""Let us praise famous men..." ""and our fathers that begat us."" "All these men were honored in their generations... and were a glory in their days." "We are here today to give thanks..." "For the life of Harold Abrahams... to honor the legend." "Now there are just two of us... young Aubrey Montague... and myself... who can close our eyes... and remember those few young men... with hope in our hearts... and wings on our heels." "Carlton Hotel, Broadstairs, Kent." "June 28, 1924." "Dear Mom, I'm sorry about your cold and the general dreariness." "We are having bad weather here, too." "Thanks for your letters." "I'm sorry you and Pa are disappointed that I should be letting... the Olympics interfere with my shorthand." "But if you were my age, with a chance to win the world championship in Paris... you'd be just as big a Fool as I am." "We've just one week to go now." "But it hardly seems that, since we all arrived in Cambridge... never suspecting what extraordinary times lay ahead." "Mind you, Harold's hardly changed at all... as intense as ever." "Now, as then, having a go at anybody who stands in his way." "I guess a taxi's out of the question, is it?" "Do you need some help?" "Well, you better let me have those clubs." "That's jolly kind." "Don't mention it." "All set?" "You sure you're all right?" "I'm fine." "Lead on." "It's all show, really." "Although I do enioy it." "I take it you're not keen." "I run." "Really?" "So do I." "I'm surprised you can find the time." "I can't stand getting beaten." "How about you?" "I don't know." "I've never lost." "Top right." "Carry your suitcases?" "Yes, yes, of course." "This way." "Which college, sir?" "It's Gonville and Caius." "And you, sir?" "The same." "This way please, gents." "There we are." "Here, let's give you that." "Come along, let's get these cases over here." "That's the way." "Thank you, sir." "Thanks very much." "Yes, thank you." "And good luck!" "That's what we fought the bleeding war For." "To give shits like them a decent education." "Come on." "I'll take these." "See you inside, Aubrey." "Right." "Name, please." "We're new." "I can see that, laddie." "What's your name?" "Abrahams, H.M." "Top of the list." "Repton." "That it?" "That's it." "Left a year ago." "Been doing your bit, have you?" "France?" "No." "Joined too late." "Bad luck, lad." "Many a dead man would've liked a share of it, bad luck or not." "You're right there, sir." "Welcome to Caius." "Sign here." "It's across the courtyard, top right-hand corner, up the stairs." "What are your names?" "Rogers, Head Porter, and Mr. Radcliffe, my assistant." "I ceased to be called laddie when I took up the King's commission." "Is that clear?" "Yes, Mr. Abrahams." "Quite clear." "I'd be obliged if you'd remember it." "See you later." "What's your friend studying?" "Barrack-room law?" "I've no idea." "One thing's certain." "Name like Abrahams, he won't be in the Chapel Choir, will he?" "Name?" "Montague." "I take the War List and I run down it." "Name after name which I cannot read... and which we who are older than you... cannot hear without emotion." "Names which will be only names to you, the new college... but which to us summon up face after face... full of honesty and goodness... zeal and vigor... and intellectual promise." "The flower of a generation, the glory of England." "They died for England and all that England stands for." "And now, by tragic necessity, their dreams have become yours." "Let me exhort you:" "Examine yourselves." "Let each of you discover where your true chance of greatness lies." "For their sakes..." "For the sake of your college and country, seize this chance." "Rejoice in it." "And let no power or persuasion deter you in your task." "Thursday, October 10, 1919." "My first day at Cambridge ended with the freshmen's Dinner... a sumptuous affair." "The Master gave us a moving speech, and I'm now eagerly awaiting... the start of term proper." "Rugby Club, golfing Society, Tennis, Squash Club..." "Flora and Fauna, Philately." "Is that all?" "Can't join everything." "I've got to work sometime." "How about birdwatching?" "Take a book." "I can't watch if I'm reading." "Follow in the footsteps of W.G.!" "Any Yorkshire men here?" "I can't bat for toffee." "Can't manage tenor, can you?" "Desperately short of tenors." "Only under torture." "Do you sing, Aubrey?" "School choir." "Not on your life." "I was kicked out of Ring a Ring of Roses." "Still, we can't all be gifted." "Put my friend down, too." "Steady on." "Rehearsals start Monday. Iolanthe." "I was a boy alto." "Perfect!" "You can be Queen of the Fairies!" "We have a solemn duty to those millions of lives needlessly...." "Good middle-distance runners are scarce, Stallard." "I can't vouch for those times." "Taken with the school alarm clock, most of them." "They're good enough for me." "Do you know H.M. Abrahams?" "He's challenged for the College Dash." "What's so special about that?" "It's special because in 700 years nobody's ever done it." "What do you do?" "Let it be known H.M. Abrahams of Gonville and Caius... has made challenge for the College Dash." "The rules are as follows." "The challenger must run the perimeter of the court... to and from a point beneath the clock... in the time taken by the clock to strike midday." "A distance recognized as one of 188 paces." "Abrahams, what've you got on your feet?" "Rockets?" "We'll begin on the stroke of one." "You haven't got a chance." "Do it for Israel." "The challenge will commence on the stroke of one." "The challenger must finish before the stroke of 12." "Go on, Abrahams, you swank." "Will the challenger please get ready." "This Abrahams." "What do you know about him?" "Repton chap." "Jewish." "His father's a financier in the city." "What's that supposed to mean?" "I imagine he lends money." "What do they say about the son?" "Academically sound." "Arrogant." "Defensive to the point of pugnacity." "As they invariably are." "Yet possessing a keen sense of duty and loyalty." "Do they say he can run?" "Like the wind." "Draw back, please." "Away from the course." "Mr. Abrahams, your position, please." "In the absence of any other challenger, Mr. Abrahams will run alone." "Your name and college?" "Lindsay. I race beside my friend here." "We challenge in the name of Repton, Eton, and Caius." "l didn't know you ran." "Nor I you." "I heard about this over breakfast." "Thought I'd come push you along a bit." "Delighted." "Splendid." "Good luck." "Gentlemen, to your marks." "Remember." "On the first strike of twelve." "Did they both do it?" "I think not." "Lindsay failed by a whisker." "Pity." "It's been done, and by a Caius man." "You must be proud." "The first man in seven centuries." "Perhaps they really are God's chosen people after all." "I doubt there's a swifter man in the kingdom." "Get to your marks." "Get set." "He may be your best friend, Sandy, but he's my best brother." "I'm thinking of him and not your blessed athletics team." "His heart's set on following father in the mission." "Don't you think he's got enough on his plate without taking up racing?" "He's fast." "You've seen him with a ball in his hands." "And I've seen him with the Bible in his hands." "I know which is the most important." "Don't deny him the chance." "Get him on a track with some technique" "Sandy, I don't want to hear." "Eric's special to me, precious." "I don't want his work spoilt with this running talk." "Well done." "You know, ladies and gentlemen... one of the real compensations of notoriety... if one is a rugby player, is you're asked to give things away." "It's often said that giving beats receiving." "The look of delight on those little boys' faces... was worth ten of the tin pots gathering dust on my shelves." "When we were in China, my father... used to wax lyrical about his wee home in the glen." "But being Oriental-born, like my brothers and sister... I felt some incredulity." "But looking now at the heather and the hills... I can see he was right." "It's very special." "Thank you for welcoming us home, and thank you..." "For reminding me I am, and will be whilst I breath... a Scot." "Mr. Provost...." "Before you allow Eric to go, is it not true that the main event... is still to be run?" "It is." "The 200-yards Open Championship." "It's the last event of this gathering." "Do you think, if we can find him some kit... we might persuade Scotland's finest wing... to show us his paces?" "To your marks." "Get set." "Didn't I tell you, Eric?" "Didn't I tell you?" "A touch of liberality would do no harm." "Sandy, the Kingdom of God is not a democracy." "The Lord never seeks reelection." "There's no discussion, no deliberation... no referenda as to which road to take." "There's one right, one wrong, one absolute ruler." "Dictator, you mean." "A benign, loving dictator." "So much for freedom of choice." "You still have a choice, Sandy." "Nobody's forcing you to follow him." "You know what day it is?" "Tell me, then." "lt's Sunday." "is the Sabbath a day for football?" "Are you up early?" "At 7:" "OO." "We'll have a game then." "Can my dad come, Mr. Liddell?" "Bring your whole family." "I'll give you a five-goal start." "You've got a train at 9:" "OO." "I'll have time." "You want him to think God's a spoilsport?" "I'd like to propose a toast to the Liddell family... whom I'm fortunate enough to call my friends." "Reverend J.D., Mrs. L., young Ernest... bon voyage, and safe journey back to China." "May the years ahead be happy and content." "For those who remain... may God protect them, inspire them, and lead them to glory." "Thank you, Sandy." "That was very nice." "You keep them out of mischief." "I will." "If they do transgress, I'll pop the details on a postcard... and you can read all about it before you can say "Marco Polo."" "It'll cost you a fortune in postage." "I intend to protect my investment." "I'll rule you... with a rod of iron." "You're very lucky." "You're the proud possessor of many gifts." "It's your sacred duty to use them well." "Run strong and true, and the mission will gain... by your success." "We need a muscular Christian... to make folks take notice." "How good are you, Eric?" "Sandy reckons... he'll