Colin Welland

The story, told in flashback, of two young British sprinters competing for fame in the 1924 Olympics. Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God. Harold, the son of a newly rich Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society. In a warmup 100 meter race, Eric defeats Harold, who hires a pro trainer to prepare him. Eric, whose qualifying heat is scheduled for a Sunday, refuses to run despite pressure from the Olympic...

Billy Casper, a 15-year-old working class Yorkshire boy, is a scrappy loner who delivers papers before and after school, shares a bed with his bullying brother, Jud, and mostly ignores his self-absorbed mother. His routine is derailed when he spots a small falcon, a kestrel, in the countryside. He's raised birds in the past and is inspired to capture a young kestrel and try his hand at falconry. When not enduring the scorn of his peers and "betters,"...