at how she was portrayed. She said, “I'm not like that. I would never tell Eric that, you know.” So she came across just a little stiff and starchy.

Viewers interested in a more factual presentation of Eric Liddell’s life—especially the events after the Olympics—should check out the 2008 documentary Champion of Conviction. It’s distributed by Vision Video and available for free on YouTube.

There are many excellent books on Eric Liddell’s life…one I would recommend is David McCasland’s biography titled: “Pure Gold.”

Even with its flaws, Chariots of Fire remains a masterpiece and is set to inspire a whole new generation of viewers to run the race with endurance…once again Ted Kluck:

KLUCK: I don't think this was a movie about how Eric Liddell won the race because he's a Christian. This movie leans into some really interesting characters and puts them in interesting places, and some kind of moral messages emerge. But they didn't really set out to do that. And I think the movie succeeds because of it.

For WORLD Radio, I’m Paul Butler.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.