Zulu
Tags: cult, historical

Plot synopsis:
In 1879, a communiqué from Lord Chelmsford to the Secretary of State for War in London (voice-over narration by Richard Burton) details the crushing defeat of a British force at the hands of the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana. In the aftermath of the battle, the victorious Zulus walk amongst the scattered bodies of dead British soldiers and gather their rifles. At a mass Zulu marriage ceremony witnessed by missionary Otto Witt (Jack Hawkins) and his daughter (Ulla Jacobsson), Zulu King Cetewayo (Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi) is also informed of the great victory.
A company of the British Army's 24th Regiment of Foot is using the missionary station of Rorke's Drift in Natal as a supply depot and hospital for their invasion force across the border in Zululand. Receiving news of Isandhlwana from the Natal Native Contingent Commander Adendorff, who warns that an army of 4,000 Zulu warriors is advancing to the British position, Lieutenant John Chard (Stanley Baker) of the Royal Engineers assumes command of the small British detachment. Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead (Michael Caine), an infantry officer, is rather put out to find himself subordinate to an engineer due to the latter's slightly earlier commission. Realising that they cannot outrun the Zulu army with wounded soldiers, Chard decides to make a stand at the station, using wagons, sacks of mealie, and crates of ship's biscuit to form a defensive perimeter. Witt becomes drunk and demoralises the men with his dire predictions; the soldiers of the Natal Native Contingent desert. Chard orders Witt to be locked in a supply room.
As the Zulu impis approach, a contingent of Boer horsemen arrives. They advise Chard that defending the station is hopeless. They retreat in haste, despite Chard's desperate pleas for them to stay. The Zulu army approach and then charge. The British open fire, but Adendorff informs them that the Zulus are only testing the British firepower. Witt again predicts the soldiers' inevitable fate, before escaping the battle with his daughter. Chard is concerned that the northern perimeter wall is undermanned and realises that the attack will come from all sides. The defenders are surprised when the Zulu warriors open fire on the station with rifles, taken from the British dead at Isandlwana.
Throughout the day and night, wave after wave of Zulu attackers are repelled. The Zulus succeed in setting fire to the hospital, leading to intense fighting between British patients and Zulu warriors as the former try to escape the flames. Private Henry Hook (James Booth) takes charge and successfully leads the patients to safety.
The next morning, the Zulus approach to within several hundred yards and begin singing a war chant; the British respond by singing "Men of Harlech". In the final assault, just as it seems the Zulus will finally overwhelm the tired defenders, the British soldiers fall back to a small redoubt constructed out of mealie bags. With a reserve of soldiers hidden within the redoubt, they form into three ranks and seamlessly fire volley after volley, inflicting heavy casualties; the Zulus withdraw. After a pause of three hours, the defenders are still recovering when the Zulus re-form again on the Oscarberg. Resigned to another assault, the British are astonished when the Zulus instead sing a song to honour the bravery of the defenders before departing.
The film ends with another narration by Richard Burton, listing the eleven defenders who received the Victoria Cross for the defence of Rorke's Drift, the most awarded to a regiment in a single action up to that time.

Review: "In the hundred years since the Victoria Cross was created for valour and extreme courage beyond that normally expected of a British soldier in the face of the enemy, only 1,344 have been awarded, 11 of these were won by the defenders of the mission station at Rorke's Drift, Natal, January 22nd to the 23rd 1879"Just typing out that spoken narration from Richard Burton brings me out into goose pimples, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention, Zulu quite simply is my favourite film of all time, and my love for cinema to this day owes its credit to this 1964 masterpiece.Zulu is a perfectly staged, perfectly acted account of the British defence of Rorke's Drift, where 139 British soldiers held off 4000 Zulu Warriors at the height of the Anglo-Zulu War. Its strength is not in romanticism or over sentimentality in the name of glossy hard sell, the crux lies with just being a tale of pure courage, a tale of pure stoic heroism, it sticks vigorously to the actual events, and thus the film plays out with genuine honesty that few other War pictures can ever lay claim to.Where does one start when outlaying the brilliance this picture has to offer?
Barry took authentic Zulu songs and chants and added the dramatic score around them to make an original and haunting theme which still ranks as one of his greatest film score offerings.Stanley Baker is fantastic as Lt. Chard, the Royal Engineer who is able to use his skill in successfully fortifying the little hospital outpost against the onslaught of the foe.Micheal Caine plays Lt. Bromhead the professional line soldier and upper class officer who after a little whining and grumbling accepts his position of second in command and fights valiantly in the battle.
