Chariots of Fire (1981)
What is it? The story of two British track runners at the 1924 Olympics: one a devout Scottish missionary and the other a Cambridge-educated Jewish man. Cue slow mo and that theme.
Why did it win? See above. There's an undeniable bias against action movies come Oscar time, so it is in no way a surprise that this thoughtful film beat Indy's first outing, but it's still something that tends to disappoint. We can only assume that the voters still had the theme echoing around their heads, and were running around their houses doing slow motion running as they hummed it (while their cooler kids were pretending to be chased by boulders).
Did it deserve to win? Meh. It's a fine representation of a certain sort of Oscar favourite, later typified by the Merchant Ivory productions but characterised by gorgeous cinematography, the British upper classes and stiff upper lip drama. But it beat Raiders of the Lost Ark! Not to mention quality Commie drama Reds, Body Heat and Das Boot.
Worth a look? Only on really rainy Sundays.
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