Zulu (film)

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Zulu
Movie Poster for Zulu
Directed by	Cy Endfield
Produced by	Stanley Baker Cy Endfield
Written by	John Prebble Cy Endfield
Starring	Stanley Baker Jack Hawkins Michael Caine Ulla Jacobsson James Booth Nigel Green
Distributed by	Embassy Pictures (USA) Paramount (non-USA)
Release date(s)	22 January 1964 (United Kingdom)
Running time	139 min.
Language	English
Budget	unknown
IMDb profile

Zulu is a 1964 film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Army of the Zulus. The film was directed by Cy Endfield and starred Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins and Michael Caine (in his first starring role). The film has sometimes been compared to a Western movie, with the traditional roles of the United States and Native Americans taken by the British and the Zulus respectively. While lacking any significant Zulu point of view, the film acknowledges the Zulu's bravery. Most of the characters in the movie were based on real participants of the battle but their behaviour is mostly fictional. In 1979, a prequel, Zulu Dawn, was released.

Tagline: Dwarfing The Mightiest! Towering Over The Greatest!

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Battle of Rorke's Drift was part of the Anglo-Zulu War. It occurred on 22 and 23 January 1879 - 150 British redcoats held off 4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded in the action, the most ever awarded to a regiment in a single battle, thus ensuring its place in British military history.

1 Plot
2 Characters
3 Awards & Homages
4 Historical inaccuracies
5 Rights
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] Plot

The film focuses on the Battle of Rorke's Drift, an early conflict in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. The film does not provide an explanation of the origins of the war (unusual for the time, as few people in 1964 were familiar with the Anglo-Zulu War), but instead begins while the war is in progress. The opening scene depicts a communiqué from British South Africa to the government in London, narrated by Richard Burton, outlining the crushing defeat of a British army at the hands of a Zulu army at the Battle of Isandhlwana. The first scene depicts a sea of dead British soldiers, while victorious Zulus gather their weapons.

The film's emphasis immediately shifts to the missionary station of Rorke's Drift in Natal, being used by the British army as a supply dump and hospital for their now-defeated invasion force across the border in Zululand. The commanders of the supply depot, Lieutenants John Chard and Gonville Bromhead, receive news that the invasion force has been destroyed at Isandhlwana and that a huge Zulu army is heading towards Rorke's Drift. Realising that they cannot outrun the Zulu army, especially with wagonloads of wounded soldiers, the commanders decide to fortify the station and hold out until reinforcements arrive. Using wagons, sacks of mealie, and crates of ship's biscuit, the small garrison fortifies the post and awaits the Zulu assault.

British soldier shot by Zulus

As the Zulu impis approach, soldiers of the Natal Native Contingent and Afrikaner settlers flee the site. Zulu warriors arrive, and distracting the British garrison with war dances, allow Zulu sharpshooters to open fire on the station from a neighbouring hill. Over the next few hours, Zulu warriors launch waves of attacks against the fortifications, which are repelled, and succeed in setting fire to the hospital, leading to intense scenes as ill, delirious, and panicking British soldiers grapple with Zulu warriors as they try to escape the flames. Zulu attacks continue into the night, and the British withdraw into a tiny redoubt built from supply crates, which they successfully defend against attacks. During a lull in the fighting, British troops emerge from the redoubt and using a co-ordinated maneuver, unleash a devastating hail of fire against a fresh Zulu attack.

Having sustained horrific casualties, the Zulus withdraw several miles and begin singing a frightening war chant, prompting the British defenders to retort by singing Men of Harlech. After a last failed assault, the Zulus withdraw and sing a (fictitious) song to honour the bravery of the British defenders, and finally leave. The film ends with a narration by Richard Burton, listing defenders who received the Victoria Cross.

[edit] Characters

Jack Hawkins: Reverend Otto Witt. A Swedish missionary based at Rorke's Drift, Witt is first seen with his adult daughter at King Cetshwayo's kraal in the capital, Ulundi. When news of the Zulu victory at Isandhlwana reaches Ulundi, the Witts flee in their carriage to Rorke's Drift. Witt is (erroneously) portrayed as mentally disturbed and a drunk, and when Lt. Chard denies him permission to evacuate the wounded on wagons, Witt breaks down and incites the British garrison's African allies to flee. After the first Zulu attack, Witt and his hysterical daughter are bundled onto their carriage and driven away from the battlefield.

