Introduction

Introduction | Appreciation | Thinking of Chariots of Fire

198 1 color film 12 1 min

British Ingmar Company/United Star Company jointly produced.

Director: Hugh Hudson Screenplay: Colin Verend Photography: David Watkin

The main actors: Ben Cross (Harold Abraham), Ian Charleson (Eric liddell), Nigel Havers (Sir Andrew Lindsay) and nicholas farrell (Aubrey montague).

This film won 198 1 British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Film, Best Supporting Actor and Best Costume Design, American Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Music and Best Costume Design for four Oscars, hollywood foreign press association for Best Foreign Language Film, and New York Film Critics Association for Best Photography.

abstract

19 19 autumn, Harold Abraham, a 20-year-old British Jew, was admitted to Caius College of Cambridge University. His father was a financier in London with a rich family, but Jews were discriminated against in Britain at that time. He is tall, good at running fast, and determined to give full play to his specialty, running past all the people who regard him with special respect. When he got off the train before entering school, he met a young man named Aubrey montague. He is also a freshman in Caius University. He also likes running. Aubrey suggested that Harold take part in the Trinity sprint to show his skills. The "Trinity Sprint" was held in an open space surrounded by buildings and covered with lawns in the middle of Trinity College. A sprinter must complete a lap before 24: 00 12. If Harold succeeds, he will be the first winner in 700 years. Harold is determined to accept the challenge. One minute before the game started, Sir Andrew Lindsay announced that he would take part in the game with his friends. His intention is obviously to make Harold run faster by taking part in the competition. Harold ran ahead with all his might. At the second corner, he hit a stone under his feet and almost slipped, but he soon stabilized. Andrew walked hand in hand with him to the third corner. The clock continued to ring. Harold was the first to cross the finish line and the clock struck twenty-four. Andrew also crossed the finish line, and Harold was deeply grateful for his help.

There is also a famous runner and football player in Scotland. His name is Eric Riddle and he studied at the University of Edinburgh. He was born in China and his parents were missionaries. Since childhood, his parents have told him about the grandeur of Scotland and the pride of being a Scot. His good friend Sandy mcgrath also tried to encourage him to practice running. He is determined to fight for Scottish honor and then go to China with his family. On the other hand, his sister Jenny opposed his participation in sports, fearing that it would make him forget his vocation of preaching. But Eric thinks that since God created him, shouldn't he thank God and give full play to his special skills? His idea was endorsed and encouraged by the head of the mission and his father. With Sandy's help, Eric ran faster and faster and gained the reputation of "flying Scotsman". Harold is eager to meet the master. The opportunity has finally come. Eric will represent Scotland in the match between France and Scotland in Edinburgh, and Harold decided to go to the match. In the competition, Eric fell down because of a French player's arm collision. He jumped up quickly and caught up with his opponent in the audience's sigh. He ran more and more bravely, and finally left the leading French runner two meters behind and crossed the finish line first. Then he lay on the ground and closed his eyes ... His excellent performance was praised by the famous coach Sam Musabi. After Eric was helped away by Sandy, Harold found Sam, hoping that the coach could help him run faster. Sam also knows a little about Harold's reputation, but he says it depends on the coach finding athletes. Sam said that he must see Harold's actual performance before deciding whether to accept him. Harold is very grateful and hopes to play with Eric.

After hard training, Aubrey and Andrew invited Harold to spend the weekend in London with them. While watching the Savoy Theatre's opera, Harold fell in love with an actress named Sybil Gordon on the stage. After the break, he invited her to dinner, and the girl readily agreed, because her little brother was a sports fan and talked about Harold all day. At the dinner table, the two hit it off. When asked why he practiced running, Harold said that he wanted to prove to the world that a Jew could run faster than them.

