Chariots of Fire

1981 film by Hugh Hudson

Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British historical drama movie. It is based on the true story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams.

Chariots of Fire
Directed byHugh Hudson
Written byColin Welland
Produced byDavid Puttnam
Starring
CinematographyDavid Watkin
Edited byTerry Rawlings
Music byVangelis
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros.
(USA & Canada)
20th Century Fox
(International)
Release dates
  • 30 March 1981 (1981-03-30) (Royal Command Film Performance)
  • 15 May 1981 (1981-05-15) (United Kingdom)
Running time
124 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5.5 million (£3 million)[1]
Box office$59 million (U.S.)[2]

The movie was directed by Hugh Hudson. Ben Cross and Ian Charleson starred as Abrahams and Liddell. Nigel Havers, Ian Holm, Lindsay Anderson, John Gielgud, Cheryl Campbell, and Alice Krige star in supporting roles.

It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

The movie's title was inspired by the line, "Bring me my Chariot of fire!", from the William Blake poem adapted into the British hymn "Jerusalem".[3] The original phrase "chariot(s) of fire" is from 2 Kings 2:11 and 6:17 in the Bible.

l.

References change

  1. Alexander Walker, Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984-2000, Orion Books, 2005 p28
  2. Chariots of Fire at Box Office Mojo
  3. Dans, Peter E. Christians in the Movies: A Century of Saints and Sinners. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. p. 223.