Blurring The Lines - British Cultural and Political Nationalism and Chariots of Fire

The renowned film Chariots of Fire a product of the Heritage Film Industry in its Thatcherite

heyday during the 1980’s. Each scene is saturated with British nationalism, which can be

divided into distinct political and cultural elements. In the world of political science, these

categorizations of nationalism are often times considered irreconcilable. However, in his

conflicting role as a British patriot and foreign outsider, Chariots of Fire protagonist Harold

Abrahams blurs many lines particularly those rigid definitions of nationalism. As demonstrated

by Abrahams’ meteoric rise to popularity within the distinct training montage, there is a fluidity

between the two concepts of nationalism; culture can be adopted by an outsider, and - through

political ties and personal merit - that outsider can be accepted into a cultural fold.

Points of interest:

I. Cultural and Political Context

A. Culture - common language, language, ideals

B. Politics - The unification of a group of individuals with common interests at heart,

putting aside some cultural, ethnical differences

C. One can argue that culture can never truly be assimilated

1. political supercedes cultural nationalism

2. Culture can be assimilated with the passing of time

a) The culture adapts, definitions of what it means to be a part of the

nation can change

 b) though an outsider will always be characterized by some element

difference, a common past - like a wound - can slowly come to

include those that succeed and are accepted on a political level,

II. Harold Abrahams

A. Role: the burgeoning bourgeois and significance in the 1980’s

a. Thatcherite Politics - conservative commerce, attack on the aristocracy

i. Aristocracy is idolized in heritage films through attention to detail

in mis-en-scene, the past

b. Thatcherite Culture - promoting the movers and shakers of society - the

bourgeoisie

i. Members of this class become idolized in the 1980’s present when

the film was presented

B. A second generation British citizen, adopted the language, the

- Harold in the Church - intense mis-en-scene, Abrahams relationship - initial conflict

- resolved in later years (i.e. in the opening scene, a memorial service in a

CHURCH)

- Montague acting as the internal audience, and modeling the responses of the average

British citizen (watching the film in 1980 - a Christian)

- There is respect and awe at the achievement and loyalty of Abrahams to

their country

- The Use of Gilbert and Sullivan in the sound bridge

 - Culture: famous English composer/lyricist pair

- Nationalistic music

- Harold is in love with the music of G and S, it characterizes the

montage

- his schoolmates let him have a primary role,

- the unusual blend of culture and politic

- Mis-en-scene and its implications

- Harold, like every other character in a heritage film, sometimes takes back

seat to the mis-en-scene around him

- But this links him to the other, unquestionable English characters such as

Sir Lindsay, or Ms. Gordon’

- In this sense the cultural becomes one with the cultural nationalism around

him, a product of the film and the modern culture that produced the film

- Abrahams becomes a part of the national time, the national immortality through

his deeds

- The news is a very culturally nationalistic element of British society

- tying together a nation, laying the memories for a shared past, edition by

edition like bricks in a wall

- Abrahams, as symbolized the the quick cuts becomes assimilated into this

process, immortalized in print for his political ties, but remember for his

cultural ties
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