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20th Century Fox
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This is the story of two men who run, not to run, but to prove something to the world. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals... except their honor.
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.
CinemaSerf
Jul 2, 2022 · via TMDB
The opening bars of the Oscar-winning Vangelis score coupled with the shot of the athletes running along the beach, barefoot, at St. Andrews is amongst the most iconic opening scenes from any film, but somehow the rest of this strays all too often into mediocrity thereafter. It tells the story of two British athletes who strove to thrive at the Olympiad in Paris in 1924. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) comes from a Lithuanian Jewish background. who is welcomed to Cambridge University, but never quite accepted. The other is Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Christian who comes from missionary stock and who believes that he must serve God before himself - and that includes not running any races on the Sabbath. Both of these men have considerable athletic skills, and the story intertwines their efforts to get to the Games, whilst both must deal with their differing priorities and challenges. It's this middle portion of the film, the prologued character development phase, that all plods along too slowly. It has too little pace and too many characters, and that just drags the film down. The last fifteen minutes liven up considerably though, not just with the events on the track - but amongst those determined to ensure that the whole team attains success making sacrifices and compromises along the way. It has a classy look to it, the costumes and settings are top drawer, but I found the leading performances rather disjointed and at over two hours long, I did struggle to stay engaged.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Spectrum On Demand
Ben Cross
Harold Abrahams
Ian Charleson
Eric Liddell
Cheryl Campbell
Jennie Liddell
Alice Krige
Sybil Gordon
Nigel Havers
Lord Andrew Lindsay
Ian Holm
Sam Mussabini
Nicholas Farrell
Aubrey Montague
Daniel Gerroll
Henry Stallard
John Gielgud
Master of Trinity
Lindsay Anderson
Master of Caius
Nigel Davenport
Lord Birkenhead
Dennis Christopher
Charles Paddock
Brad Davis
Jackson Scholz
Patrick Magee
Lord Cadogan
Peter Egan
Duke of Sutherland
Struan Rodger
Sandy McGrath
David Yelland
Prince of Wales
Richard Griffiths
Head Porter - Caius College
Patrick Doyle
Jimmie
John Young
Rev. J.D. Liddell
David John
Ernest Liddell
Benny Young
Rob Liddell
Yves Beneyton
George Andre
Colin Bruce
Taylor
Alan Polonsky
Paxton
Edward Wiley
Fitch
Jeremy Sinden
President - Gilbert and Sullivan Society
Jack Smethurst
Sleeping Car Attendant
Peter Cellier
Head Waiter - The Savoy
Ruby Wax
Bunty
John Rutland
Caius Porter
Peter Jones
—
Tommy Boyle
Reporter
Ted Robbins
Shot Putter (uncredited)
Kenneth Branagh
Cambridge Student at Society Day (uncredited)
Stephen Fry
Cambridge Student at Society Day (uncredited)
Dewi Humphreys
Camera Operator
David Watkin
Director of Photography
Graham Churchyard
Costume Assistant
Milena Canonero
Costume Design
Hugh Hudson
Director
Terry Rawlings
Editor
Dodi Fayed
Executive Producer
Iain Smith
Location Manager
David Puttnam
Producer
Harry Rabinowitz
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Vangelis
Original Music Composer
Colin Welland
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The City
The Swimmer
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The Mercy
Sep 25, 1981
Los Angeles
Apr 2, 1982
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1978 · 13 wins
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2000 · 12 wins
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1981 · 11 wins
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