A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

Sequels to well-known and well-loved films made years after the original don't tend to be particularly good ideas; prequels, even less so.  It comes as something of a surprise, therefore, to discover that Zulu Dawn is really rather good.  It has a top-notch cast for one thing - Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, Denholm Elliott, John Mills - and some stunning battle scenes.  Presumably John Barry was asked to do the music and presumably he refused, but in his stead the producers took a very wise decision by getting Elmer Bernstein to score it.  It came during a fallow period of the composer's career - not in terms of the music he was writing, but the generally ludicrous films he was scoring - so it must have been a relief to score something that enabled him to write such a vibrant and energetic score.

Bernstein approached the project with relish, writing one of his most dynamic action scores.  He sets his stall out early doors (to coin a phrase) with the aggressive choral writing of the opening "Morning" (which is unlike virtually anything else I can think of that he wrote); and as the score goes on, it is in its action music where it really impresses.  "River Crossing" is simply barnstorming, a vigorous and pulse-pounding piece; "Escape" is brief but makes its point well, with more particularly dark action material; and "Zulus" sees the kind of expansive action music Bernstein always did so well.  The imaginatively-titled "More Zulus", with its constant, pounding percussion and deep, brassy bursts, is another first-rate cue.

Bernstein's main theme for the movie is a great, old-fashioned piece of adventure music, heard at its best in "Glory", a particularly grand and rousing piece.  This is followed by "Formation", another breathless piece of action music.  Bernstein takes a far more old-fashioned approach to the score than John Barry's dark, hard music for the original and, if it perhaps makes the whole thing seem like everyone was having a grand old time (rather ignoring the tens of thousands who were slaughtered), well, the film music listener is the beneficiary.  Bernstein rarely let loose with quite so much vigour in his action music and there's so much energy to it, it's impossible not to be swept along.  It's odd that this is very rarely mentioned by his fans because it's probably his most thrilling and exciting action score and an essential part of any Bernstein collection.  The album was released a couple of years ago by La-La Land (though, oddly, the packaging only mentions "Cerberus Records") and features great sound, highlighting a boisterous performance by the Royal Philharmonic.  It's a knockout album.

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Tracks

1. Morning (:59)
2. The Chase (2:06)
3. Regimental March (2:06)
4. River Crossing (4:47)
5. Scouting (1:03)
6. The Hunt (2:31)
7. Stand To (1:45)
8. Error (1:58)
9. Escape (1:31)
10. Zulus (2:30)
11. Men of Harlech (2:21)
12. More Zulus (4:28)
13. Glory (2:29)
14. Formation (2:34)
15. Into Battle (1:14)
16. Isandhlwana I (2:13)
17. Isandhlwana II (2:24)
18. Durnford (1:40)
19. Saving the Colours (3:48)
20. Aftermath (2:09)