Chariots of fire two-disc special edition 1981

Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag. See details for additional description. This is one of the greatest movies of all time.

We have watched it at least 30 times. The movie is based on real. However, the movie never gets that far. It focuses on Littel's participation in the Olympics in Paris and the events leading up to them. I have read many accounts of his life and find that some of the details are "hollywoodized" for cinmatic purposes, but the basic theme of the movie is true to fact.

The movie is very well done in every aspect. The many sporting events are filmed in the most creative and interesting manner I have ever seen.

I can't imagine anyone who hasn't seen this movie. It is absolutely a family film. Something that is often times difficult to find these days. Read full review. This is a film that I have found profoundly moving, incredibly enjoyable and deeply satisfying for 25 years. I've seen it a number of times, and now that video stores no longer carry it, I'm buying the 2 disc DVD. A film that won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, should not be out of circulation.

Don't listen to people who will tell you it is an elitist fantasy: remember that there actually was, and occasionally still is, a time when people do great things for good reasons. It is a true story and in this case the British used some real research to make it right and make it ring true.

Rise above the cynicism that has invariably cast its net over all of us because of the deeds of the politicos in Washington, DC. This is a well done Movie that instills the 4th Commandment "Thou shall honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy". In this culture, this, and the other commandments, that Jesus Christ ordained, have been neglected.

Around there is a brief moment of telecine wobble , which appears again briefly once or twice later in the film. There is an occasional moment of edge enhancement , but this seems less frequent than last time around.

All of these faults are minor, but stand out against the generally fine picture. I would also have liked to see the original audio here yes, even with all its faults , just in case the remaster had gone wrong as it did on the Ten Commandments DVD. The best of them is the English dts 5. The English Dolby Digital 5.

Lacking only a little of the clarity and depth of the dts track, it will certainly satisfy if your equipment does not support the dts. There is also an English Dolby Digital 2. I listened to the film in its entirety in dts, and to extensive segments in Dolby Digital 5.

The comments which follow are based on the dts soundtrack. Audio sync is good for dialogue and all audio elements. The volume level of the music is well balanced with other audio elements.

The stirring music provides the majority of the forward projection for the sound, though the crowd at the sports events adds some subtle presence from the rear speakers and a closing door at shows that there is projection to the sides when needed. The menu on the second disc lists each of the Extra features the audio commentary is the only Extra on the first disc.

There are 36 scene selections available, spread across 4 pages. Each disc opens with an anti-piracy advert which is most annoying. It covers a number of elements including production history, cast and crew, and main film themes. Hudson is a reasonably eloquent speaker, but there are some lengthy gaps in his discussion. One comment I found interesting was that some swear words were added to the film to gain a PG rating rather than G which it was assumed would make the film more attractive in the US market.

He also discusses the need for 'artistic licence' in some scenes to allow the compression of 4 years of time into 2 hours of screen time. Most of the key creative team behind the film are interviewed including producer David Puttnam , along with surviving cast members. For me, one major annoyance came from Vangelis' synthesizer score. I'm probably in the minority here, as most people seem to love this music - it remains popular listening - but I found his work to be completely inappropriate for the film.

Vangelis' "New Age" piffle felt radically out of place in this period drama and I didn't think it worked at all. His music for Blade Runner perfectly fit the futuristic subject but similar content seemed odd and intrusive in a movie that takes place just after World War I.

I'll give the filmmakers credit for trying something different and daring, but I didn't like it. As for Chariots of Fire itself, I thought the movie provided a mildly watchable and interesting tale of two competing runners but 23 years after the fact, I still can't believe this fairly mediocre piece of work beat Raiders of the Lost Ark for Best Picture.

The victorious film seems too drab and ordinary to top a dynamic and influential piece of work like Raiders. Is a recount still possible? In addition to the appropriate framing, this new version also presented substantially improved visuals when compared to the old one.

Including the opening credits, some of those looked a bit soft and ill-defined. Occasionally I saw a little fuzziness for other parts of the film, but not to a substantial degree. Most of the movie came across as nicely detailed and distinctive. No jagged edges or shimmering appeared, and I saw only modest signs of edge enhancement.

One major problem with the old transfer stemmed from excessive print flaws. The new Fire demonstrated sporadic concerns but looked significantly cleaner. I saw occasional specks and small marks. Otherwise, the movie lacked the more noticeable scratches, hairs, nicks and blotches of its predecessor. Grain also became less intrusive; some still showed up, but it clearly stemmed from the source elements.

One odd concern popped up in both transfers. A few times during the film, I noticed strange signs of jittering. As is often typical of this kind of period piece, Fire used a fairly limited palette that maintained a generally overcast feel.

This limited the vivacity of most hues, though a few scenes - like the stage production at which Abrahams first sees Sylvia - boasted more dynamic colors. Across the board, the tones looked appropriately delineated.

Black levels also were deep and firm, while low-light shots depicted good clarity without excessive opacity or murkiness. The transfer could still use some work, but it nonetheless offered a marked improvement over the original DVD.

The disc included a remixed Dolby Digital 5. The 5. The soundfield tended to strongly favor the forward channels, which provided a relatively broad experience. The score spread nicely across the forward spectrum, and we also heard some good use of ambient effects on the left and right that enliven the proceedings. For the most part, the surrounds offered only modest reinforcement of the music and effects; they're usually not a factor. One odd and distracting exception came during a scene that featured a thunderstorm.

It also tossed out some split-surround information, but that worked a bit better.