Watch Chariots of Fire & “Run with hope in your heart and wings on your heels!”
Posted December 24th, 2006 at 6:21 PM by Caitlin Hughes
Section: Motivation, Movies, Special Features, TFS Reviews
Chariots of Fire (1981) is a film based on the true story of two British track stars, Howard Abrahams and Eric Liddell, who ran in the 1924 Olympics. The British film picked up four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Score, and a Golden Globe for best Foreign Film. Directed by Hugh Hudson, Chariots of Fire is an inspirational flick for runners and athletes everywhere.
Howard Abrahams (Ben Cross) is a Jewish student and the star sprinter at Cambridge College. Eric Liddell (Ian Charleston) is a Christian missionary studying and living in Scotland with his sister, an extremely pious Christian. On the surface, these two seem to have little in common besides running, but as the film unfolds we learn that they share a quality that carries them both to the 1924 Paris Olympics … DRIVE.
They are both driven to succeed and to prove themselves, sacrificing whatever is necessary in the process. One of the film’s major focal points is the runners’ grueling training. Abrahams, devastated by a huge loss to Liddell, hires a running coach, Sam Mussabini, who encourages him to focus on his technique; pushing his torso forward at the finish line, improving his starting stance, running with light feet, etc — instead of his speed.
“Imagine you are running on hot bricks, and if you leave your feet too long on the ground, they’ll get burned” Mussabini tells Abrahams at one point. Liddell, meanwhile, also trains hard by running over the rough and rocky Scottish terrain.
When he is late for his missionary work, Lidell’s sister proclaims: “Training, training, training - all I ever hear is training!” She believes his dreams of being the best runner will interfere with his missionary work, but his intense dediation and all of their training are probably the most inspirational aspects of the film. The runners are exhausted, covered in sweat but still giving it their all (and then some).
The music alone could be used for inspiration for a runner or athlete (and our Editor DOES actually use it to run to!). “Chariots of Fire,”, the title song by Vangelis, is played in the first scene of the film and is a tune that everyone will recognize. It plays as a group of men, all in white, run across the beach, spraying dark wet sand on each other as the triumphant melody plays.
This song has become very famous and is even featured in the recent comedy movie, “Old School”. It is a song I highly suggest adding to your running playlist! I also suggest watching this film the next time you need a lift or an extra boost of inspiration. Chariots of Fire is a true classic and one of the premier “pump-up” movies, along with Rocky, Rudy, Without Limits, Miracle and Hoosiers (to name just a few).
I won’t give away the ending of the film, but I will leave you with this quote: “We run with “hope in our hearts and wings on our heels” - and hope that Chariots of Fire will help you get fired up for your next big race!
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: chariots of fire, DVD, inspiration, motivation, movie, movie review, movies, pump up, review, running movie, VHS
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The Final Sprint