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Summary: Excellent action movie with vivid portrayals of a real event
Review: This is a very fine action film that is based on a real battle in January of 1879. The names of many of the characters are real because eleven of the soldiers won a Victoria Cross and many more won other decorations. 150 soldiers defended a supply station against something like 4,000 Zulu warriors for two days. And these 150 aren't the "real" soldiers - they were left as bridge builders and quartermasters and such. The fighters had gone out and gotten largely slaughtered by another army of Zulu.The story as told here is full of vivid characters. Of course, the real life characters were almost completely different than their portrayal here. For example, the battle didn't break off because the Zulus wanted to honor the brave English, but because they saw off to their flank that reinforcements were coming. But it is true enough for a movie. Just don't take everything here as gospel (as you should avoid doing on anything from Hollywood and almost everything on film). Michael Caine is glorious as Gonville Bromhead who was second in command and from a well-known military family. Stanley Baker is very fine as the engineer who finds himself in command of a military operation. There are many other fine and memorable performances, but my favorite is Nigel Green as Colour Sgt Frank Bourne. In any fight it is the Sergeants that keep everything together and the discipline necessary to continue the fighting. This is a wonderful portrayal. It is a movie that could not be made today, but I am glad that we have it on DVD. I wish we had it in a better transfer with some more background material, but this is certainly worth having. Maybe we can get a restored version someday in the future.
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Summary: Classic British Empire War Film
Review: I love this movie. A young, sexy beast Michael Caine in full droll mode, and beautiful brave Zulus. I think that's the remarkable thing about this film, both the British (technically it's a Welsh Division) and the Zulus come off as being outstandingly brave. And considering this film was made during the height of Apartheid in South Africa, I'm surprised the producers got away with such a favorable view of the Zulu people. The scenery is stunning, glorious locations. And the Zulu people themselves, their remarkable culture... if the scene where the Zulu warriors stop and sing in front of the Brits doesn't move you (talk about shock & awe!), something is wrong with you.
The acting is better than average. Michael Caine, arguably the greatest living actor now, is superb in one of his earliest outings. And Oh My is he wonderful to look at. Stanley Baker is also excellent, as is most of the ensemble cast. Nigel Green as the salt of the earth Sgt. keeping the men on their toes is a stand out.
Certainly there are moments of cheese, but they're few and far between. This is a very good war picture that sweeps you up and makes you care about the Brits (even though they had no business in Africa) and the fate of this tiny garrison. And it's based on real events, which makes the bravery displayed even more moving.
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Summary: So where's Zulu Dawn?
Review: Trying to find this movie and it's only available in Region 2. What gives? Is it coming to the US soon?
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Summary: The Battle at Rorke's Drift, Natal, South Africa
Review: January 22-23 1879 will go down as one of the greatest and bravest days in British military history. The battle at Rorke's Drift, or as the Zulus called it "Jim's Place" is magnificently portrayed in this 1964 epic filmed on location in Natal. Michael Caine perfectly plays the part of Lieutenent Gonville Bromhead, a gentleman and professional soldier who along with Lieutenent John Chard of the Royal Engineers (played by Stanley Baker) masterminded the defence of the small missionary station at Rorke's Drift. 80 men of the South Wales Borderers 24th Regiment Of Foot defended the missionary station and it's 36 wounded men in the hospital against 4,000 zulu warriors. The Natal scenery and costumes of both the British soldiers and Zulu warriors are a highlight. The battle scenes were graphically ahead of it's time and the narration by Richard Burton (himself a welshman)certainly adds to the drama that would unfold. One criticism is levelled at the characterization of Private Alfred Henry Hook, who in the movie is portrayed as a drunken malingerer. He was in fact a gentleman and small landowner who was a well regarded soldier. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in evacuating the sick and wounded from the burning hospital. Overall, as an avid historian on the Zulu War of 1879, I found this a compelling movie classic which has been watched over and over again by me and my 3 brothers( Tom, Chris and Sam) James Hulston from Sydney, Australia
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Summary: 20th Century version of a 19th Century action
Review: Some time after seeing ZULU in theatrical release, I found Morris' *The Washing of the Spears* and learned that some significant details of the film were in error. For one thing, very few of the defenders of Rorke's Drift were the beardless young soldiers depicted in the movie, most of 'B' Company, 2/24th, being regulars of long service. For another, the depiction of Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton as a fussy "old maid" type was unspeakably unfair. (Dalton was in fact a former Sergeant-Major with a Line Regiment, the 85th [Kings] Light Infantry, and was the individual responsible for convincing Lt. Chard to fortify and stand against the Ulundi Corps at the mission station. For his courage and the role he played in the defense of the Drift he was himself quite justly awarded the Victoria Cross.) In the 20th Century, we've become accustomed to seeing the ranks of infantry companies filled with young conscripts, usually 18 to 20 years of age, and we've lost touch with the fact that most of the "Little Wars" of Victorian England were fought by battalions of regulars wherein private soldiers were commonly in their late 20s and early 30s, with eight or ten years' service in their respective regiments. Moreover, we're inclined to think of noncombatant support troops like Commissary Dalton as "civilians in uniform" when in actuality they were likely to be hardened military veterans "double-dipping" in secondary careers (when they weren't active-duty NCOs or commissioned officers seconded to support functions). Finally, there are the romantically heroic depictions of Chard and Bromhead with which ZULU has to contend, the characterizations of these officers being very much at odds with historical record. In reality, Rorke's Drift was almost entirely a Sergeants' fight, with Colour Sergeant Bourne and ex-Sergeant Dalton largely responsible for the successful organization and execution of a skillful and tenacious defense against incredible odds. ZULU is an excellent action/adventure film, and stands up well even today, but it could have been even better had it been done with greater historical veracity, paying overdue tribute to the career enlisted men who made the British regimental system of the 19th Century the exemplary organizational model it was.
