Chariots of Fire (1981)

The Vangelis theme will make you want to race down a beach, but this uplifting movie’s true story is every bit as inspirational: Chariots of Fire, set a century ago, is the very factual story of two runners — the Scottish Christian Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), who runs to glorify God, and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), an English Jew who runs to overcome antisemitism.

Screenwriter Collin Welland went to extraordinary lengths to ensure authenticity, interviewing as many surviving real-life people portrayed in the film as possible, and even taking out ads in London newspapers seeking people’s memories of the 1924 Olympics.

The film won four Oscars, including for Best Picture, for Welland’s screenplay, for Vangelis’ score, and for best costume design.