Ben Cross, Ian Charleson and Nicholas Farrell in the 4-time Academy Award winning film ‘Chariots of Fire’

Having taken a swing at the American sport of baseball on Saturday, we turn our sporting attention to the cinematic treatment of the 1924 Paris Olympics with the Hugh Hudson directed film Chariots of Fire (1981). Winning Academy Awards for best picture (David Puttnam), screen writing (Colin Welland), music (Vangelis) and costume design (Milena Canonero), the catchy theme song sets an emotional page for a British historical drama some 40-years old.

(From left (running), Ben Cross as Harold Abrahams, a Jewish student at University of Cambridge and Nigel Havers as Lord Andrew Lindsay, a Cambridge student runner in the David Putnam produced movie Chariots of Fire).

At the center of the Chariots of Fire movie are the stories of runners Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, both facing religious based strictures of different characters in their eventual journey to competing in Paris, France in the summer of 1924. Ben Cross portrayed Harold Abrahams, a Jewish student at University of Cambridge maligned for Anti-Semitic reasons in his running pursuits at the academy. Ian Charleson portrayed Eric Liddell, the son of Scottish missionaries to China, with a family structure that reinforces the glorification of God and Christianity.

(From left, Ian Charleson as Eric Liddell and Ben Cross as Harold Abrahams in the David Putnam produced movie Chariots of Fire).

The men face personal challenges and biographies over a period years before the Paris Olympics. Abrahams‘ story includes institutional obstacles based on heritage coupled with his romantic attraction to Sybil, a soprano and eventual fiancée as portrayed by Alice Krige. The choice for Harold Abrahams through the movie is his pursuit of a relationship with Sybil versus the focus on running at a world class, Olympic level.

(From left, Cheryl Campbell as Jennie Liddell, Eric‘s devout sister and Alice Krige as Sybil Gordon, Abrahams‘ fiancée in the David Putnam produced movie Chariots of Fire).

A similar confrontation is told for Eric Liddell through his sister Jennie Liddell, as portrayed by Cheryl Campbell. Jennie‘s character was criticized for inaccuracies of an assertive nature that belied the girl’s being significantly younger and not in a position to emphasize a religious focus that simply isn’t practical or likely. So, a poetic license of sorts within the cinematic story seemingly departed from this evident storyline. Several instances of this regarding historical accuracy occurred, though Eric Liddell‘s religious fervor was seemingly true.

(From left, Struan Rodger as Sandy McGrath, Eric Liddell‘s friend, Ian Charleson as Liddell, and Ian Holm as Sam Mussabini, Harold Abrahams‘ running coach in the David Putnam produced movie Chariots of Fire).

When Eric Liddell first races Harold Abrahams, Liddell beats Abrahams. In a step to address an underlying sense of anti-Semitism among University of Cambridge advisors that this incident partly ends up revealing, Eric Liddell‘s coach Sam Mussabini agrees to begin coaching Abrahams with Abrahams full willingness. In revealing this hear, you can sense some of the larger obstacles the movie Chariots of Fire aims to share as part of the larger message of self-sacrifice for the sake of achievement. Ian Holm portrays Mussabini in the movie.

(Nicholas Farrell as Aubrey Montague, a runner and friend of Harold Abrahams in the David Putnam produced movie Chariots of Fire).

Liddell and Abrahams attend the Paris Olympics as members of the British team with Aubrey Montague, Lord Andrew Lindsay and Henry Stallard, portrayed by Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers and Daniel Gerroll, respectively. The thrills and agonies of victory and defeat, befitting an Olympic year as this is in the aftermath and presence of COVID-19, draws me to appreciate Chariots of Fire for the drama, the sport, and the critical success of the film. I give Chariots of Fire as directed by Hugh Hudson 4-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Christian Bale, John Malkovich and the Steven Spielberg film ‘Empire of the Sun’

British, American and other expatriates were in Shanghai, China during the time surrounding the Japanese occupation of the city during the Second Sino-Japanese War. That war lasted longer and occurred at the same time that many in the west understand as World War Two, though the film Empire of the Sun (1987) looks at the period that can be roughly understood as 1941 to 1945.

(Christian Bale as Jamie ‘Jim’ Graham and Takatarô Kataoka as Kamikaze Boy Pilot in the film Empire of the Sun).

The film Empire of the Sun tells the story of spoiled British child Jamie Graham, played by Christian Bale, who starts the film living with his parents in diplomat accommodations in Shanghai prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Jamie has lived an exceptionally privileged life with Chinese servants serving his every wish, having grown up in diplomatic circles in China with an apparent understanding of communicating in both English, the form of Chinese spoken in Shanghai, and Japanese.

(Left to Right, Emily Richard as Mary Graham, Rupert Frazer as John Graham and Christian Bale as Jamie ‘Jim’ Graham in the film Empire of the Sun).

In the chaos following Japan occupying Shanghai and the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jamie is separated from his parents as the occupation begins. Following some desperate actions in the aftermath of that chaos, Jamie becomes entangled in the occupation with American expatriates Frank Demarest and Basie, as portrayed by John Malkovich and Joe Pantoliano.

(John Malkovich as Basie, left, and Joe Pantoliano as Frank Demarest in the film Empire of the Sun).

In creating a trade network within the camp where the prisoners exist, and in coming of age in a fashion that instills hope among the adult prisoners where all are held, Jamie takes the abbreviated name Jim from Basie and Frank. Hope comes in the form of the successes in acquiring street smarts, flat out bravery in pushing boundaries with his captors for his own good as well as the benefit of the prisoners, and the support Jim acquires through the course of the movie’s telling.

(Nigel Havers as Dr. Rawlins, left, and Christian Bale as Jamie ‘Jim’ Graham in the film Empire of the Sun).

While in the camp, Jim also forms a sort of father and son relationship with camp physician and British expatriate Dr. Rawlins, as portrayed by Nigel Havers. The bond formed by the two is palpable and convincing, offering a sweet glimpse into the emotionally possible within the context of the utterly miserable conditions of captivity. It is in part that Jim can maintain an optimism and growth in the face of a military occupation that hope is as strong a message for Empire of the Sun as is captivity.

(Christian Bale and Empire of the Sun director Steven Spielberg on set of the film Empire of the Sun).

The film Empire of the Sun is based on J.G. Ballard‘s autobiographical novel, also named Empire of the Sun. The film ends during the 1945 liberation of the prison camp, with glimpses of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki catching Jim’s attention. The heavy truths are shared in typically tasteful Steven Spielberg fashion, and the story eventually resolves in emotionally compelling fashions on that larger stage as well as on the personal stage of the relationships forged through the film. Empire of the Sun, rather to my unexpected pleasure, works on an emotional level in the storytelling that allows me to give the film 4.00-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, January 8, 2020