be running for Scotland soon." "After that..." "the sky's the limit." "Meaning what?" "The Olympic Games, maybe." "You can praise the Lord by peeling a spud... if you peel it to perfection." "Don't compromise." "Compromise is the language of the Devil." "Run in God's name... and let the world stand back in wonder." "You came to see a race today." "To see someone win." "It happened to be me." "But I want you to do more than watch a race." "I want you to take part in it." "I want to compare faith to running in a race." "It's hard." "It requires concentration of will, energy of soul." "You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape." "Especially if you've bet on it." "But how long does that last?" "You go home, maybe your dinner's burnt." "Maybe you haven't got a job." "So who am I to say, "Believe..." ""have faith," in the face of life's realities?" "I would like to give you something more permanent... but I can only point the way." "I have no formula for winning the race." "Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way." "Where does the power come from to see the race through to its end?" "From within." "Jesus said:" ""Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you." ""If with all your hearts you truly seek me..." ""you shall ever surely find me."" "If you commit yourself... to the love of Christ... then that is how you run a straight race." "Thanks for coming." "It's an ache... a helplessness... an an9ef." "One feels humiliated." "Sometimes I say to myself, "You're imagining this."" "And then I catch that look again." "Catch it on the edge of a remark... feel a cold reluctance in a handshake." "That's my father." "A Lithuanian Jew." "He is alien." "He's as foreign as a Frankfurter." "And a kosher one at that!" "I love and admire him." "He worships this country." "From nothing he built what he believed was enough to make his sons Englishmen." "My brother's a doctor." "A leader in his field." "That's me with the curls on his back." "He wanted for nothing." "And here am I... setting up shop in the finest university in the land." "But the old man forgot one thing." "This England of his is Christian and Anglo Saxon... and so are her corridors of power." "And those who stalk them guard them with jealousy and venom." "You're right to study law." "You're quite an advocate." "A rare ethnic advantage." "The gift of the gab." "So what now?" "Grin and bear it?" "No, Aubrey." "I'm going to take them on." "All of them." "One by one." "And run them off their feet." "England beckons for Sprint Blue." "from our special correspondent." "A clean sweep for Cambridge star." "Abrahams' hat trick... from a special correspondent." "Bravo, Harold!" "Mr. Mussabini, I believe?" "My name is Colonel John Keddie" "President of the Scottish Three A's." "I'm glad to know you." "How's the leg?" "Nasty fall you took." "You're welcome here, of course... but we do have a strict amateur code." "Colonel, don't worry your head." "I'm here spectating, that's all." "I felt sure you would understand." "Well, to battle." "I hope you enjoy the games." "Games?" "You must be loking, I've seen better organized riots." "Come on, Scotland!" "Gentlemen, get to your marks." "Get set." "Get up, lad." "Get up!" "He'll never do it." "Don't you believe it." "Well done, Eric." "Well done." "He'll be all right in a jiffy." "I'll get his clothes." "You take good care of this lad, Mr. McGrath." "If you drop him, you'll never find another like him." "It wasn't the prettiest quarter I've ever seen... but certainly the bravest." "Mr. Abrahams, isn't it?" "You've come 300 miles to see me?" "You and Liddell." "I'd heard you were both the best." "What do you think now?" "I've never seen such drive, such commitment in a runner." "He runs like a wild animal." "He unnerves me." "So he should." "He scares the daylights out of me." "I want you to help me take him on." "Mr. Abrahams, are you married?" "Well, when the right girl comes along... how will you feel if she pops the question?" "You see, Mr. Abrahams, like the bridegroom... the coach should do the asking." "I can run fast." "With your help... I think I can run even faster, perhaps faster than any man ever ran." "I want that Olympic medal." "I can see it there." "It's waiting for me." "But I can't get it on my own." "We've an old saying in my game, son." ""You can't put in what God's left out."" "You leave it to me." "I'll observe you, and if I think I can help... if I can see the big prize hanging there... believe me, I won't waste any time." "When we meet again..." "I'll do the begging." "So you will watch me?" "Son, if you're good enough..." "I'll take you apart, piece by bloody piece." "Isn't she a peach?" "She's magnificent!" "It's going rather well." "I don't know anything about it, but I must say, I am enjoying it." "What about you?" "I've done better productions." "Remember any offhand?" "l don't remember seeing any." "So the stone heart's frail after all." "Abrahams' smitten?" "He's decapitated." "He won't listen to reason." "The poor lad's in love." "He just set eyes on her." "I've worshipped