Other noted cast members include James Booth as an excellent but inaccurate Hook, and Nigel Green as Colour-Sergeant Frank Bourne the typical Victorian Sergeant-major complete with side whiskers and moustache.The Great Jack Hawkins who did not like the character he played or his work on the film, portrayed Otto Witt, the pacifist missionary with a drink problem and again it is another performance worthy of an award.
They were a brave and strong opponent that day and they are deserving of tribute as much as the British.The basis of this film is taken from historical fact, although certain characters and events have either been altered, erased or just plain fabricated for dramatic purposes.
I hope should the film ever be remade his honour will be restored and his gallant deeds on that day be portrayed accurately.To quash further popular myths none of the film is shot on the exact spot at which the battle took place, (the real Rorke's Drift was in fact about 60 miles from the location shoot.)The regiment in question did not become the South Wales Borderers until two years after the battle and was at the time a Warwickshire Regiment.
When they re-appeared on the hill they returned with the sole intention of finishing off the gallant soldiers at the outpost, but decided against it when they noticed a sizable relief column approaching Rorke's Drift from the south.Finally, a few people have made references to Colour-Sergeant Frank Bourne, wondering whether or not he really existed and if so why he was never awarded the V.C. for his conduct on the day.
This film really gives new meaning to the saying 'keep a stiff upper lip' - or 'never say die.' The British soldiers here, led by Lieutenants played by Baker & Caine, know full well the force coming against them; they know what has already occurred.
I can't imagine the film with anything different.When the fighting begins, it's really breathless; by that I mean, there is one central action set piece when many of the Zulu warriors break through the ranks and threaten the inner compound, including the officer in command.
There is a tendency in 'war' movies to find a couple of favourite types of shot, and then endlessly repeat them, rather like a budgerigar that has learnt how to make his bell ring: no danger of that here; a whole lexicon of camera movements & angles is deployed with consummate skill so that you cannot watch this film without being fully engaged with it.But, to cut to the chase, what is so striking is that here is a movie that could so easily have been yet another 'duffing up the natives' actioner, and instead becomes a vehicle for all sorts of interesting questions.
How many other films compete with the excitement and tension of scenes like  the soldiers fighting off the hordes of zulus in the hospital building ?
The rest of the film is not bad, either!In January 1879, during the Boer War, at Isandhlwana in South Africa, over one thousand British troops are annihilated by King Cetshwayo's Zulu army.
The roll of honour is recited by Richard Burton at the film's end.Baker and Caine are very convincing in the two lead roles as Chard and Bromhead, the rival lieutenants from different social classes who come to respect and even like each other.
By the end of the film, as they stand together in the burnt-out ruins of the hospital, they are equals.The incredibly virile Stanley Baker (one wants to say, "Fwhoar!" every time he appears on screen) co-produced the film because, like most Welshmen, he was extremely patriotic and wanted to publicise the bravery of the Welsh soldiers at Rorke's Drift.
Zulu is the filmed account of the Battle of Rorke's Drift during the war against the Zulu nation in the part of South Africa known as Natal.
However, Lord Chelmsford, leading the colony out of ISLANDWANA, effectively sealed the fate of the 1000 or so Soldiers encamped on the slopes of the mountain at Islandwana, and in turn forced the Mission station at Rourkes Drift into a seemingly impossible situation; Beat off the attack.Luckily, Lt John Chard of the Royal Engineers had been assigned to Rourkes Drift to "Build a Bridge", thus saving him from massacre and lending his wisdom and sharp military mind to the ragged bunch of soldiers at the station.Lt Gonville Bromhead, superbly played by Michael Caine, epitomised the "Military Families" that had been commanding regiments for Decades during the 18th and 19th Centuries.The film speaks for itself, culminating in the final, mesmerising, breath-taking, desperate battle to hold fast against a disciplined attack from the ZULU impi.Strangely, the film makes no mention of Cetsewayo's order that no force should attack any entrenched British position.
The Rourkes Drift attack was spearheaded by one of his headstrong sons, eager to prove his courage and leadership skills to his respected warrior father.With narration from none other than Richard Burton, stirring music, the pre-battle singing at dawn, and the three level firing lines on a "mealy-bag" redoubt, you can't do better than "ZULU"..
In January 1879, about 100 British soldiers are forced to hold the small outpost of Rorke's Drift in South Africa's Natal province against about four thousand attacking Zulu warriors.Based on a true story, this is one of the greatest war movies ever made.
