Screenwriter Colin Welland (1934-2015)

[jakeem]

Colin Welland, whose original screenplay for "Chariots of Fire"  won the 1981 Academy Award, has died in the United Kingdom at the age of 81. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

 

In his Oscars acceptance speech on March 29, 1982, Welland memorably set the tone for the film's upset Best Picture win by declaring: "The British are coming."

 

In addition to its wins for Best Picture and Original Screenplay, the historical drama also picked up gold statuettes for Best Costume Design (Milena Canonero) and Best Original Score (Vangelis). 

 

 

Set during the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, "Chariots of Fire" is about the struggles of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two real-life runners who competed for the United Kingdom. Liddell was portrayed in the film by Ian Charleson; Ben Cross played Abrahams.

 

One of the film's unforgettable scenes: Abrahams' attempt to race around the courtyard of Trinity College, Cambridge before a clock strikes 12 times. He is joined in the effort by Lord Andrew Lindsay (a fictionalized character played by Nigel Havers). 

 

 

 

Welland, who began his career as an actor, also wrote the screenplays for the movies "Yanks" (1979), "Twice in a Lifetime" (1985) and "A Dry White Season" (1989).

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11972554/Colin-Welland-screenwriter-obituary.html