her for years." "Where is he now?" "He's gone to ask her to dinner." "In the interval?" "Good for him." "Mine, I take it?" "Lovely." "Well?" "Well, what?" "Did you speak to her?" "Yes." "ls she coming?" "Yes." "To dinner?" "Her kid brother's athletics-mad." "Never stops talking about me." "You better have my glass." "I have a terrible feeling you're going to need it." "Yes, thank you very much, sir." "Yes, of course." "Good evening, Miss Gordon." "A triumph, I hear!" "Who was that chap over there?" "The music critic of the Star." "Boring old buffer." "He obviously enjoyed it." "I shouldn't think so." "They always say that." "They save the poison for print." "Bit off tonight, I thought." "You were magnificent!" "One of my little maids has got herself preggers with a gondolier." "We had to shove her second on tonight." "This is Mr. Abrahams." "He's a very famous runner." "He's trying your special for the first tonight." "l hope you enjoy it." "I'm sure I shall." "Go on." "It's a secret concoction of Toffy's." "k cocktail de maison." "So you'd better enjoy it." "Excellent." "There!" "You've won yourself a friend for life." "My favorite, please." "For two!" "What have I ordered?" "Surprise." "Cheerio." "The great Harold Abrahams." "My brother will be insanely jealous." "So will mine." "You don't look very ruthless." "Should I?" "According to my brother, who says that's why you always win." "Why running?" "Why singing?" "It's my job." "No, that's silly. I do it because I love it." "Do you love running?" "I'm more of an addict." "It's a compulsion, a weapon." "Against what?" "Being Jewish, I suppose." "You're not serious?" "You're not Jewish... or you wouldn't ask." "Fiddlesticks." "People don't care." "Being Jewish hasn't done you any harm." "I'm what I call semi-deprived." "That sounds clever." "What does it mean?" "It means they lead me to water but they won't let me drink." "You're a funny old stick, Mr. Abrahams." "Funny... but fascinating." "I'll settle for fascinating." "Life isn't that gloomy, is it?" "Not tonight." "You're so beautiful." "Like you." "Pig's trotters, sir." "Oh, my God." "The overnight flying Scotsman from Aberdeen.... 7:30, Mr. Liddell. 7:30 on the dot." "There you are, sir." "Hot tea and toast." "Sleep well?" "Like a log." "Must have a clear conscience." "Far from it." "Are we here?" "Aye, sir." "Just pulled in." "King's Cross." "Your picture's in the paper." "Expecting great things, from all accounts." "Much obliged, sir." "You have an hour before we kick you out." "Good luck this afternoon." "Aye, Mr. Abrahams." "So's the Scot." "I'd like to wish you the best of success." "Thank you." "And may the best man win." "Get to your marks." "Get set." "Extraordinary." "This is ridiculous." "It's a race you've lost, not a relative." "Snap out of it." "You're behaving like a child." "I lost." "I know. I was there, remember, watching." "It was marvelous." "You were marvelous." "He was more marvelous, that's all." "Today the best man won." "I had to look for him." "It's fundamental." "You never look." "He was ahead." "There was nothing you could do." "He won fairly." "Well, that's that, Abrahams." "If you can't take a beating perhaps it's for the best." "I don't run to take beatings." "I run to win." "If I can't win, I won't run." "If you don't run, you can't win." "Give me a ring when you sort it out." "Don't go." "I just don't know what to do." "Try growing up." "You're a great man." "You ran like a god." "I was proud of you." "Don't make me ashamed." "It's not the losing." "Eric LiddelI's a fine man, and a fine runner." "It's me." "After all that work, and now, God knows, what do I aim for?" "Beating him next time." "Sybil, I can't run any faster." "I can find you another two yards." "Charlie Paddock, California Cannonball." "World's fastest human." "Winner, 100 Meters, Olympic Games, 1920, Antwerp." "Time?" "1 O.3." "Jackson Scholz, the New York Thunderbolt." "Runner-up..." "Olympic Games, 1920." "Lost by looking right." "There's the finish." "See Paddock leaping past him at the tape?" "That glance cost Scholz the race." "Scholz's fastest?" "10.3." "No, 10.4." "Eric Liddell." "You know all about him." "Look at them." "Think them, breathe them." "I want their faces leering at you every time you shut your eyes." "The Flying Scotsman first." "That hurt." "He's no real problem." "He's a great runner... but he needs to go further out." "He's no 100-meters man." "He could've fooled me." "He's fast, but he won't go any faster." "Not in the dash, anyway." "He's a gut runner." "He's all heart, digs deep." "A short sprint is run on nerves." "It's tailor-made for neurotics." "I mean it." "You can push guts, but you can hone nerves." "Paddock, Scholz, and Eric Liddell." "Come here, Mr. Abrahams." "Do you know why you lost?" "Because you're overstriding, just a couple of inches." "These coins represent the strides in your 100 meters." "Have you got another two coins, Mr. Abrahams?" "Well, maybe we can find them." "Overstriding...it's death to the sprinter." "Slap in the face, each stride you take." "Knocks you