The film Chariots of Fire is a true story about two British runners competing in the 1924 Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian, was encouraged by his missionary dad to "run in God's Name, and let the world stand back and wonder." Contrarily, Harold Abrahams, Liddell's teammate, ran for personal glory.

On the boat to the Paris Olympics, Liddell learned that to compete in the 100-meter dash, his best distance and the race he was favored to win, he had to run the qualifying heats on Sunday. He resolved not to run on the Sabbath. During a reception in Paris, Liddell was pressured by Scotland's aristocracy to run.

Lord Birkenhead began: "We decided to invite you for a little chat to see if there is any way we can help resolve this situation."

Lord Cadogan said, "There's only one way to resolve this situation. That's for this man [Liddell] to change his mind."

Unruffled by the pressure, Liddell responded, "I'm afraid there are no ways, sir. I won't run on the Sabbath, and that's final. God made countries, and God makes the kings and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is his, and I, for one, intend to keep it that way."

The Sunday Liddell could have been running, he worshiped in a Paris church and preached from Isaiah 40, which states: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Abrahams, however, prepared for the race and confessed to Liddell, "I used to be afraid to lose. But now I am afraid to win. I have ten seconds in which to prove the reason for my existence, and even then, I'm not sure I will." Abrahams did win the gold medal in the 100-meter, while Liddell applauded him on the sidelines. But his gold medal gave him only fleeting satisfaction.

Later in the Olympics, Liddell competed in the 400-meter, an event he had not trained for and was not favored to win. Surprisingly, Liddell not only won but also broke the world record.

In 1925, Liddell went to China to serve as a teacher and missionary. When life in China became so dangerous that the British government advised British nationals to leave, Liddell stayed behind and was interned in a prison camp, where he died of a brain tumor in 1945. His last words were, "It's complete surrender."

Elapsed time: Measured from the beginning of the opening credit, the scene with the Scottish aristocracy begins at 1:25:35 and last approximately seven minutes.

Content: Chariots of Fire is rated PG because of mild profanity.