Chariots of Fire

1981 · 2h03 · Film

Directed by Hugh Hudson

Starring Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Cheryl Campbell, Alice Krige, Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, Nicholas Farrell, Daniel Gerroll, John Gielgud, Lindsay Anderson

Ideal when you feel… Sad / low

In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.

Updated August 14, 2026

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