back." "Imagine you're running on hot bricks." "If your feet touch the ground too long, they'll burn." "Up, up, up." "Light, light." "Light as a feather!" "No!" "Got your head back again." "Get it level." "Faster, come on!" "Pass the car!" "Go on!" "Training, training." "All I ever hear is training." "Do you believe in what we're doing or not?" "Look, Jennie, I'm sorry." "I was late. I apologize." "That's all very well, Eric." "I said I was sorry." "To me." "It's not me you've insulted." "Away with your bother." "The Lord won't be slighted by my missing a bus." "Yes, Eric, you missed a bus." "But why?" "Your mind's not with us anymore." "It's full of running and medals." "It's so full of running you can't stand still." "Don't fret yourself." "But I do fret myself, Eric." "I'm frightened for you..." "For what it all might do to you." "Would you sign your name, please?" "Pick a pen." "Jennie, let's take a walk." "I've something to say." "It's a sight and a half, isn't it?" "Auld Reekie." "I'll be sad to leave it." "I've decided." "I'm going back to China." "The missionary service accepted me." "Oh, I'm so pleased!" "But I've a lot of running to do first." "Jennie, you've got to understand!" "I believe God made me for a purpose." "For China." "But he also made me fast." "And when I run I feel his pleasure." "To give it up would be to hold him in contempt." "You were right." "It's not just fun." "To win is to honor him." "I've got my degree to get." "All that work." "Then there's Paris." "The Olympic Games!" "There's just not enough of me." "I'm asking you to manage the mission on your own till then." "Will you do that for me, Jennie?" "Andy, I've lost him. I can't reach him." "You will, old girl, you will." "He says he needs to clear his mind of me." "He can't love me and say that." "He believes the world is against him." "Now he has a chance to prove himself." "He can't see or hear anything beyond that, not even you." "It's hard, but you've got to understand." "Why should I?" "Because he's what you want." "What about you, and Stallard, and Aubrey?" "The chance is there for you, too." "To be a fastest, but not the fastest." "Faster than any man, ever." "Father's never going to learn to do that." "That is immortality." "Think what that means to a man like Harold." "To me the whole thing's fun." "I don't need that." ""Cast care aside" and all that." "But for Harold, it's a matter of life... and death." "So all I can do is wait." "Afraid so." "And pray like hell that he wins." "And if he doesn't?" "Don't worry." "I've never seen a man so smitten as our Harold." "It's just that I'm a little envious, that's all." "Your parasol, Miss Gordon." "He's a damned fool." "I thought the Irish had all the luck." "Savoy Theatre." "Yes, sir." "Mildred, would you get my spikes." "Ready, my lord." "If I shed a drop I want to know." "Touch but not spill." "Life slips by, Abrahams, life slips by." "But this fine old university offers some rare consolations, does she not?" "Beyond measure, sir." "So you'd be acutely grieved... to discover that any behavior on your part were causing her grief?" "Naturally, sir, I would, deeply." "Good. I was sure of it." "We at Cambridge have always been proud of our athletic prowess." "We've always believed that our games... are indispensable to the education of an Englishman." "They create character... they foster courage, honesty and leadership." "But most of all... an unassailable spirit of loyalty, comradeship, and mutual responsibility." "Would you agree?" "Yes, sir. I would." "There is a growing suspicion in the bosom of university... and I tell you this without decrying your achievements... in which we all rejoice... that in your enthusiasm for success... you have perhaps lost sight of some of these ideals." "May I ask what form this disloyalty, this betrayal, takes?" "Hardly betrayal." "The word grief was mentioned." "It's said that you use a personal coach." "Mr. Mussabini, yes." "is he an Italian?" "Of Italian extraction, yes." "But not all Italian." "I'm relieved to hear it." "He's half Arab." "Do we take it you employ Mr. Mussabini on a professional basis?" "Sam Mussabini is the finest, most advanced... clearest-thinking athletics coach in the country." "I'm honored to be worthy of his attention." "But he is a professional." "What else would he be?" "He's the best." "But there, Mr. Abrahams, I'm afraid our paths diverge." "This university believes that the way of the amateur... is the only one to provide satisfactory results." "I am an amateur." "You've been trained by a professional." "You've adopted a professional attitude." "You've concentrated wholly on developing your own technique... in the headlong pursuit... of individual glory." "Not a policy conducive to fostering esprit de corps." "I am a Cambridge man first and last." "I am an Englishman first and last." "What I've achieved, what I intend to achieve, is for my family... my university, and my country." "And I bitterly resent your suggesting otherwise." "Your aim is to win at all costs, is it not?" "At all costs, no!" "But I do aim to win within