On 13 July 2012, for the first time in a generation, audiences across the UK will have the opportunity to enjoy the Great British movie classic, Chariots Of Fire on the big screen as Twentieth Century Fox, in association with The Sun and BT and with the support of the BFI, release the internationally acclaimed, multi Oscar®-winning Olympic drama in a stunning digitally restored version.
An official part of the London 2012 Festival, Chariots Of Fire will help get this summer’s Olympic celebrations off to a flying start on July 10th, with the British Premiere for the film taking place simultaneously in London’s Leicester Square, at Edinburgh’s iconic Festival Theatre, and at selected locations across the country.
The events will be attended by the film’s producer Lord Puttnam, Hugh Hudson, the director, members of the cast and a host of Britain’s greatest sportsmen and women. Producer Lord Puttnam of Queensgate CBE said: "Chariots of Fire is about guts, determination and belief. Just as the film succeeded in raising spirits and aspirations thirty years ago, I believe it could deliver exactly the same message today.
"At the heart of the film is the quest for Olympic glory, and I find hard to imagine anything more likely to resonate throughout the country this summer." Director Hugh Hudson said: "May the energy, the Liddell spirit and the simple joy of running that exist in Chariots of Fire inspire performers and spectators alike in this London Olympic year." Katie Vanneck-Smith, Chief Marketing Officer, News International, said: "We are delighted to be involved with the re-release of Chariots of Fire. This classic film will really set the tone for a fantastic home Olympics.
"As the biggest-selling newspaper in the country, The Sun will be getting behind the athletes, the fans and the nation to help make it a truly momentous Games. Let’s make it great, Britain!" Chariots of Fire tells the story of two very different men who compete as runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics: Eric Liddell is a devout Christian who believes that his athletic abilities are a gift from God, and that using that gift to its fullest extent - to win the gold medal - will be his way of repaying that gift. Harold Abrahams is an English Jew, a student at Cambridge, who dreams of fame and of proving to his anti-Semitic fellow students, and to the world, that Jews are in no respect inferior. Their motives are noble.
Their commitment is total. Their integrity is unquestionable. They will both make personal sacrifices to achieve their goals. In the process, through all the obstacles and personal issues they conquer, they prove that striving for victory in their own terms is, perhaps, its own reward. Based on a true story, Chariots Of Fire was the winner of four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, in addition to receiving nominations for three more.