BBC iPlayer has an extensive list of films for fans to enjoy for a limited time, highlighting a wide range of genres, from family favourite classics to some of the best films to come from Britain. Another category we love browsing is the 'Award Winners & Nominees', allowing us plenty of access to some of the best films. However, if you're planning on watching the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire, then you'd better act fast, as the film will be dropped from the platform in less than a month.
The movie has been hailed by critics and viewers alike, gaining an 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and winning four awards at the 1982 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Score and Best Original Screenplay. The film was even included in the Vatican City's list of important films, a list that was devised by the then Pope, John Paul II.
The film was based on the true story of British Olympic runners Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, who both unexpectedly won gold medals at the 1924 Games. Eric famously refused to run in the 100m final, despite it being his best event, as it fell on a Sunday, the day of rest in Christianity; the athlete was known to be a devout Christian.
Chariots of Fire starred Ian Charleson (Gandhi) as Eric Liddell and Ben Cross (Banshee) as Harold Abrahams. Also featured in the film were Nigel Havers (Coronation Street) as Lord Andrew Lindsay, a Cambridge runner based on famous runners of the time; John Gielgud (Arthur) as the Master of Cambridge University's Trinity College and Nicholas Farrell (The Iron Lady) as athlete Aubrey Montague. The movie also featured the first feature film appearances of Kenneth Branagh and Stephen Fry, who both made uncredited appearances as extras.
Link to Princess Diana
Chariots of Fire also had a surprising link to the late Princess of Wales. The film was executively produced by Dodi al-Fayed, who would go on to date Diana before the pair died in a 1997 car crash. The shooting of the film was even one of the plot points in the fourth season of Netflix's The Crown, a historical drama based on the life of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Michael Peyser, who worked with Dodi throughout his career in the film industry, said of his role behind the camera: "He was the ultimate go-between facilitator. He could get you everything you needed. Let me put it this way: I've worked with many more people who are of less substance and had less understanding of the storytelling they were doing
"He was coddled by his family, but as an individual, he was a real guy with the kind of infectious, giggling laugh that couldn’t stop. He enjoyed life, you know? And that's what I would say. He was a good spirit and protective and embracing in a certain kind of way."