the rules." "You'd rather I played the gentleman and lost?" "To playing the tradesman, yes." "Your approach has been, if I may say so, a little too plebeian." "You are the elite... and are therefore expected to behave as such." "Thank you, sir..." "For your hospitality." "The evening has been most illuminating." "Good night to you, sir." "You know, gentlemen... you yearn for victory just as I do." "But achieved with the apparent effortlessness of gods." "Yours are the archaic values of the prep-school playground." "You deceive no one but yourselves." "I believe in the pursuit of excellence... and I'll carry the future with me." "Well, there goes your Semite, Hugh." "A different god, a different mountaintop." "All of us, you, Henry, Andy and me, we're all in!" "You, 100 and 200, Andy, 400 and hurdles." "Henry the mile, and me the steeplechase." "Paris, here we come!" "LiddelI's picked, too." "Rivals under the same flag." "You've got a chance to get even." "I can't wait." "Welcome to Dover, Lord Birkenhead." "Are the Yanks so well trained they'll wipe the floor with our boys?" "It's true the Americans have prepared seriously... perhaps too seriously to gain success." "But we feel we may, in our unsophisticated way, have their match." "Do the British have a chance... against such great American athletes like Paddock and Scholz?" "You Americans have several men who are rated as world-beaters... but this contest is in Europe, not in the rarified air of the U.S." "Parisian conditions are more robust... more combative, and certainly more cavalier." "Are the Yanks so well trained they'll wipe the floor with our boys?" "In Abrahams, Liddell, and Lindsay... we have the men who could give them a run for their money." "Have you come all this way just to see me off?" "I'm seeing myself off." "Come on up the gangway." "Good luck, Mr. Liddell." "Mr. Liddell what are your chances aga'inst Abrahams?" "I'll do my best. I can do no less." "Mr. Liddell, what about the qualifying heats on Sunday?" "What did you say?" "On Sunday." "Can you beat the Americans?" "There's Mr. Abrahams." "I'm sorry, I've no time." "Gilbert and Sullivan will win." "I came to wish you luck." "I understand. I wanted you to know that." "I'll be here when you come back." "Hurry, Mr. Abrahams, she's about to sail." "I must go." "I'll see you in three weeks." "Mind your step." "We want you to arrive in one piece." "When did you learn?" "Didn't you read the papers?" "The heats for the 100 are on Sunday." "The Semis and Final, a few days after." "It's only a heat." "Does it make such a difference?" "Yes, it does." "...and strong though the temptation may be... to disport your newly acquired finery around the streets of Paris... if they aren't temptation enough... the Olympic Committee asks you... to save your sartorial splendor... until after the opening ceremony." "May I remind you... you are the favored few." "You constitute what is without doubt... the most powerful athletic force ever to leave these shores." "You will face the world's best." "Brown and yellow, white and black, young and ardent as yourselves..." "Fleet of foot and strong of limb..." "From every civilized nation on the face of the earth." "I have no doubt... that you will acquit yourselves honorably and with distinction." "Good luck to you all." "Your mind's not with us anymore." "It's full of running and medals." "It's so full of running you can't stand still." "Don't fret yourself." "But I do fret myself, Eric." "I'm frightened for you..." "For what it all might do to you." "You know what day it is?" "Sunday." "is the Sabbath a day for football?" "It's an awfull step you're taking, Liddell." "Britain will be watching you." "I'm not sure they'll understand." "I'm not sure that I understand." "I'm not sure that I do either, sir." "For three years, I have devoted myself to my running... just to be on this ship." "I gave up my rugby, my work has suffered... and I've deeply hurt someone I hold very dear." "Because I told myself, if I win... I win for God." "And now I find myself sitting here destroying all." "But I have to." "To run would be against God's law." "I was mistaken." "My boy, as things stand, you must not run." "But I want you... to hold your fire, and leave everything to me." "Say nothing." "Wait until we get to Paris." "I'll speak to the French." "I'm not without a certain pull." "And we fought in the war together." "They do owe us something." "I don't understand." "They're not a very principled lot, the frogs." "But when faced with a stand like yours, one never knows." "I might get through." "I just might possibly persuade them." "The French, sir?" "What can they do?" "Shift that bloody heat of yours." "Good evening." "I wish you could see, Ma, the wonderful spirit aboard." "Harold on the piano with his beloved Gilbert and Sullivan." "We're laughing and chatting about anything." "Anything but running." "We're here for Britain." "I'm here for you, Ma." "You and Pa." "I hope I do you proud." "There's not a chap here who wouldn't burst his heart for all we've left behind." "American champions arrive in France." "There's Paddock." "Charles Paddock." "There's Fitch." "And there's Scholz." "Yes, that's Scholz all right." "A bit more my size." "Mean with it, though. 