Chariots of Fire

Years of training, preparation and hard work have all come to this point – 10 seconds to prove your worth!

Becoming the first man in Cambridge history to complete the Trinity Great Court run – circling the court before the clock strikes twelve - brings Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) accolades and glory amongst his peers. A young and recently wealthy Jewish student, he is eager to prove himself further and trains to compete for the 1924 Olympics. In an early heat, he is bitterly disappointed when he loses to the ‘Flying Scotsman’, Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson). However, the race convinces highly successful coach, Sam Mussabini (Ian Holm, who won a Bafta for this role), that Harold does indeed have what it takes to win; he just needs training and to improve his technique.

Harold’s coaching causes the consternation of his Cambridge college masters (John Gielgud and Lindsay Anderson) who reproach him for going against amateurism and the spirit of the games. When they inform him he would be ‘playing the tradesman’ to take part, he realises that it is not just the clock he is fighting against…

Winning 3 Baftas and 4 Oscars, including Best Writing, Best Picture, and Best Music, Chariots of Fire is undoubtedly a classic. Standing for perseverance, the courage to test one’s limits, and the strength to keep fighting, it is no accident that its music is an anthem for the Olympics.

If you watch just one film this term, why not go for gold?

Natalie Tyldesley