1924 ERIC LIDDELL OF GBR (Photo : Getty Images)
The story of Scottish missionary and Olympic runner Eric Liddell was already told in the 1981 award-winning movie "Chariots of Fire." The same story, told from the perspective of Xu Niu, a Chinese man who rescued Liddell and other foreign civilian prisoners, would be retold.
The fresh look at the story of hope would be seen by Chinese moviegoers in May when "The Last Race" premieres. Playing the role of Eric Liddell is Joseph Fienes, a British actor who has appeared in "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare in Love," reports Globaltimes.
Liddell, winner of a Olympic gold medal for the men's 400 meters, and Raymond De Jaegher, a Belgian missionary, were among the 2,008 American and Europeans detained by Japanese soldiers at an internment camp in Shandong Province in 1942.
As a missionary, Liddell taught for 20 years at a middle school in Tianjin City. Although he saved lives of Chinese soldiers when Japan invaded China, the runner died in the camp in 1945, just before Japan lost during World War II.
Shin Gei-yin, the director of "The Last Race," said that he learned about the life story of Liddell 10 years ago and was inspired to re-tell the story, focusing on his stay in the internment camp.
Liddell, whose statue was unveiled in August 2015 in the town of Weifang, was actually born in Tianjin in 1902. He is the son of Scottish missionaries. Liddell broke existing Olympic and world records in the 400-meter race with a time of 47.6 seconds, according to Express.