10.4." "Got your plate full there, Harold." "Battle on your hands." "Charles H. Paddock... and Jackson Scholz." "The fastest men in the world." "We swear, as we meet for the 8th Olympiad... we are inspired by a respect for the rules... and a desire to participate for the glory of our countries... and the honor of sport." "Good luck, Andy." "Good luck, Harry." "Your Royal Highness, Tom Watson, representing New lealand." "You've come a long way." "I'm from Oxford, sir." "They said as I was here, I should take part." "How economical." "But can you run?" "I'll try, sir." "That's the spirit." "Good luck." "The royal benediction." "He's invaluable." "Hear, hear." "Henry V and all that." "Protocol." "He's here to show us what may be done and what may not be." "Jackson Scholz." "How do you do?" "I'm Eric Liddell." "We've heard a lot about you." "Good to meet you at last." "I was afraid you weren't here." "I'm afraid I am." "Fine." "Do you good." "Take you out of yourself a bit." "The Prince of Wales would like to meet you." "No, sir, it wouldn't be right." "He is your future King." "Are you refusing to shake his hand?" "Does your arrogance extend that far?" "My arrogance, sir, extends just as far as my conscience demands." "Let's hope that's wise enough to give you room for maneuver." "All right, sir." "Splendid." "I'll take you to him now." "Your Royal Highness, may I present Mr. Eric Liddell." "Delighted, Liddell." "I saw you play for Scotland." "It depressed me." "Ran in a few tries from your own half." "I believe I did so, yes." "Nice to have you on the same side." "Lindsay did well, don't you think?" "Did well, sir." "Did indeed." "An example to us all." "Eric, may I introduce the Duke of Sutherland..." "President of our Olympic Association." "And our Chairman, Lord Cadogan." "Make yourself comfortable." "Cigar?" "No, of course you don't." "Nor drink." "Such is the resolution of the young man before you, gentlemen." "Lord Birkenhead has told us of your attitude about participating... in the 100-meters heats, Liddell." "Or would non-participation be more accurate?" "It would, sir, yes." "We were also asked how best to approach the French." "But we can't just go cap-in-hand to the frogs." "Simply out of the question." "A matter of national dignity." "Being a patriot, I'm sure you understand." "I felt it was an impractical idea." "Why didn't you damn well say so?" "As an athlete you value economy of effort." "I wanted to run." "I would have tried anything." "All that being understood... we decided to ask you in for a chat... to see if we can resolve the situation." "There's only one way to resolve it." "That's for this man to change his mind and run." "Don't state the obvious." "We must find ways in which to help this man reach that decision." "There are no ways, sir." "I won't run on a Sabbath, and that's final." "I intended to confirm this tonight... before you called me in for this inquisition." "Don't be impertinent." "It's impertinent to try to influence a man to deny his beliefs." "On the contrary... we're appealing to your beliefs... in your country and King." "Hear, hear." "In my day, it was King first... and God after." "The war to end wars bitterly proved your point." "God made countries." "God makes kings... and the rules by which they govern." "And those rules say that the Sabbath is his." "And I intend to keep it that way." "Mr. Liddell, you're a child of your race... as I am." "We share a common heritage, a common bond, a common loyalty." "Sometimes we're asked to make sacrifices in the name of that loyalty." "Without them, our allegiance is worthless." "As I see it, for you... this is such a time." "God knows I love my country." "But I can't make that sacrifice." "Come in." "Lord Lindsay." "I apologize for barging in here." "The fact is, I'm aware of Eric's dilemma... and I wonder if I could be so bold as to suggest a solution." "Another day, another race." "What's that supposed to mean?" "It's simple, sir." "The 400 meters." "It's on Thursday." "I've already got my medal." "Why not let Eric take my place in the quarter?" "That's a splendid idea." "Can we allow him to change events at such short notice?" "That's a matter for the committee." "We are the committee." "I think it's a very good idea." "All those in favor say aye." "A pleasure, old chap." "Just to see you run." "That's settled." "A sticky moment, George." "Thank God for Lindsay." "I thought the lad had us beaten." "He did have us beaten, and thank God he did." "I don't follow." "The "lad" is a true man of principle, and a true athlete." "His speed is a mere extension of his life, its force." "We sought to sever his running from himself." "For his country's sake." "No sake is worth that, least of all a guilty national pride." ""Lindsay makes way for Liddell." ""400 meters for defecting Scot." ""'Smacks of fanaticism ' says official." ""'Man of principle ' says primate." "'We should be