It successfully mixes tension and action in a way that few war movies have yet matched.The performances are great, particularly co-producer Stanley Baker as the hard-as-nails Lieutenant Chard who assumes command on the strength of his seniority, and Michael Caine, in his first major starring role, as the aristocratic Lieutenant Bromhead, who comes into conflict with Chard.Refreshingly, the film is respectful in it's portrayal of the Zulus as honourable and dignified warriors.The script features plenty of memorable dialogue and a decent amount of humour.
I have studied and enjoyed this film closely many times (DVD wide screen version) and am impressed with the whole work, as well as the respect given both 'sides', what an extraordinary well done story about a clash of two great cultures.
Is it perhaps unspoken ....like the film 'The Sand Pebbles' but of a different time and situation saying...are we beginning to get in over our heads?Michael Caine's introductory performance balances so well Actor/Producer Stanley Baker's with their contrasting characters as 'officers and gentlemen'.
It tries to show, in limited time that the Zulus where a great people and almost invites the viewer to learn more; surely this should be one of the main inspirations in making films of war..
Okay, we identify with the British troops in the face of insurmountable odds and all that - but you have to admire the ZULU warriors all the more for going up against them unfalteringly and the 'pan' across their fallen bodies isn't so much a moment of joy for the Brits saying "Ha, look how many we've killed of you lot" as opposed to clearly showing what an awful waste of life it all actually was.The film clearly marks out why the British Army was as good as it was.
This spectacular deals with the heroic defense commanded by two Lieutenants (Stanley Baker,also producer and Michael Caine who assumes an upper crust) find that their 140 man contingent in Zululand has been isolated by the destruction of the main British Army column and that 4,000 Zulu warriors will descend on them in short time .
In command of British force is John Chard of Engineers and Bromhead well played by Stanley Baker and Michael Caine respectively ; furthermore an excellent Nigel Green plays Sergeant Bourke as tough and war veteran .
But I wonder if while the battle was on, did it flash through the minds of the blokes who had seen the movie that what they saw depicted on the screen they were now experiencing for real?Would anyone make a film like "Zulu" today?
I can understand Jack Hawkins' irritation at the way the character is portrayed - a scared drunken weak buffoon instead of a serious pacifist, b) I think Caine overplays the aristocratic officer - it needn't mean utterly effeminate, c) the soldiers' frequent crediting of the Zulus as if they were simply a contending rugby team is not very believable - it's hard to imagine a war in which one doesn't really hate and despise the enemy for killing one's friends, and d) the character of Hook seemed a bit of a clicheed cockney.That aside, wow!
Outstanding movie, though this is not a historically accurate depiction (very few films are) but a gripping evocation of a fiercely-fought battle between a beleaguered British garrison and a large force of Zulus.
The overwhelming superiority in numbers of the Zulus was offset by the firepower of the British soldiers and the long reach of their bayonets.Rorke's Drift was fought on the same day, and within a few miles, of the dramatic defeat of the British at Isandlwana in a war that, in all honesty, did the invading colonial forces little credit.
The highest award for bravery is the Victoria Cross and no fewer than eleven were won by the defenders of a small outpost called Rorke's Drift in Natal, Africa on January 22, 1879.Having already won a great victory, slaughtering 1,200 British soldiers, Zulu warriors are on the march.
Equally good was Stanley Baker as Lieutenant John Chard R.E. Other performances of note came from; Jack Hawkins as Otto Witt, Ulla Jacobsson as Margareta Witt, James Booth as private Henry Hook and Nigel Green as Colour-Sergeant Bourne.The story is told entirely from the point of view of the garrison and this does make matters seem very one sided.
It is a fitting tribute that they received so many VC's (Victoria Cross-Britain's highest military medal for those who have shown a ridiculous amount of bravery when the odds of death are 90%), including to the reluctant Hook, who rescued so many injured troops from the hospital when it caught fire and was over run with Zulus.It is a film that any fan of the period, or of Britain's imperial history and every schoolboy in Britain should watch.
In the next few days these 150 troops will fight about 4,000 Zulus in one of the most courageous battles in history.Superb movie.
It is set in 1879 and depicts 4000 Zulu warriors heading for Rorkes Drift in Natal where a small supply post is defended by about 100 British soldiers.The first half of the film consists of showing the various characters from the British side.
A barrack room lawyer shirking from battle (James Booth) a by the book pompous posh officer (Michael Caine) and an engineer (Stanley Baker) determined to be tactical and defend this outpost by setting up barricades and getting ready for battle.The second half is the relentless battle scenes as waves and waves of Zulus attack.