1923, the All England Games will be held in London to select contestants for the Olympic Games. Harold and Eric finally have a chance to play. In this 100 meter race, Sybil also came to watch and refuel, and Eric rushed to the front first. Although Harold ran at full speed, Eric was still in the lead. Harold glanced at his opponent in an instant. Eric crossed the finish line in front of him, and Harold came second. Although Harold is qualified to participate in the Olympic Games, he is still depressed because he has always been full of confidence in winning. Just when he couldn't accept his girlfriend's encouragement and felt that his grades would never improve, Sam gave him new hope: he was willing to help. Under Sam's careful guidance, including learning the experience of outstanding sprinters in the 1920 Olympic Games, paddock and Scholz in the United States, mastering the stride size and rhythm of sprinting. -Harold improved his performance and was received by the Dean of Caius College during the training. At the dinner table, the deans of Caius College and Trinity College made it clear to him that he should not turn to coaches of Arabic and Italian origin for help, claiming that real British people only take part in sports because they like sports and don't care about rankings. Harold retorted: For the family, for Cambridge and for the country, it is understandable to win. He is willing to pay for a famous teacher, regardless of his background.

Eric also deepened his training with the help of Sandy. Once Eric failed to attend mass on time because of training, and Jenny was quite dissatisfied. Eric told her calmly that he would not change his original intention of preaching in China, but at this moment he was sure that God wanted him to practice running. He will take part in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris and express his gratitude and love for God with excellent results.

On the eve of the Olympic Games, excellent British athletes conducted intensive training in the coastal city of Dover. When they left Dover for Paris by boat, Eric suddenly learned that his 100 meter preliminaries were scheduled for Sunday. This is very unfortunate for him, because he must abide by the doctrine of dedicating time to God on the Sabbath, and never play on Sunday. Even the persuasion of Sir birkenhead, President of the British Olympic Committee, and the Prince of Wales did not help. Finally, Larry, who came to the competition with him, proposed a solution: since Lindsay had won the silver medal in the 3000m event, he decided to give up the position of the 400m event and Eric took over. Eric is very grateful Jazz's generosity gave him a chance to compete for the gold medal before going to China.

It's the last moment of the 100-meter race. Harold led the way to the finish line after running 50 meters. American Scholz won the second place. Then came Eric's 400-meter final. He led the way in the Olympic Games and set the best record.

After returning home, Harold married Sybil, and Eric went to China with his family. Harold stopped playing because of a leg injury. Became an old-timer in British sports, 1978 died. Eric stayed in China until his death on the eve of the end of World War II.

Distinguish and appreciate

Chariots of Fire was filmed in the early 1980s, and its success brought a revival to the British film industry, which had been at a low ebb for a long time. The fact that this film and Gandhi, two British films, won the Oscar for Best Film in succession encouraged Britain to shoot a series of films that were welcomed by international audiences and film critics. This film was made with some funds provided by 20th Century Flowserve Company of the United States. Its success has also aroused Americans' interest in British films, which not only makes British films gain a broader market in the United States, but also means that American companies have once again shown greater enthusiasm for investing in and distributing British films.

In addition, this film has also had a great influence on the British film industry and critics. It provides people with a basis for criticism. People can see from the fact that the film is popular that it caters to the nostalgia of returning to history. Julien Tanruhr, a British director, believes that this film reflects the British people's attitude of "essentially rejecting modern life". Critic james parker said: "In fact, Chariots of Fire is a complex combination of opposing the current system and praising the British tradition. Harold Abraham and Eric liddell are both people with moral values and strong patriotism. One openly rebelled against the dean of Cambridge University (the latter accused the former of hiring professional coaches out of anti-Semitism and snobbery), and the other did not succumb to the pressure of the British Olympic Committee to let him give up his religious beliefs and compete on Sunday. " Director Hudson once summed up the controversy in the film with four words: "The protagonists oppose hypocrisy and paranoia, and oppose the stubbornness and double standards of powerful people"; He also said: "We need a social norm, otherwise, we will collapse from both an individual and a collective perspective."

The success of this film is first and foremost the success of the screenwriter. The film is based on the true story of two runners. Their situation is different. In fact, they don't have much time to meet, but the screenwriter skillfully interweaves their experiences and makes them reflect on each other and complement each other. Verend's talent is not so much that he wrote unforgettable words or characters, but rather that he designed an expressive overall structure, which made the combination of the above two possible. When describing this story about the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, Willund also keenly realized that the film must show the characteristics of the times and the spiritual atmosphere at that time. The film involves anti-Semitism and extreme national chauvinism, especially personal struggle and unremitting pursuit. On the other hand, Willund's plays are particularly closely related to the literature of that period. For example, Willander and john buchan (1875- 1940) both wrote novels such as Thirty-nine Steps, and they have a lot in common. As far as spiritual temperament is concerned, Buchan's novels have obvious connections with that era. The heroes in Bakken's novels are often eager to defeat the people they admire, because the respectable opponents are the best competitive goals they should pursue. Verend described two American players paddock and Scholz as admirable figures in Chariots of Fire. As runners, the two protagonists in this film dare to deny themselves and overcome their weaknesses on the way to the world champion, which is also consistent with the characters in Buchan's novels. The director showed the temperament of British heroes in that era through movies, and let the audience know and feel the difference between that era and today.