Bromhead (Caine) helps Chard (Baker) wounded by the Zulus

Michael Caine: Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. A conceited and somewhat arrogant man, Bromhead, a young infantry officer, is first seen hunting cheetahs on the veld. He initially clashes with Lt. Chard, but soon accepts Chard's command. Bromhead initially appears panicked, criticising his African troops and arguing with Chard, but displays personal bravery during the battle.
Stanley Baker: Lieutenant John Chard. A calm and intelligent officer of the Royal Engineers, Chard assumes command of the mission station and organises its fortification and defence. During the resulting Zulu attacks, Chard displays immense bravery, even when badly wounded by a Zulu soldier.
Gert Van Der Bergh: Lieutenant Josef Adendorff. An Afrikaner officer serving with the Natal Native Contingent, Adendorff provides valuable advice to Chard on Zulu tactics and optimum defence tactics. Surprisingly, Adendorff vigorously defends the bravery and utility of the army's black soldiers after Bromhead's criticisms. Adendorff remains at Rorke's Drift throughout the battle, fighting alongside British troops, and is last seen at the end, helping to dig graves for British dead.
James Booth: Private Henry Hook. Described as a "barrack-room lawyer and scoundrel", Hook is a roguish character feigning illness in order to hide in the hospital, where he is constantly tormented by his ill, delirious sergeant. Despite his apparent cowardice, Hook is rebellious enough to criticise the British Empire's foreign policy: "Did I ever see a Zulu walk down The City Road? No. So what am I doing here?" and insolent enough to insult and manhandle his (ailing, intermittently-conscious) sergeant. During the battle for the hospital, Hook displays great courage in trying to rescue that same delirious sergeant, and although he is unable to save him, Hook earns his sergeant's respect.
Nigel Green: Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne. A loud, burly sergeant, Bourne is a key character in the fortification of the station, using his immense strength to assist with the fortifications, and displays immense personal courage during the battle. He dominates all the scenes he appears in. His is the voice of the authority.
Patrick Magee: James Henry Reynolds. The overworked doctor of the Rorke's Drift hospital, Reynolds provides vital medical aid to wounded soldiers during the battle, despite a total lack of anaesthetics or antiseptics, using the church's altar as an operating table. Reynolds displays genuine concern for his patients, and is seen comforting a wounded soldier who he knows will not survive.

[edit] Awards & Homages

In 2004, the magazine Total Film named Zulu the 37th greatest British film of all time.
"Zulu" was voted eighth in the British television programme "The 100 Greatest War Films".
The "Battle of Helm's Deep" sequence in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was filmed in a manner deliberately reminiscent of Zulu, according to Jackson's comments in supplemental material included in the special extended DVD edition of The Two Towers.

[edit] Historical inaccuracies

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The film contains a number of factual errors, including:

The Swedish missionaries (the Witts) were not at the Battle of Rorke's Drift. Witt, his wife and infant daughter were 30 km away. They had put Rorke's Drift at Lord Chelmsford's disposal.
The 24th Regiment of Foot is described as a Welsh regiment: in fact, although based in Brecon, its designation was the 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot; it did not become the South Wales Borderers until 1881. Only 11 of the defenders were Welsh.
The song Men of Harlech features prominently as the regimental song; it did not become so until later. At the time of the battle, the regimental song was The Warwickshire Lad There was no "battlefield singing contest" between the British and the Zulus.
The actors have a more modern appearance than their characters did. Michael Caine, for example, with his shiny teeth and groomed blonde hair, bore little resemblance to the real Gonville Bromhead. Many of the men, including Bromhead and Chard, wore full beards. Bromhead was partially deaf.
The British infantrymen of the Anglo-Zulu War did not wear sparkling white pith helmets, they were stained a tan color (with tea or coffee) without helmet plates, and the bright scarlet uniforms were always covered in dust.
The seniority of Chard and Bromhead (measured by their dates of commission) was three years, not three months as in the film.
There was no dispute over command. Lieutenant Chard had been left in command, due to seniority, by Major Henry Spalding, well before the battle. Spalding had ridden off to get reinforcements but his motives have been questioned. Spalding claimed that he did not anticipate an imminent attack.
Private Henry Hook VC is depicted as a rogue; in fact he was a model soldier who later became a sergeant; he was also a teetotaller. While the film has him in the hospital "malingering, under arrest", he had actually been assigned there specifically to guard the hospital building.
Conversely, Corporal Allen is depicted as a model soldier; in fact, he had recently been demoted from sergeant for drunkenness.
Colour Sergeant Bourne is depicted as a big, hardened, middle-aged veteran; in fact, he was a small man and, aged 23, the youngest colour sergeant in the British Army. He was called 'The Kid' by his men. Sergeant Bourne would not have worn medals, especially WW1 medals. Moreover, his stripes were on the wrong arm.
The role of Reverend "Ammunition" Smith is completely overlooked.
The building of defensive ramparts and initial defence of Rorke's Drift was in fact organized by Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton. His distinction was rewarded with the VC presented a year after the battle most of the credit given to Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead. The real Dalton had retired as a Quartermaster Sergeant after 22 years of service in the British Army before joining the Commissariat and Transport Department. The film, however, portrays Dalton as something of an effete character, who does little that might be called heroic. This makes his award of a VC, as recounted at the end of the film by Richard Burton, something of a mystery.
The column of Afrikaner cavalry (NNH) seen in the film actually was at Rorke's Drift. However, Chard ordered them to leave after finding that they had little ammunition of their own.
The uniforms of the Natal Native Contingent are inaccurate; NNC troops were not issued with European-style clothes. In addition, the uniforms of the Natal Native Horse seen in the film are inaccurate, as is the film's representation of the NNH as all-white. NNH troops were in fact black, with white officers.
The real Sergeant Maxfield, as in the film, was delirious with fever. However, he was too weak to leave his bed and was stabbed to death by Zulus while the other sick and injured were being evacuated from the room.
Private Cole was assigned to defend the hospital, not the perimeter. He was killed when he ran out of the hospital alone, possibly due to claustrophobia. Since he was killed by a bullet to the head, his last words in the film are unlikely to be authentic.
Corporal Scheiss was significantly younger than the actor who portrayed him. At the time of his death in 1884 – five years after the battle – he was 28 years of age.
Private Hitch was shot through the shoulder, not the leg.
Not all the rifles used by the Zulus were taken from dead British soldiers after the Isandlwana, as a character in the film suggests. In truth, most of the firearms used by Zulu troops were obsolete Brown Bess muskets, purchased decades earlier from German traders. In addition, the Zulu impis that attacked Rorke's Drift had not participated in the Battle of Isandlwana, and so had not had the opportunity to glean rifles from the battlefield.
The ending is somewhat fictitious. The Zulus did not sing a song saluting fellow braves (the concept of "braves" is not an African concept), and they did not depart peacefully. They fled at the approach of a British relief column. This concession was made during filming for the current Zulu Chief, Mangosuthu Buthelezi who appears in the film as the Zulu leader King Cetshwayo kaMpande.
The story of the black Natal Native Contingent troops' desertion is true. However, as Witt was 30 km away at the time, he was not responsible for their departure. They left on their own will, with Stephenson and his European NCOs. Shots were fired at these deserters and one of the NCOs, Corporal Bill Anderson, was killed.
The film omits the killing of wounded Zulus by British soldiers after the battle - several hundred were bayonetted, clubbed or shot in the battle's aftermath.
The officers are shown using Webley .455 revolvers which were not introduced until 1887 instead of the Adams revolvers that Bromhead and Chard actually used.
Several men can be seen using Lee-Enfield Mk. I bolt-action rifles instead of the historically correct Martini-Henry. Apparently they ran out of .450/577 blanks during filming- if you watch closely, you can see that in a lot of cases, the actors are simply dry-firing the empty Martini-Henrys and simulating the recoil, with the gunshot sound effect dubbed in later.
There was no Zulu attack at dawn of the 23 January, which in the film led to the singing of Men of Harlech. There was only sparse fighting with a few remaining Zulu soldiers.
The battle finished before 3.30pm.

[edit] Rights

In the US, Zulu has officially lapsed into the public domain, meaning there have been several issues of the film on DVD in North America - most notably by Embassy's successor-in-interest Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Outside the US, the film is still owned by Paramount Pictures, however.