On Wings of Eagles
Sprinter
Eric Liddell's Life after Olympic Glory Chronicled in Bittersweet
Biopic
Chariots
of Fire (1981) chronicled the real-life exploits of Eric Henry
Liddell (1902-1945), aka "The Flying Scotsman," a
world-class sprinter who won the gold medal in the 400-meter track
race at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. What made his feat amazing
is that he had only qualified to run the 100-meter dash but refused
to compete when he learned that it would be staged on a Sunday.
You
see, he was a devout Christian raised by missionaries who had
instilled in their son the Biblical notion that the Sabbath was a
holy day of rest. Consequently, he decided to enter the 400-meter
contest instead, and miraculously managed to prevail against the best
in an event he hadn't trained for.
Chariots
of Fire was a critically acclaimed crowd-pleaser which landed a
quartet of Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original
Screenplay. However, it took 36 years for someone to mount a sequel
showing what became of the Olympic great in the wake of his glory
days.
Co-directed
by Stephen Shin and Michael Parker, On Wings of Eagles stars
BAFTA-nominee Joseph Fiennes (for Shakespeare in Love) as Eric
Liddell. At the point of departure, we learn that the unassuming
athlete eschewed fame and fortune in favor of returning to China, the
country of his birth, in 1925, to follow his calling to do missionary
work.
He
would settle down in Asia and start a family with the woman of his
dreams, Florence Mackenzie (Elizabeth Arends). However, their marital
bliss would be irreversibly altered by the Japanese invasion of China
in 1937.
During
the occupation, the Liddells were afforded a brief opportunity to
leave the country. The dedicated minister decided to not abandon his
flock, though he did send his pregnant wife and daughters, Patricia
(Laura Justine Friis Lodahl) and Heather (Asta Friis Lodahl), to live
with his in-laws in Canada. Sadly, he was subsequently interned in a
concentration camp where he would suffer terribly before passing away
in 1945, just months before Japan's surrender.
Rated PG-13 for violent images
In English, Mandarin and Japanese with subtitles
Running time: 96 minutes
Production Studio: Goodland Pictures / Innowave Ltd / Bondit
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
To see a trailer for On Wings of Eagles, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH2ISISHNv0
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