Chariots of Fire
“This is the story of two men who run, not to run, but to prove something to the world. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals... except their honor.”
In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.
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Cast
51 people
Ben Cross
Harold Abrahams
Known for
Banshee
Jarhead: Law of Return
Ian Charleson
Eric Liddell
Known for
Opera
Gandhi
Cheryl Campbell
Jennie Liddell
Known for
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage
Alice Krige
Sybil Gordon
Known for
The OA
Carnival Row
Nigel Havers
Lord Andrew Lindsay
Known for
Empire of the Sun
Coronation Street
Ian Holm
Sam Mussabini
Known for
Ratatouille
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Michael Lonsdale
Garth Jones
Known for
Moonraker
The Name of the Rose
Nicholas Farrell
Aubrey Montague
Known for
Bodies
The Diary of Anne Frank
Daniel Gerroll
Henry Stallard
Known for
Daredevil: Born Again
Still Alice
John Gielgud
Master of Trinity
Known for
The Elephant Man
Gandhi
Lindsay Anderson
Master of Caius
Known for
O Lucky Man!
Blame It on the Bellboy
Nigel Davenport
Lord Birkenhead
Known for
Phase IV
Nighthawks
Hugh Hudson Director · Colin Welland Writer Vangelis Composer
Worldwide gross $59M · Budget $5.5M · United States release September 25, 1981
Box office
Budget
$5,500,000
Worldwide gross
$58,972,904
Gross vs. budget
10.7×
Production
Enigma Productions
Production
Allied Stars
Production
20th Century Fox
Production
20th Century Studios
Studio · Production
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production
The Ladd Company
Production
United Kingdom · United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · French
Release dates
United Kingdom · March 30, 1981
Premiere · Royal Command Film Performance
United Kingdom · May 15, 1981
Theatrical
United States · September 25, 1981
Limited theatrical · Los Angeles
United States
April 2, 1982 · Theatrical
Australia
September 24, 1981 · Theatrical
April 11, 2012 · Physical · BluRay Release
Brazil
October 16, 1981 · Theatrical · Estréia
December 2, 2003 · Physical · DVD
Canada
September 17, 1981 · Premiere · Toronto International Film Festival
Denmark
May 15, 1981 · Theatrical
Finland
May 15, 1981 · Theatrical
France
May 20, 1981 · Premiere · Cannes Film Festival
May 22, 1981 · Theatrical
September 20, 2000 · Physical · DVD
November 2, 2012 · Physical · Blu-Ray
May 19, 2015 · Digital · VOD
May 21, 2021 · Digital · Disney+
Germany
May 7, 1982 · Theatrical
Greece
March 2, 2001 · Physical · DVD
May 18, 2012 · Physical · Blu-Ray
Hungary
June 10, 1982 · Theatrical
Ireland
July 24, 1981 · Theatrical
Italy
December 18, 1981 · Theatrical
Japan
August 21, 1982 · Theatrical
Netherlands
May 15, 1981 · Limited theatrical
Norway
May 15, 1981 · Theatrical
Portugal
November 25, 1981 · Theatrical
Romania
May 15, 1981 · Premiere
South Korea
June 16, 2016 · Theatrical
Spain
January 1, 1982 · Theatrical
Sweden
May 15, 1981 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.