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REVIEW: “The idea of that film winning the Oscar was insane.”
Film producer David Puttnam is talking about Chariots of Fire, the 1981 British historical sporting drama with no stars that somehow defeated On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Reds and Atlantic City to bring home the Best Picture gong.
As the latest episode of the fascinating four-part documentary series Reel Brittania (which debuts tonight, Sunday, on Sky’s Rialto Channel at 8.30pm – perfect timing given the recent death of Fire’s director Hugh Hudson) reveals, Puttnam had wanted something a little less edgy than his previous project Midnight Express.
Leafing through a book on Olympic history, he discovered the story of Scottish runner Eric Liddell, whose religious beliefs clashed with his preferred athletics event, forcing him to tackle – suddenly and successfully – another running distance at the 1924 Games in Paris.
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Hiring Hudson, who had a long and illustrious directing commercials, to helm his project because of his “ability to sell through film”, Puttnam and his collaborators created a film that not only made more than US$59m, but also won four Academy Awards and helped sell Britain to the world – and the British.
As the series’ narrator, comedian Nick Helm (best known for his lovelorn appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown) dryly notes – four decades on – it is “an odd watch now”.
“Vangelis’ synth strands it in the ‘80s and the lack of cynicism or darkness leaves it somewhat out of step, but there can be no denying that it was one of the most important films in modern British history.”
That’s because Fire’s screenwriter Colin Welland’s Oscars ceremony warning that “the British are coming” kind came to fruition, as this Reel Brittania 1980s-focused survey details.
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Chariots of Fire was unlikely box-office smash and Oscar-winner, but it heralded a bold, successful era for British cinema.
While Hollywood ushered in the era of the blockbuster and John Hughes became the voice of an American generation struggling under Ronald Reagan, the UK delivered a succession of “impressive, lyrical, heartfelt, progressive, complex, funny, groundbreaking and heartbreaking movies that are still cherished around the world today”. But although epics like Gandhi and A Passage to India captured the imagination of audiences around the world, the eccentric comedies, gonzo fantasies and quixotic failures were just as important – and impactful.
And it’s those titles, films such as Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits, Bruce Robinson’s Withnail and I and Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero (as well as the little-known likes of 1985’s Restless Natives and 1980’s Babylon) that series creator Jon Spira (Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman) seeks to champion here.
Told via illustrations, archival clips, brand new interviews with the likes of Gilliam, Puttnam, Stephen Frears and Ken Loach and Helm’s sometimes hilarious observations, Real Brittania looks at how former Beatle George Harrison saved both Monty Python’s Life of Brian and The Long Good Friday, the influence then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had on films of the era (even flights of fancy like Gilliam’s Jabberwocky, much to his surprise), the importance of the arrival of Channel 4 in November 1982 and the stories behind such memorable flicks as An American Werewolf in London, Hellraiser, Distant Voices, Still Lives and Hope and Glory. There are also segues into the works of visionary directors like Peter Greenaway, John Boorman and Ken Russell.
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It took the passion of former Beatle George Harrison to save Monty Python’s Life of Brian from the scrapheap, as Reel Brittania details.
With two episodes – on the 1960s and ‘70s – having already unspooled (they are available to stream on SkyGo and repeat on Rialto next month) and one last one on the ‘90s and noughties dropping next Sunday, I really recommend Reel Brittania as an entertaining, essential watch for any true fan of UK cinema – it might just inspire you to rewatch a few classics, or seek some of the less-known titles out.
The 1980s-focused third episode of Real Brittania debuts tonight, Sunday, at 8.30pm on Sky TV’s Rialto Channel. It will also be available to stream on SkyGo.
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