In 1995, the Vatican recommended 45 feature films that it described as “important.” Today, discover or rediscover one of them: “Chariots of Fire”. Immerse yourself in a masterpiece from the 1980s.
A church. A gathering to celebrate the memory of a hero. The memory of a race on the beach. This is what opens Chariots of Fire. 1981 British film inspired by a true story, it tells the story of two men, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, one Jewish and the other Christian. The first, too often mocked, wants to surpass himself more and more, and the second makes every part of his life a time of mission for God. The objective is clear for these two athletes: to participate in the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, and finish on the highest step of the podium. When Eric learns that the qualifying race takes place on a Sunday, he finds himself faced with a dilemma, leading him to reflect on the faith that animates his heart.
Winning four Oscars, including Best Picture, Chariots of Fire brought together critics and audiences that year, and thus became the seventh biggest success of 1981 at the world box office. The defense of faith and the surpassing of oneself that the story involves will likely resonate with many spectators. For the two characters, respectful adversaries, a common line of action emerges: to surpass themselves, to represent their country, to achieve their goals and to use the gifts that God seems to have placed in them. The character of Eric regularly faces this question: running and winning races, is it always to use the abilities that the Lord has given us and thus give him glory, or is it not the search for a vain glory that will only pass? Our faith can sometimes be put to the test, in the face of events in our lives or in the face of the world. The objective of the film: to persevere and continue the effort, for greater glory. The feature film resonates in its storyline with these verses taken from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “I have not reached perfection, but I continue my course […] Only one thing counts: forgetting what is behind, and pushing forward, I press on toward the goal for the prize to which God calls us on high in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:12-14). surpassing seems to be the only path for Eric and Harold, the only one they want to choose to lead their lives. The testimony of what they embody through sport and their choice of life then appears just as important as the testimony through. the words.
Chariots of Fire turns not only to God, but also to others. He takes up the importance of “esprit de corps”, an expression mentioned by one of the characters. Belonging to the same body, that of an athletics team, goes beyond individuality or overly confining institutions , like that of prestigious universities And it is this team that will bring points of progress for the characters, places of Providence where God can express himself in the happy unforeseen events. Chariots of fire not to mention his music. Everyone has heard its main theme at least once in their life, the paragon of exploitative music. The composer Vangelis signs here a composition which remains, which marks us, at the height of what these men carried through their surpassing themselves.
With all these elements, it seems difficult not to understand the place it finds in the list of films recommended by the Vatican. It is logically placed in the “Moral” category, also because it addresses the question of conscience. It is one of the most precious gifts that God has given us and it is valued here by the character of Eric, who does not compromise in listening to the latter and goes all the way. Beyond the announcement of God, the film embodies healthy questioning around the desire for success and surpassing oneself, aided by an esprit de corps, like what the Church constitutes for everyone. One hundred years later, the Olympic Games took place in Paris. Chariots of Fire came at the right time and allows us to see what sport and physical effort in general can embody in our capacity to give ourselves and to embody what God wants us to be, if it is detached from any purely thought. proud or mercantile.
Practical
Chariots of Fire1981, directed by Hugh Hudson, with Ben Cross, Ian Charleson and Ian Holm, 1h59.
Available on Disney+. On VOD from €3.99.