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Summary: Brilliant film of the fight at Rorke's Drift
Review: The heroic stand by British soldiers at Rorke's Drift against 4,000 Zulu warriors is superb filmmaking, detailing the event in widescreen Technicolor that also underscores the tension at the post and the preparation of the defenders in the hours before the attack. Michael Caine debuts in this film and his Lt. Bromhead clashes immediately with Lt. Chard [Stanley Baker], an engineer whose task is to build a bridge across the drift who nevertheless is in command of the garrison by reason or seniority. The two men put aside their differences and concentrate on battle strategy and placement of men, vowing to stand fast and confront the enemy who wiped out a British force of 1,500 men only hours earlier. The battle scenes are gripping and realistic, replete with bloody, hand-to-hand fighting that shows fierce Zulu tribesmen thrusting spears at the red-coated British soldiers who in turn thrust back with their bayonets. There is also long-range rifle firing on each side, with the Zulus pinning down the soldiers with rifles taken from their victims after the earlier battle. The determined Zulus manage to overrun the post but take heavy casualties from the defenders' withering gunfire. In one scene, the resourceful British release penned-up cattle that they use to shield themselves from the Zulus, and the cattle's horns and hoofs slash and trample the warriors in one of the final assaults on the garrison.
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Summary: History in Action!
Review: The massacre of nearly 1,500 British soldiers of the 24th Regiment of Foot on January 22nd, 1879 at Isandhlwana, Natal Province by warriors of the Zulu Nation is on record as the worst disaster ever inflicted on a modern army by a primitive one. After the battle at Isandhlwana, the Zulu warriors turned their attention to Rourke's Drift, a lonely Missionary station where the 24th had set up a supply depot and hospital. It is the desperate and courageous defense of this remote station by 140 British soldiers against the determined attacks of 4,000 Zulu warriors that is the subject of this film.
Zulu is a historically accurate reproduction of the Defense of Rourke's Drift. Every detail is painstakingly accurate: the uniforms of British Infantry and Engineers, the Martini-Henry rifles and Webley revolvers, foil sealed cases of ammunition, and the tactics that were used by the besieged British to fight off the Zulus.
Extraordinary acting performances are given by Michael Caine as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, the arrogant, aristocratic officer who is humbled by his experience of the battle, a performance made even more impressive by the fact that this was Caine's first film; Stanley Baker, the Officer of Engineers who takes command of the detachment and leads the heroic defense; Nigel Green as the brave, correct Colour-Sergeant Bourne, the rock-solid pillar of Britishness; and James Booth as the rebellious Private Hook who turns hero and saves many of his comrades.
Narrated by Richard Burton and featuring spectacular cinematogrophy filmed on location in Natal, Zulu is a masterful telling of one of the greatest stories in the annals of Military History, and a shining moment in the history of British arms. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to defenders of Rourke's Drift, and this film is a worthy tribute to their heroism. It should be in everyone's DVD library.
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Summary: Well filmed action epic based on real events!
Review: In 1879 a British column was nearly annihiliated by a large "impi" of Zulu warriors near Isandhlwana. Afterward, a small British force encamped at nearby Rorke's Drift (a trading station and mission) consisting of 104 fit soldiers and a number of invalids in a makeshift hospital became the next target. For two days the station was attacked by waves of Zulu warriors. The total number of attackers was about 4500. In the end, nearly 400 Zulus were killed in comparison with only about 20 of the defenders, the hospital was burned to the ground, and 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the survivors. The movie itself is a reasonably faithful re-creation of the events at Rorke's Drift, with good acting by Michael Caine, Stanley Baker, and a large supporting cast of Zulus. The ferocity of the assault, the stubborn, desperate defence by the small garrison, and the chaos of hand-to-hand combat at the barricades can all be felt through the cinematography. One wonderful aspect of this film is that the battle scenes were shot using huge numbers of actors in the role of Zulu warriors, who were obviously able to re-create the tactics and movement of the real army of 1879. Their war cries, synchronised clashing spear-on-shield movements, and in-formation advancement create the sense of a real army moving to attack the apparently doomed garrison. This is one of very few films that gives the viewer a sense of what combat must have been like in the days before mechanised armies appeared on the scene.
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Summary: A wonderful film
Review: This is an extremely well done film covering how the British with a small number of men held out against overwhelming odds against massive attacks by Zulus in South Africa in the late 1800s.
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Summary: Militaria Cult Classic
Review: Zulu is now 41 years old & it still holds up as an exciting piece of film. Sure there are things from a historic perspective, uniforms, weapons & neither Stanley Baker nor Michael Caine look anything like the real Chard or Bromhead, BUT its still a great film. It may be of interest to know that Colour Sgt. Bourne was the last survivor of Rorkes Drift dying @ the start of World War II as a Col.. Also the Zulus did NOT have Martini Henry Rifles at this battle as depicted. I've seen this film over 50 times & HIGHLY recommend it to all!
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