proud.'"" "So that's the stadium?" "That's it." "It's as good as being there, isn't it?" "Better!" "Seeing as I'm persona non grata." "It's tiptop." "You've done a grand job." "If we don't win now we never will." "Have I got everything you need?" "All we need now is Sunday." "My text this afternoon is taken from Isaiah, Chapter 40." ""Behold..." ""the nations are as a drop in a bucket..." ""and are counted as the small dust in the balance." ""All nations be fore him are as nothing." ""They are counted to him less than nothing..." ""and vanity." ""He bringeth the princes to nothing." ""He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity." ""Hast thou not known?" ""Hast thou not heard..." ""that the everlasting God, the Lord..." ""the Creator of the ends of the earth..." ""Fainteth not, neither is weary?"" "Juvenile!" "I know, Sam." ""He giveth power to the faint." ""And to them that have no strength..." ""he increaseth might." ""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." ""They shall walk..." ""and not faint."" "Do you remember when we first met each other?" "We shared a taxi, remember?" "You made me feel... an age old, burdened, sour... even superior." "That was the miscalculation of my life." "You, Aubrey... are my most complete man." "You're brave... compassionate, kind." "A content man." "That's your secret." "Contentment." "I'm 24 and I've never known it." "I'm forever in pursuit, yet I don't know what I'm chasing." "Aubrey, old chap, I'm scared." "Sam and I, we've labored, rowed and bullied for this... day in and day out." "You've seen us, laughed at us, I'll be bound, out in all weathers." "Madmen." "And for what?" "I was beaten out of sight in the 200... then let Paddock trick me in the Semi." "And in one hour's time I'll be out there again." "I'll raise my eyes and look down that corridor..." "Four feet wide... with ten lonely seconds to justify my whole existence." "But will I?" "Aubrey, I've known the fear of losing... but now I'm almost too scared to win." "Dear Mr. Abrahams, you must pardon my not coming to see you run... much as I would like to do so." "However, I believe and hope you will win the 100 meters." "Go out determined to do your best." "And don't forget... drop down at the first stride." "Get well warmed up... and then let the gun release you." "I should use the springy old six-spike shoes." "All the best of luck, From yours truly, Sam Mussabini." "P.S. Please accept the charm." "My old father swore by it." "No regrets, Eric, that you're not down there with them?" "Yeah." "No doubts, though." "Your Royal Highness, Mr. Bowman of the United States." "You've met Mr. Watson of New lealand." "Yes." "How are you?" "Very well, sir." "Thank you." "Mr. Paddock." "Dinner for your team when we get back to London." "If you win, I pay." "Abrahams wins, you pay." "All right?" "Sir, you have yourself a deal." "Done." "Good luck to you." "And to you, sir." "And this is our Harold Abrahams." "Good luck, Abrahams." "Do your best, that's all we can expect." "Come on, Charlie!" "Head down." "Watch the first stride." "Go for release." "Harold!" "My son." "Let him be, he's whacked." "But he won!" "Exactly." "Some day, Monty, you'll win yourself." "And it's difficult to swallow." "Mrs. Abrahams lust rang." "The Daily Express." "They've been on from Paris." "Mr. Harold." "He won!" "She told me to tell you he won!" "Thank you very much." "It's 15 minutes to curtain up, miss." "He did it, sir." ""Abrahams triumphant." ""Caius College athlete wins Blue Riband at Games."" "Just as I expected." "You've always thought of yourself as a ruthless man." "Hard." "A loner, like me." "But you're as soft as a limp pocket." "And you care." "You care about things that matter." "If you didn't, I wouldn't have come within a mile of you." "Do you know who you won for today?" "Us." "You and old Sam Mussabini." "I've waited 30 bloody years for this." "It means the world to me, this." "And if all the world can do... is to want to go home to bed, they can go to hell!" "Because we've had today, you and me... and we've got it for keeps." "Now it's out of your system." "Go home to that girl of yours, and start some bloody living." "To Sam Mussabini." "The greatest trainer in the world." "Come on, Sam, we're going home." "Good luck." "I doubt I'll see you till after the race." "What's the deal with Liddell?" "Is he a problem?" "No problem, he's a flyer." "He's had two races today already." "He'll die." "Just swing along, you guys, and wait." "After 300 meters... rigor mortis sets in." "You'll pull him in on a rope." "Watch out for Liddell." "Coach says no problem." "He's got something to prove." "Something personal." "Something guys like Coach will never understand." ""It says in the Old Book, 'He that honors me..." ""'I will honor.'" ""Good luck." "Jackson Scholz."" "Where does the power come from to see the race through to its end?" "from within." "I believe God made me for a purpose." "But he also made me fast." "And when I run I feel his pleasure." "Well, Andy, he did it." "What's that, old boy?" "He ran them off their feet."