Chariots of Fire is a movie with one of the most inspiring Christian world views. It won 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Writing, and was nominated for 3 more. In 2006, The American Film Institute placed Chariots of Fire in a list of the top 100 most inspiring films of all time called AFI’s 100 Years...100 Cheers. This goes to show that the film has had a major cultural impact and has received high praise. Very few movies that have strong Christian themes make such an impact on the world. Because of its strong Christian themes, Christian websites highly recommend Chariots of Fire to teens and adults.
While the story of Chariots of Fire is incredibly inspirational, it also provides the audience with a healthy moral compass. Eric Liddell, a Scottish missionary and runner, receives one of the highest honors an athlete can achieve: a chance to participate in the Olympics. However, Eric finds out that he must race on a Sunday which contradicts his beliefs in keeping the Sabbath holy. Even though he may never get this chance again, Eric does not compromise his values for his personal desires. He chooses not to compete and receives a lot of criticism for it. Members of the English government try to persuade him otherwise, but Eric Liddell says, “God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I for one intend to keep it that way.”
Eric’s beliefs and motives are pure which makes him the perfect moral compass for the film.
Not only does Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire provide the audience with a healthy moral compass, but he also has a unique religious perspective. Eric is an extremely committed Christian. He served as a missionary in China but also serves God through his running. He doesn’t think that God will make him faster and be able to win, but wants to praise God through his actions. One of the best moments in the film is when Eric Liddell says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” This shows that Eric runs for God because God is the one who gave him the gift of running fast. Eric’s dedication to his faith is tested when he has to compete on a Sunday. Instead of thinking of himself on the Sabbath, he honors God and does not compete.
Liddell and Abrahams are both incredibly motivated individuals. However, they are motivated for different reasons. Liddell runs for God as an act of worship because God made him fast. Liddell feels that he would be wasting a gift that God has given him if he did not run. On the other hand, Abrahams runs to win and to fit into Anglo-Saxon society. As a Jew, Abrahams feels persecuted and shamed by the world. In order to fit in with society, he must win his races. This begins when he attempts to beat a sprinting record at Cambridge. After he succeeds, he feels like he fits into society. Winning becomes everything to Abrahams. Eventually he says, “If I can’t win, I won’t run,” which perfect shows the motivation of Abrahams.
Along with their motivations, Liddell and Abrahams are competitive in different ways. Liddell is a good sport while Abrahams will do anything to win. Before each race, Eric Liddell walks up to each of his opponents and shakes their hands. He wants everyone to run their bests and to be fair. Later on, Eric is pushed down and out of the race. Instead of easily giving up, Liddell gets back up, perseveres and continues racing. A similar instance happens in the film Cool Runnings. In the end of Cool Runnings, the Jamaican bobsled team crashes at the bottom of the bobsled run. Slowly, the team crawls out of their bobsled and carries it across the finish line as an act of perseverance, determination, and good sportsmanship. While Abrahams is not a bad sport, he is not a good sport either. After Liddell beats him for the first time, Abrahams is terrified of losing. He focuses all of his energy on how he can beat Eric Liddell and fails to consider that maybe Liddell is a better athlete than him.
The faiths of the two main competitors are very interesting and unique. Abrahams is Jew who views running as a weapon against his past and his faith. He places his faith not within Judaism but within his own talents. On the opposite side of the spectrum is Eric Liddell. Liddell is a dedicated Christian who stands up for his beliefs, will not back down, and is not embarrassed of his views. Unlike Abrahams, Eric is at peace and in harmony with who he is. At one point in Chariots of Fire, the Prince of Wales tries to convince and reason with Eric to compete on a Sunday, but Eric refuses. A similar occurrence happens in the movie 300. In 300, King Leonidas is reasoned with by King Xerxes to stop fighting and pledge allegiance to Xerxes. Even when he is offered wealth and power beyond all measure, King Leonidas refuses and stands for his beliefs. The refusal of a higher authority proves that Eric Liddell’s faith means a lot to him and is extremely strong.
Eric “The Flying Scotsman” Liddell is very proud of is heritage. As an Olympic athlete and gold medal winner, Eric has a sense of pride for his country that few can relate to. While Olympians represent themselves, they also represent their country. Scotland chose both Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams to compete for them in the 1924 Olympics. After Liddell refused to race on a Sunday, the Prince of Wales questioned Liddell’s allegiances to England and Scotland. Liddell responded perfectly and said that God comes before his country and not the other way around. On the other hand, Harold Abrahams has very little racial pride. Abrahams is a Jew who wants to hide his heritage by competing and winning races in the Olympics. Embarrassed of who he is, Abrahams races to victory, hoping people will overlook his heritage and consider him normal. Because of this, Harold Abrahams is a very bad example of racial pride.
When talking about guileless sincerity, Eric Liddell is the most genuine person in Chariots of Fire. Eric does not change anything about himself in order to fit in with society. He stands up for his beliefs and truly cares for others. This is also shown in the scene when he shakes his opponents hands. On the other hand, Abrahams is exactly opposite Liddell. Abrahams wants to change his heritage by winning medals and races. He is running in order to be someone else while Liddell runs in order to be himself.
Chariots of Fire is one of the few Christian themed movies that has become a major success in the secular world. People everywhere know of Eric Liddell and his dedication to his beliefs. Chariots of Fire provides the world with an inspiring Christian world view, a healthy moral compass, and an amazing religious perspective. Furthermore, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams are two characters worth examining because of their motivations, competitiveness, faiths, racial pride, and guileless sincerity. It is for these reasons that Chariots of Fire is one of the greatest and most inspiring movies of all time.
I love this movie, and your blog post causes me to want to see it again. Thx, Jas!
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