While praising, the director is not without criticism. The two deans of Trinity College and Caius College are the representatives of the "lack of spirit of the times" discussed in the film. Their fake amateurs, hidden anti-Semitism, snobbery and hypocrisy are really disgusting.

Through the above two attitudes, people can see the director's tendency. It opposes mercenary and hypocrisy, and praises the spirit of success and self-realization through struggle.

The most special dramatic tension in the film lies between Eric's religious belief and his hobby of running. It is difficult and realistic to eliminate this tension. The conflict of directors' order is mainly manifested in those scenes where Eric, who insists on taking a rest on Sunday, and the captain of the British team argue about participating in the 100-meter preliminaries on Sunday. Even under the pressure of the Prince of Wales himself, Eric was unmoved. Finally, Larry volunteered Eric to run 400 meters for him, and the problem was solved. Eric sticks to his principles, not only winning glory for his country, but also defending his religious beliefs. This may seem difficult to understand today, but it faithfully reproduces the atmosphere of the times at that time. The inspiring effect of spiritual strength on people is a key issue that film directors should emphasize, which can also be reflected in the film title. The film begins with 1978 a memorial service for Harold held by a church and ends there. At the end of the service, the choir sang the hymn Jerusalem. The title of the film comes from the lyrics "Bring me the chariot of fire". The word "chariot" can be interpreted as a carriage in ancient racing; What this film shows is not so much a competition as a belief in full swing.

This film is the first feature film directed by Hudson. This is a decathlon for him in the field of directing, because he has to create various effects: from the spectacular Olympic Games to the atmosphere of Scotland and Cambridge, from the famous opera performances of Gilbert and Sullivan to the competition scene itself. In the scene of the competition, Hudson often uses slow motion shooting, combined with special vocal effects and repetitive techniques. The sustained and coordinated use of this method makes it a means of expression to express the feelings of runners in the competition. For them, some short moments are of great significance, and their focus is often on the finish line of the game.

Hudson and Willund adopted the method of "forest before tree" in their plots, which directly introduced their concerns about competition, race, religion and country, and also showed the complex relationship between these issues. At the memorial service at the beginning of the film, the audience heard the eulogy of "Let's praise celebrities and give birth to our father …". Then a group of athletes ran on the beach in 1924 Kent and played theme music at the same time. An adult and a child are watching them run. Then the camera shifted to let the audience see the hotel called Carlton (the audience later learned that it was the hotel where the athletes stayed before leaving for the Paris Olympics in 1924), and Aubrey's voice-over was reading a letter to his mother. His voice pushes the story back to how Aubrey and Harold arrived at Cambridge University in 19 19. Harold's Jewish identity and subsequent prejudice were revealed when he registered in the dormitory. At the freshmen's dinner, after the boys' choir sang hymns, the dean of Caius College told about the teachers and students who died in World War I: "They died for Britain and everything that Britain stood for". When Harold circled the site run for the first time at 12, the dean couldn't help but comment that he was the best sprinter in Britain, and no one could run as fast as him. However, the film soon cuts into the Scottish Highlands, and another runner, Eric liddell, is hosting the children's race. After winning the prize, he told how he was born in China and how his father told him about the beautiful Scottish mountains. He also said that he is and will always be Scottish. Later, he was encouraged to take part in a competition and won. To this end, his task leader inspired him to "run in the name of God". Then the film cuts back to Harold's room in Cambridge. He told Aubrey that the photo on the wall was his father, a man who worshipped this country very much. ...

Only 20 minutes after the opening of the film, its theme and focus have already taken shape. This laid a good foundation for the further development of the theme.