History Film / ChariotsOfFire

** Film!Abrahams started his running career by successfully completing the Trinity Court Great Run, which requires the runner to complete the 341 metres around the court of Cambridge's Trinity College in the approximately 43 seconds it takes for the bells to chime 12.[[note]]Most runners today cut off the corners, making the distance 299 metres—manageable by a good club athlete. However, since 2017, an official run requires runners to avoid the shortcuts. Note also that weather can affect the timing of the bells; [[https://web.archive.org/web/20191030045702/https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/news/george-mears-beats-the-clock-in-the-great-court-run/ in 2019]], one runner successfully "beat the clock", but his time was 48.12 seconds.[[/note]] Real!Abrahams never attempted this feat.

** Abrahams's fiancée in the film is a Gilbert-and-Sullivan singer named Sybil Gordon, who in real life was never the lead singer for an opera company. The real Abrahams' fiancée was a completely different Gilbert-and-Sullivan singer named Sybil '''Evers''', whom Abrahams didn't meet until 1935, more than a decade after the events of the film. The writer apparently confused the two women. The ScreenToStageAdaptation corrected this (at least the naming part).

* HeroicResolve: Eric winning the race after being knocked down.

** Liddell is the son of Scottish missionaries, born and raised in China and describing himself as "Oriental". Ironically, his religion ends up alienating himself from other Britons as well, who don't share his intense devotion to the faith.

** Abrahams's fiancée in the film is a Gilbert-and-Sullivan singer named Sybil Gordon, who in real life was never the lead singer for an opera company. The real Abrahams' fiancée was a completely different Gilbert-and-Sullivan singer named Sybil '''Evers''', whom Abrahams didn't meet until 1935, more than a decade after the events of the film. The writer apparently confused the two women. The ScreenToStageAdaptation corrected this.

** Film!Abrahams started his running career by successfully completing the Trinity Court Great Run, which requires the runner to complete the 343 metres around the court of Cambridge's Trinity College in the approximately 43 seconds it takes for the bells to chime 12.[[note]]Today's route cuts off the corners, making the distance 299 metres—manageable by a good club athlete.[[/note]] Real!Abrahams never attempted this feat.

** Sybil was never the lead singer for an opera company. As a matter of fact, she seems to have been confused with a different Sybil, who was. On top of that, the real-life Abrahams didn't meet the Sybil whom he would marry until 1935, more than a decade after the film was set.

** Abrahams's fiancée in the film is a Gilbert-and-Sullivan singer named Sybil Gordon. The real Abrahams's fiancée was a completely different Gilbert-and-Sullivan singer named Sybil '''Evers'''. The writer apparently confused the two women. The ScreenToStageAdaptation corrected this.

* ArtisticLicenseSports: The Parade Of Nations contains so many mistakes it’s actually easier to say what’s right with it - the teams came out according to their French name and the tradition of Greece coming out first had yet to start.

** Liddell is the son of Scottish missionaries, born and raised in China and describing himself as "Oriental." Ironically, his religion ends up alienating himself from other Britons as well, who don't share his intense devotion to the faith.

Centering around RealLife track-and-field athletes Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, who competed for Great Britain in the 1924 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames, the film does have a fairly large dash of HollywoodHistory, but it was nevertheless impressive enough to be nominated for seven UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, winning Best Picture, Original Screenplay (Colin Welland), Costume Design (Milena Canonero), and Original Score (Music/{{Vangelis}}).

''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British drama directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Ben Cross and Ian Charleson.

The film is based on the RealLife track and field athletes Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, who competed for Britain in the 1924 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames. The film does have a large dash of HollywoodHistory, but was still impressive enough to be nominated for seven UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s, winning Best Picture, Original Screenplay (Colin Welland), Costume Design (Milena Canonero), and Original Score (Music/{{Vangelis}}).

* HarsherInHindsight: The real Eric Liddell passed away in a Japanese civilian internment camp in 1945 at age 43, due to a brain tumor, as well as overwork and undernourishment, which likely made the tumor worse. The actor who portrayed him, Ian Charleson, himself passed away in 1990 at the age of 40, three years younger than Liddell, due to AIDS-related causes.

* UnfortunateImplications: Subverted InUniverse twice. Aubrey and Sybil each accidentally seem to step on Abraham's toes about him being Jewish, but he laughs both times, knowing they mean no offense.

The film is largely remembered today for its groundbreaking electronic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-HfNE3EIo title theme]], which at the time was a bold departure from other period pieces which typically used orchestral scores.

The film is largely remembered today for its groundbreaking electronic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYJzcUvS_NU title theme]], which at the time was a bold departure from other period pieces which typically used orchestral scores.

->''"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me'' fast. ''And when I run I feel His pleasure."''

* BadassPreacher: Eric

* DinnerOrderFlub: On their dinner date, Sybil, familiar with the restaurant and the staff, asks for her "favorite." Harold nervously asks to be served the same thing. When he asks what he just ordered, Sybil tells him only that it will be a surprise. Turns out, it's pork, which Harold can't eat due to religious reasons. [[TensionCuttingLaughter They end up laughing off the misunderstanding.]]

** Lindsay is obviously talented, being able to stay neck-and-neck with Abrahams during the College Dash, but by his own admission he doesn't take the sport seriously. One scene even shows him practicing hurdles by placing glasses of champaign on them to show if he touches the hurdles. Naturally, he ends up losing his big race at the end, while Abrahams and Liddell both win theirs.

* NotableOriginalMusic: And this is turned into a {{meme|ticMutation}}, thanks to its use when someone is running in ''slow-motion''.

** The American flag contains 50 stars, not the 48 it would have had in 1924.

** The American flag contains 50 stars, not the 48 it would have had in 1824.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Scene-from-Chariots-of-Fi-001_7363.jpg]]

* DarkHorseVictory: Won the UsefulNotes/AcademyAward despite the fierce competition of ''Film/{{Reds}}'' and ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''.

* CompositeCharacter: Lord Andrew Lindsay is a composite of David Burghley and Douglas Lowe.

* ArtisticLicense: Several scenes were altered from RealLife to help the drama.