Ian Charleson makes Eric Liddell's convictions understandable without asking us to share them. His performance in Chariots of Fire is worth seeking out for the effort beneath the composure, though the film can be too stately.
Fi1m perspective
In Chariots of Fire (1981), Ian Charleson's Eric Liddell holds to his beliefs with a steadiness that makes them understandable even when we do not share them. He is worth watching for that alone. Colin Welland's screenplay gives Liddell and Harold Abrahams reasons to run that cannot be settled by measuring their speed, and Charleson makes his man's conviction feel sufficient. Ben Cross makes Abrahams's need to prove himself seem wearing as well as urgent; Charleson's Liddell offers a quieter point of comparison. We were moved by Liddell because Charleson lets the effort of remaining dignified show without making his belief seem any less secure.
Charleson's film debut was as Angel in Derek Jarman's Jubilee (1978), before Chariots of Fire brought him international recognition. He followed it with the supporting role of Reverend Charlie Andrews in Gandhi (1982), but the screen career did not develop as strongly after those early successes. The stage remained central, offering musical and Shakespearean leads alongside physically demanding modern plays. Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls (1982), Eddie in Fool for Love (1985) and Hamlet (1989) at the National Theatre give some sense of that work. Liddell's quietness should not be mistaken for all Charleson had to offer.
Hugh Hudson's restraint suits Charleson in Chariots of Fire, but the film also shows how easily such formality can become a problem. Milena Canonero's costumes make the social distinctions readable while contributing to the impression of people held too carefully in place. Charleson and Cross make that dignity seem difficult to maintain, which keeps the performances from becoming merely dutiful. The surrounding characters receive less attention, and the stately passages drag enough to qualify our enthusiasm for the film, though not for its two leading actors. Start with Chariots of Fire for Charleson and Cross, with patience for the slower passages.
Biography
Ian Charleson (11 August 1949 – 6 January 1990) was a Scottish stage and film actor. He studied architecture at the University of Edinburgh before training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He made his professional stage debut in the early 1970s and later appeared with the Young Vic, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Charleson is best known for his leading role as Eric Liddell in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. His other screen credits include Jubilee (1978), Gandhi (1982) as Reverend Charlie Andrews, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) and Opera (1987). He was also noted for stage performances in productions such as Guys and Dolls, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Fool for Love and Hamlet. Charleson died in London at the age of 40.
