Chariots of Fire - Story of the Golden Men

The best movies are the ones that touch the soul, inspire you and hold out hope. One such movie is the classic sports drama, 'Chariots of Fire' - a gripping tale of the quest for the 100m gold at the 1924 Olympics by two British athletes, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell. Liddell is a missionary and Abrahams is a Jewish student at Caius College, Cambridge. Liddell runs for the glory of God, Abrahams runs to prove his worth to a society he feels is anit-Semitic. What success means to each of them, how each of them approach the race and life is explored in the tight, well-knit story. Vangelis Papathanassiou's excellent sound track brings to life the characters and situations. The title track is, ofcourse, eternal.

The movie explores some themes. What is sucess to different men? What makes men strive for a goal? What are the anxieties and fears of the successful? Harold Abrahams is a man of the world. He is honest, hard-working and single-minded in his pursuit of being the fastest man on the planet. To him nothing matters more, he cannot think of defeat. He wants to prove his worth - to himself and to others. For all his efforts, he is himself his greatest enemy. His anxiety and his fear of failure impede him. It is his nerves that he has to keep. He ultimately does achieve his goal. But, in this moment of success, he feels an emptiness, a sense of purposelessness and relief (not joy). It is then that he values and earns the joy and peace of mind that he yearns for.

Eric "Flying Scot" Liddell, in contrast, is a god-fearing man. He has a talent for running, which he believes is a gift to him. He runs to feel the elation, which he calls the "pleasure of God". He runs not for glory, but because he sees a race as a manifestation of the strength of the human spirit. As Abrahams points out, the secret to Liddell's success is his contentment. He is a "gut runner", who has a big heart. It is his belief that powers him - so he feels nothing wrong about refusing to run on a Sabbath. (While that may sound superstitious, that is history, and the plot has been well constructed around that event.) Finally, he switches events and wins the 400m, while not compromising on his beliefs. After the Games, Liddell returns to China to carry on his missionary work.

I could watch this movie again and again, and I could find something new to think about. Especially, Harold Abrahams' character is rich - his bond with his friends, his relationship with Sybil Gordon. I identify with him, as will most people. Eric Liddell's character is unidimensional, he is an ideal that you try to be. But you have to earn it, by passing through a phase that Harold Abraham went through.