Fame Is The Spur

[Brian Brandt]

I rented this and several others for the Christmas Break 'Olde English Movie Marathon' this weekend. About 45 minutes into the movie, Hamer Radshaw (Michael Redgrave) visits striking Wales coal miners at their union hall. The song they're singing as he enters sounds a lot like "Men of Harlech" from Zulu. Is it the same song?

[Steve Crook]

</div><div class='quotemain'>Brian Brandt:

I rented this and several others for the Christmas Break 'Olde English Movie Marathon' this weekend. About 45 minutes into the movie, Hamer Radshaw (Michael Redgrave) visits striking Wales coal miners at their union hall. The song they're singing as he enters sounds a lot like "Men of Harlech" from Zulu. Is it the same song? [/b]

Quite possibly, it is a sort of second national anthem to the Welsh, the official one being Land of my Fathers. Although in my case it's my Mother who's Welsh :)



I should point out that they do vary the normal words of Men of Harlech quite a bit in Zulu. There isn't a verse about "can you see their spear points gleaming" in the original song (although there are a few variations on the lyrics). This could have been dramatic license by the film-makers or it could have been to avoid copyright. Although there weren't really quite as many Welsh soldiers at Rorke's Drift as the film makes out.



Steve