A wonderful all action movie with an excellent top-notch cast, and the intelligence to show the Zulu's as the proud warrior nation they are, and their soldiers every bit as disciplined as the British Red Coats.
Even if some of the most famous scenes in the movie never happened like the above, the way Zulu was made made it look like it really happened as the film portrayed.Beautifully shot with a breathtaking landscape, and not an American in site.The courage and fortitude of the ordinary British soldier of the day of that period shows why the Empire was able to last as long as it did, in short, John Bull in uniform.My favourite character after the favourite Hookie must be Colour Sergeant Bourne, if any one looks like a Victorian British Army Sergeant in a movie, it has to be him..
The dispute over command he portrays with Stanley Baker, and his manner of acting out a soldier stretched past breaking point (just wait for the ending), leave me feeling that the makers of Zulu had every right to feel robbed when they were only nominated for a singular BAFTA for best Art Direction or some crap like that.
Classic Battle Between British Imperial Redcoats and Zulus; a Great Film.
Directed by Cy Endfield who also wrote the screenplay with John Prebble, this movie tries to tell the story of a famous 19th Century encounter between outnumbered British troops occupying a forward position after another battle has been fought with the mighty Zulu nation of warriors, and what happens when they must withstand their opponents' attack at Roark's Drift in the Natal Province.
The cast includes Stanley Baker (Enfield's partner and co-producer) as the Lt.in charge of the defense, Jack Hawkins and Ulla Jacobssen who try to stop the battle, Michael Caine, James Booth, Nigel Green, Patrick Magee, and many others as the soldiers of the beleaguered command.
It's exceptionally well made throughout and gives you a real feel for what it must have been like.By the way, according to IMDb this film is historically inaccurate in that in this fight with the Zulus, only 17 British soldiers were killed.
Such a story applies to not just Rorke's drift, but to other films such as Helm's Deep in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but we can see why Zulu set the standard.The acting is amazing, with Michael Caine shining as the young Lieutenant, and the story is exciting, but also at the end, strangely touching, gaining a lot of respect and sympathy from me towards both sides of the battle, a balance rarely achieved by Hollywood with the Indians in the 1960s, and pretty much anyone else nowadays.The story of Rorke's drift is one of the few British Empire films that is not anglophobic and anti-British, all too common in the age of the politically correct), but curiously manages to be very pro-welsh at the same time (a nice change from the usual Mel Gibson approach).
Also the 4000 Zulu's at Rorke's Drift were not involved at Isandlwana but were a reserve of that force which was 20000 strong.Incidentally, Colour Sergeant Bourne is buried in my local cemetery at Beckenham, Kent and was the last survivor of the battle.A truly great film..
Stanley Baldwin is great, Michael Caine puts in a career best performance, William Booth is charismatic as the wayward Hook but for me the highlight is Nigel Green as Colour Sergeant Bourne the embodiment of an British soldier.
Stanley Baker 's performance is legendary too.In The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum in Brecon you can see a Zulu shield and the actual flag from Rorke's Drift.This is one of the few films which portrays Welsh culture accurately.
The movie was and is a masterpeice, yes there are errors, and continuity mistakes galore (see the bloke who Chard gets the rifle from as the Zulu's attack him) this does not spoil it in any way for me, brilliant acting, good direction and fantastic scenery all make an enjoyable and gripping film..
I found the bayonet charge led by Lieutenant Bromhead (Michael Caine) and Color Sergeant Bourne (Nigel Green) one of the best close combat scenes ever filmed.
Zulu only shows a portion of what's happening all over South Africa, which doesn't really come up in this movie.Stanley baker and Cy Endfield made a wonderful film out of history for this movie.
As Stanley Baker's character stated he came to Africa "to build a bridge." (The building of infrastructure in developing lands is often ignored in more recent films.) And Common British soldiers such as Henry Hook defended their post with great courage against continuous ongoing assault.
It's a stirring tribute to the British army and how they held down the fort during a raid wherein the Zulus (outnumbering them in an army of 4,000 spear-carrying Zulu warriors) are defeated by a handful of British soldiers under the command of officers STANLEY BAKER (who, by the way, is a commanding figure throughout) and MICHAEL CAINE (in his first big screen role).Both of these men, and JACK HAWKINS, stand out in a cast of incredibly fine performances.
The reason it's a great film you see, is that you actually feel a sense of fear as you see the Zulu warriors, charging towards the British.