Clip And Trailer For CHARIOTS OF FIRE Re-Release; In UK Theaters July 13 And On Blu-ray July 10

With the Olympics set to kickoff in less than 100 days, take a look at the new trailer for the forthcoming re-release of CHARIOTS OF FIRE – in UK cinemas July 13th. 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!”

Gavin Patterson, CEO BT Retail, said: “As a Premier Partner of London 2012, BT wants to celebrate this fantastic occasion for its cultural appeal as well as a sporting spectacle. Chariots of Fire is a classic film in its own right and one of the greatest ever made about human endurance and sport. As part of our commitment to customers, we’re giving them a chance to see the film – and take family or friends along for free.”

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.

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CHARIOTS OF FIRE will be released on Blu-ray for the first time on July 10, 2012 from Warner Home Video (WHV). The title’s release will coincide with this year’s Summer Olympics in London which begins at the end of July.

The four-time Academy Award-winning film, named Best Picture in 1982, also won for Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score, and received three additional nominations. Ben Cross (“Star Trek”) and Ian Charleson (“Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan Lord of the Apes”) head a stellar cast, which also features British luminaries Ian Holm (“Lord of the Rings” series), John Gielgud (“Gandhi,” “Arthur”) and Lindsay Anderson (“O Lucky Man”), in this powerful and emotional true story of British sprinters Harold Abrahams (Cross) and Eric Liddell (Charleson). Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God, while Harold, the son of a newly wealthy Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society. Ian Holm was nominated for an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in his role as Abrahams’ coach.

CHARIOTS OF FIRE will be offered in WHV’s premium Blu-ray book packaging ($35.99 SRP) with close to an hour of special features, and a Blu-ray book with rare insights into the film’s production and cast, including trivia and in-depth photos. In addition, there is a CD sampler featuring some of the most beloved songs from the film.

Special features in CHARIOTS OF FIRE include:

• New Featurette: “Paris, 1924 – Birth of the Modern Olympic’s”

• New Featurette: “David Puttnam, A Cinematic Champion”

• New Featurette: “Hugh Hudson – Journey to the Gold”

• “Wings on their Heels: The Making of Chariots of Fire”

• “Chariots of Fire: A Reunion”

• “Sprint Around the Quad”

• “Famous Opening Shot”

• Commentary by Director Hugh Hudson

• Deleted Scenes

• Screen Tests

• CD Sampler

o “Titles”

o “Abraham’s Theme”

o “Eric’s Theme”

o “Jerusalem”

Special features are subject to change.