“Chariots of Fire” is a masterpiece of sports movies! A way of life that bets everything on “running”

"Chariots of Fire" synopsis

There were two young men who brought gold to their home country, Great Britain, in the short distance track and field event at the Paris Olympics. Because Harold has Jewish blood, he has been subjected to unspoken discrimination and prejudice. For him, running was a victory over prejudice. On the other hand, Eric, who was born into a missionary family, ran for God and for his faith...

Index

• Olympic athletes who kept their faith in running
• There is also an advertisement that says “Information wanted!” It all started with the compilation of memories from 50 years ago.
• Due to lack of production funds, Dodi Al-Fayed supports
• What happened to the legendary players with a flame in their hearts...?

Olympic athletes who kept their faith in running

The NHK Taiga drama " Idaten ", which aired on July 7, 2019, centered on the life of Japan's first female Olympic athlete, Kinue Hitomi, and after the broadcast, it was dubbed "God episode" on the internet. It received such a response from viewers that it received the title. In this story, after losing in the 100m race at the Amsterdam Olympics, she offers to participate in the 800m race, saying, ``I haven't accomplished anything yet! I can't go back to Japan like this!'' Pushed by his enthusiasm, the delegation agreed. In this race, which she had never practiced for before, she showed incredible tenacity and won the silver medal.

At this time, for some reason, the 1981 British film ``Chariots of Fire'' suddenly crossed my mind.

The stage is the 1924 Paris Olympics (the father of the Japanese marathon, Shizo Kanakuri, also participated), four years earlier than the previous "Idaten" (7/7) held in Amsterdam. This is the story of two British athletes who worked tirelessly to prepare for this tournament and won the gold medal.

One was Harold Abrahams, a Jew. He has a stronger desire to win than anyone else. Armed with the will to achieve anything, he pushed aside the discrimination and prejudice around him, and even hired a professional personal coach to help him win (at the time, this was criticized as going against amateurism). While doing his best, he won the 100m dash.

The other is Eric Liddell from Scotland. For him, who is also a pastor, the meaning of ``running'' goes beyond sports. This strong physical ability was given to him by God, and he must win the race in order to fulfill God's will. In other words, he runs for "evangelism."

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However, a problem befalls Liddell. Qualifying for the 100 races he will be participating in will be held on Sunday. For Christians, Sunday is the ``Sabbath'' and they are not supposed to do anything. He is a religious man, even though he does not follow very strict conventions in general. Even though I am supposed to be a role model for others, I cannot allow myself to break the precepts. He stubbornly refused to accept the persuasion of the delegation, but in the end he switched his race from the 100m to the 400m, and unexpectedly won the gold medal in this race.

Athletes like Abrahams and Liddell, with completely different backgrounds and beliefs, are now lined up on the track to take on the big challenge, putting everything they have into it. The scene is a gathering place filled with as many dramas as there are runners, and a gem of a group drama. Being able to experience so many of the lives of people who have dedicated their lives to "running" in this way can be said to be one of the richest pleasures of this work.

There is also an advertisement that says “Information wanted!” It all started with the compilation of memories from 50 years ago.