Great film of a spectacular historical event

Rating: 10/10 (8 March 2017)

When I first saw "Zulu," I knew nothing about the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. If we had studied it in school, I didn't remember anything about it. And, I think that's the best place to be for the first time watching this film. It affords the maximum appreciation and enjoyment of the movie. By that, I don't mean enjoyment in the sense of fun, but in having something like a bird's eye view of the events taking place and being there at the time. By not knowing the outcome of an historical event, I think one can better sense being a part of the event taking place on screen.
This is a great movie, by any standards. It is a film of an historical event that shows the drama, the tension, the intensity, the fear and courage, the determination, the pathos and the tragedy of the Battle of Rorke's Drift, January 22-23, 1879. It's about the 3,000 to 4,000 Zulus who were fighting to keep a foreign nation from invading their land. Armed mostly with primitive weapons – spears and shields, they dared to go against the British troops and garrisons in South Africa who were moving to invade their kingdom. It's about a small garrison of British soldiers and South African troops who gallantly withstood massive waves of native warriors who outnumbered them better than 20 to 1. It's a film about the thinking and psychology of the leaders of both sides.
This is a movie of monumental scale – in its outdoor setting, in the numbers of natives used for extras as Zulu warriors, and in the camera work, filming, action and direction. And, yes, the acting is superb by all of the cast. At the time "Zulu" was made, only one of the cast was generally recognized around the globe – Jack Hawkins. And his role is a minor one in the film. That may be why "Zulu" received no major awards, or even nominations. Indeed, 1964 was one of those years of many great films ("Becket," "Dr. Strangelove," "Mary Poppins," "My Fair Lady," "Zorba the Greek," "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," "Seven Days in May," "The Night of the Iguana," "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte," "Cheyenne Autumn," and more).
But this production, and some of the acting were equal to the award winning films of that year. And, "Zulu" was a breakout film for Michael Caine. He had been around for several years and had small parts and uncredited appearances in TV and silver screen films. After this, Caine would star or co-star in more than 100 films.
Stanley Baker plays Lt. John Chard, Caine plays Lt. Gonville Bromhead, Hawkins plays missionary Otto Witt, and Ulla Jacobsson plays his daughter Margareta. A number of top performances were turned in by actors playing the roles of other soldiers. James Booth is Private Henry Hook, Nigel Green is Sgt. Bourne, Ivor Emmanuel is Pvt. Owen, Paul Daneman is Sgt. Maxfield, and Glynn Edwards is Cpl. Allen. There are more who contributed immensely to this film.
In the years since I first saw this film, I have read and studied much more history. This is an excellent movie for any serious film library. The Battle of Rorke's Drift was the second direct engagement between British forces in South Africa and the Zulus. The day before this event took place, a much larger force of British troops, with South African and native troops and several hundred civilians, was attacked by 20,000 Zulus and soundly defeated in the Battle of Isandlwana. Of the 1,800 men in the British force, some 1,300 were killed. That included most of the Europeans, 400 of a Natal Native contingent and some 240 African auxiliaries. Historians estimate that the Zulus lost 1,000 to 2,000 men.
The outcome of the Battle of Rorke's Drift would be quite different – with the British garrison of about 155 men holding off the much larger number of Zulus for more than 10 hours of fighting. The Zulus now had some firearms that had been captured from the British the day before, but none were trained in shooting rifles. When the fighting ended and the Zulus withdrew the morning of Jan. 23, the garrison had lost only 16 men killed or mortally wounded, with another 13 wounded. They counted 351 Zulu bodies, and it's estimated that another 500 Zulus were wounded. Many of them were likely captured and killed by the British main force of Lord Chelmsford (Frederic Thesiger). Chelmsford went on to defeat the Zulus on July 4, 1879, in the Battle of Ulundi. As the film notes at the end, 11 men from the Battle of Rorke's Drift were awarded the Victoria Cross, England's highest military honor since the mid-19th century.
For the quality of this great film, and the sheer spectacle of the event, "Zulu" should be an excellent historical reference for decades to come.