"[addressing the troops] I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country. Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans, traditionally, love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooters, the fastest runners, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans. Now, an army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team. This individuality stuff is a bunch of crap. The bilious bastards who wrote that stuff about individuality for the Saturday Evening Post don't know anything more about real battle than they do about fornicating. Now, we have the finest food and equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world. You know, by God I, I actually pity those poor bastards we're going up against, by God, I do. We're not just going to shoot the bastards; we're going to cut out their living guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel. Now, some of you boys, I know, are wondering whether or not you'll chicken out under fire. Don't worry about it. I can assure you that you will all do your duty. The Nazis are the enemy. Wade into them. Spill their blood. Shoot them in the belly. When you put your hand into a bunch of goo that a moment before was your best friend's face, you'll know what to do. Now there's another thing I want you to remember: I don't want to get any messages saying that we are holding our position. We're not holding anything. Let the Hun do that. We are advancing constantly and we're not interested in holding onto anything except the enemy. We're going to hold onto him by the nose and we're going to kick him in the ass! We're going to kick the hell out of him all the time, and we're going to go through him like crap through a goose! Now, there's one thing that you men will be able to say when you get back home. And you may thank God for it. Thirty years from now when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee, and he asks you: "What did you do in the great World War II?" You won't have to say, "Well, I shoveled shit in Louisiana." All right, now, you sons-of-bitches, you know how I feel. Oh... I will be proud to lead you wonderful guys into battle anytime, anywhere. That's all."

"Siegfried Rauch as Captain Oskar Steiger"

"Karl Michael Vogler as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel"

"Richard Muench as Colonel-General Alfred Jodl"

"Michael Bates as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery"

"James Edwards as Sergeant William Meeks"

"Ed Binns as Major General Walter Bedell Smith ("Beetle")"

"Karl Malden as General Omar N. Bradley"

"George C. Scott as General George S. Patton"

"The war movie for people who hate war movies!"

"This is the story of two men who run... not to run... but to prove something to the world. They will sacrifice anything to achieve their goals... Except their honour."

"[about the Prince of Wales] Protocol, Monty, protocol. He is here to show us what may be done, and, more essentially, what may not be."

"Aubrey, I've known the fear of losing but now I am almost too frightened to win."

"He is a strong man but is unsure about his religion."

"That was the miscalculation of my life."

"And now in one hour's time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my existence. But will I?"

"You, Aubrey are my most complete man. You're brave, compassionate, kind: a content man. That is your secret, contentment; I am 24 and I've never known it. I'm forever in pursuit and I don't even know what I am chasing."

"I am a Cambridge man, first and last. I am an Englishman, first and last. What I have achieved – what I intend to achieve – is for my family, my university, and my country."

"[to a competitor] Good luck. Don't suppose I'll see you 'til after the race..."

"You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe your dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race."

"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."

"Richard Griffiths - the Head Porter at Caius College"

"Brad Davis - Jackson Scholz"

"Dennis Christopher - Charley Paddock"

"Daniel Gerroll - Henry Stallard"

"Peter Egan - the Duke of Sutherland, president of the British Olympic Committee"

"David Yelland - the Prince of Wales"

"Patrick Magee - Lord Cadogan, chairman of the British Olympics Committee"

"Nigel Davenport - Lord Birkenhead, member of the British Olympic Committee"

"Struan Rodger - Sandy McGrath"

"Alice Krige - Sybil Gordon"

"Cheryl Campbell - Jennie Liddell"

"Lindsay Anderson - Master of Caius College at Cambridge University"

"John Gielgud - Master of Trinity College at Cambridge University"

"Ian Holm - Sam Mussabini"

"Nigel Havers - Lord Andrew Lindsay"

"Nicholas Farrell - Aubrey Montague"

"Ian Charleson - Eric Liddell"

"Ben Cross - Harold Abrahams"

"With Wings on their Heels and Hope in their Hearts."

"Two men chasing dreams of glory!"

"Val Kilmer - Doc Holliday"

"Robert Mitchum - The Narrator"

"Joanna Pacula - Kate"

"Charlton Heston - Henry Hooker"

"Billy Bob Thornton - Johnny Tyler"

"Stephen Lang - Ike Clanton"

"Jason Priestley - Billy Breckinridge"

"Thomas Haden Church - Billy Clanton"

"Billy Zane - Mr. Fabian"