Men Of Harlech March To Glory / Victory Is Hovering O'er Ye

Rating: 6/10 (22 August 2011)

In South Africa in 1879, a small garrison of about one hundred men are stationed at the remote outpost of Rorke's Drift when the Zulu nation declares war against the colonialist British Army. Forced to defend themselves against a well-organised force numbering in the thousands, how can they prevail ?
This much-beloved British war classic is a great true story, a highly entertaining action film with an interesting and original backdrop (the Anglo-Zulu war which preceded the First Boer War), fantastic authentic location photography in KwaZulu-Natal province and a terrific ensemble cast playing the (mostly Welsh) soldiers. A resounding success for the star / producer Baker and writer / director Endfield (who previously worked together on a cool little drama called Hell Drivers), it has an unusually powerful structure for its genre; the battle doesn't start for about seventy minutes, but when it does it lasts for the whole rest of the picture, as wave upon wave of Zulus descends on our heroes. The imagery of the soldiers in their bright red uniforms and white pith helmets and the warriors with their assegai spears and ishlangu shields is pretty unforgettable, and the film plays like an old western. There's shooting, brawling, stabbings, cattle stampedes, fires, stand-offs, crazed suicidal charges, tribal chanting, infantry formation barrages, even a scene where the men sing the traditional Welsh military march Men Of Harlech. It's ripping stuff. Having said that though I do have a few problems, chief amongst them being I find it hard to identify with either Chard or Bromhead - Baker and Caine are both great but I never quite know if they are vainglorious or just plain scared. The supporting characters are more interesting, with standout performances from Green (one of the few actors who could pull off a full walrus moustache) as the no-nonsense sergeant, Booth as the malingerer Hook, and the amazing-looking McCarthy as the nature-loving Thomas. On the downside, Hawkins is a bit tedious as the zealous Swedish missionary Witt, and his daughter is a classic example of that staple of big studio movies, the Unnecessary Female. Minor gripes aside though, this is terrific fun, hugely cinematic, a poignant history lesson (eleven Victoria Crosses and four Distinguished Conduct medals were awarded to the survivors) and compulsory Sunday afternoon viewing. Featuring narration by Richard Burton and followed in 1979 by the less successful Zulu Dawn, which details the Battle of Isandlwana immediately preceding the events of Rorke's Drift.