This summer, Warner Home Entertainment will bring Chariots of Fire to Blu-ray. Director Hugh Hudson's sports drama stars Ben Cross (Star Trek) and Ian Charleson (Gandhi) as two British sprinters competing in the 1924 Olympics.
From Warner's official synopsis:
"Eric (Charleson), a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God. Harold (Cross), the son of a newly rich Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society."
A critical and commercial success, Chariots of Fire received seven nominations at the 1982 Academy Awards Ceremony and eventually went on to win four Oscars, including:
Best Picture: David Puttnam
Best Original Score: Vangelis
Best Original Screenplay: Colin Welland
Best Costume Design: Milena Canonero
In addition, the film won the BAFTA for Best Film as well as the Best Supporting Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for Ian Holm's performance.
Update: While the Blu-ray's technical specifications are still unknown, the disc contains a number of bonus supplements, such as:
Commentary by Hugh Hudson
Four behind-the-scenes featurettes:
- Wings on their Heels: The Making of Chariots of Fire
- Chariots of Fire: A Reunion
- Sprint Around the Quad
- Famous Opening Shot
Three all-new featurettes produced for the Blu-ray:
- Paris, 1924: Birth of the Modern Olympics
- David Puttnam: A Cinematic Champion
- Hugh Hudson: Journey to the Gold
Deleted scenes
Screen tests
The digibook package also comes with a CD sampler that includes the following tracks from Vangelis' score: