Elmer Bernstein MEN IN WAR LP Film Soundtrack OST Anthony Mann (Rare 1957 Issue)

	£		16
	$		21

Here I have for sale the British release of the original soundtrack LP to 'Men In War' (1957; directed by Anthony Mann). Music composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein.

Elmer Bernstein ?– Men In War (Music From The Sound Track) (1957)
"Tell me the story of the foot soldier..."

Condition (refer also to notes at bottom):
Vinyl – F. Clean overall with only a few scuffs/hairline marks. Played just pre-listing and sound is crackly with bad surface noise at the start of each side. Many cues sound much cleaner with less surface noise and crackling but overall there is interference so this is perhaps little more than a collection filler.  
Outer sleeve (Cover) – F. Laminated cover but spoiled mainly in corners, and bottom edge shows major damage. Plastic coating peeled off aperture edge on both sides. Disc outline and dents on front. Creasing, mild peeling round edges and cover is slightly bent. Reverse is yellowed and top flipback is 75% attached. Lower flipback shows major damage but is fixed to front. Sellotape residue present. Red marks visible below track listing and disc outline is evident. Soiling/peeling on aperture edge, minor nicks on spine.
Inner sleeve – F. Original. Thin paper. White but yellowed on aperture. Folds/creases, especially in corners. One side is totally split; other two have a 2cm central split.

Label: London Records ?– HA-P2076
Series: American Series
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1957
Genre: Stage & Screen, Instrumental, Band, Score, Theme
Style: Soundtrack, Contemporary, Jazz, Drama, Military


Track listing:

A1. Sounds of War (03:49)
a) Battle b) First March
A2. Men in War Theme (03:06)
a) Men In War b) Flowers for Kilian
A3. Run For Cover (02:55)
a) Waiting b) Running
A4. Forest of Mines (04:40)
A5. Morning After Battle (01:59)

B1. End of the Road (02:48)
B2. Impassioned Argument (01:53)
B3. Montana and the Colonel (03:57)
a) Theme b) Up the Hill
B4. Quiet Before Attack (02:11)
B5. Salute to Heroes (03:12)



Review:
When he was 35, it was a very good year.

The “he” is Elmer Bernstein, the year is 1957.  The prolific composer managed to create five unique scores for five motion pictures that year – Sweet Smell of Success, Men in War, Fear Strikes Out, The Tin Star, and Drango.

The Anthony Mann-directed film starred Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray and told a story that was then very recent.  Taking place on September 6, 1950 during the Korean War, Men in War was an unflinching look at a platoon of foot soldiers separated from their division.  Bosley Crowther in The New York Times opined, “It appears that the underlying purpose of [producer] Sidney Harmon’s new film, Men in War, is to show that the famous observation of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman was justified. War, in this low-budget picture, which came to the Capitol yesterday, is brutal and agonizing. It is unequivocal hell.”  Although he was ultimately unfavorable towards the film, he gets across the black-and-white film’s stark depiction of the horrors of war.

Men in War was originally released on the Imperial Records label in mono, although a simulated stereo release also appeared.

“Tell me the story of the foot soldier and I will tell you the story of all wars.”

Men in War is a terrific movie directed by Anthony Mann (El Cid, The Fall of the Roman Empire, Winchester ’73, The Naked Spur), and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray.  It takes place in one day, September 6, 1950 during the Korean war, as we follow a platoon of bone-weary foot soldiers who’ve been cut off from their division.  Without radio contact, and with nerves frayed, their leader, Lieutenant Benson tries to get them to a hill where he believes their division is.  

The film is beautifully written (credited to Philip Yordan and based on the novel Day Without End by Van Van Praag), and beautifully shot in black-and-white by Ernest Haller (all filmed in Hollywood’s Bronson Canyon). Robert Ryan turns in his usual great performance as Benson, and Aldo Ray as “Montana” is also excellent.  

But every performance in the film is wonderful – Robert Keith is a lesson in great film acting as the Colonel – he speaks exactly one word in the film and that’s in the last five minutes, but there’s an entire screenplay going on in his eyes.  The rest of the supporting cast makes the most of their screen time – Nehemiah Persoff, Phillip Pine, Vic Morrow, James Edwards, L.Q. Jones, and Scott Marlowe all get their moments to shine.

Tying all of its elements together is the fantastic score of Elmer Bernstein.  Bernstein did three films for Mann – Men in War, The Tin Star, and God’s Little Acre – his four other films that year were Fear Strikes Out, Men in War, The Tin Star, and Drango – and all three scores are great and all three are completely different.

Men in War begins with drums and jagged orchestral stabs, and then it is by turns pensive, intense, propulsive, brooding, and suspenseful as it captures the moods of the soldiers as they trudge on through dangerous terrain, with their tensions at the breaking point.


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Postage and packaging FREE to UK. Will post worldwide. Europe standard £6.50; Europe tracked and signed £11; N and S America, USA, Canada £9; Asia, Australia, Japan £11.

Sorry but no returns accepted.

Payment by cheque (UK only) or Paypal please.

Please see my other soundtrack listings.

Thanks for looking and happy eBaying!



ITEM CONDITION - items are graded according to Record Collector definitions - see below:

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler.