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= Zulu (1964 film) =
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Introduction
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'Zulu' is a 1964 British epic adventure action war film depicting the
Battle of Rorke's Drift between a detachment of the British Army and
the Zulu in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War. Some 150 British
soldiers at a remote outpost, 30 of whom were sick and wounded, held
off a force of 4,000 Zulu warriors.
The film was directed and co-written by American screenwriter Cy
Endfield. He had moved to the United Kingdom in 1951 for work after
being blacklisted in Hollywood. It was produced by Stanley Baker and
Endfield, with Joseph E. Levine as executive producer. The screenplay
was by Endfield and historical writer John Prebble, based on Prebble's
1958 'Lilliput' article "Slaughter in the Sun".
The film stars Stanley Baker and introduces Michael Caine in his first
major role, with a supporting cast that includes Jack Hawkins, Ulla
Jacobsson, James Booth, Nigel Green, Paul Daneman, Glynn Edwards, Ivor
Emmanuel, and Patrick Magee. Zulu chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi (a future
South African political leader) played Zulu King Cetshwayo kaMpande,
who was his great-grandfather. The opening and closing narration is
spoken by Richard Burton.
The film was first shown on the 85th anniversary of the battle, 22
January 1964, at the Plaza Theatre in the West End of London. 'Zulu'
received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for the sets,
soundtrack, cinematography, action sequences, and the cast's
performances, particularly Baker, Booth, Green, and Caine. The film
brought Caine international fame. In 2017, a poll of 150 actors,
directors, writers, producers, and critics for 'Time Out' magazine
ranked it as the 93rd best British film ever.
Plot
======================================================================
In January 1879, in the aftermath of the crushing defeat of a
1,300-man British column by the Zulu armies at Isandlwana, Zulu
warriors scavenge the battlefield and collect rifles and ammunition
from the dead soldiers.
At a mass Zulu marriage ceremony witnessed by missionary Otto Witt and
his daughter Margareta, Zulu King Cetshwayo is informed of the great
victory. Witt and Margareta flee to their missionary station when they
realise that the Zulu are going to attack the outpost, located at
Rorke's Drift in Natal. A company of the British Army's 24th Regiment
of Foot are using the station as a supply depot and hospital for
British forces in Zululand.
Receiving news of the battle of Isandlwana from Natal Native
Contingent Commander Adendorff and warnings that 4,000 Zulu warriors
are advancing on their position, Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal
Engineers assumes command of a force consisting of less than 200 men
as he is slightly senior to their nominal commander, Lieutenant
Gonville Bromhead. With not enough time to order a full evacuation,
Chard decides to stay and fight. He has wagons, sacks of mealie
(maize), and crates of hardtack stacked to form a defensive perimeter,
gun holes knocked in the hospital walls, and a medical ward set up in
Witt's chapel. A contingent of South African cavalrymen who had fought
at Isandlwana arrive, refuse Chard's pleas to help reinforce the
station on the grounds that it is hopeless, and swiftly depart on
their horses. Enraged by Chard arming the hospital's patients and
ordering them to fight instead of allowing them to be evacuated, the
minister Witt persuades the Zulus serving in the Natal Native
Contingent to desert. Chard orders the wagons to be overturned to plug
gaps in the barrier. He orders soldiers to lock Witt in the chapel's
supply room.
The Zulu 'impis' approach and charge but quickly retreat under British
fire; Adendorff explains that they are trying to find weak points in
the station's defences. Witt starts drinking heavily and proclaims
that none of the soldiers will survive the coming battle. Chard
permits Margareta to take her father away; and the Zulus let them
pass.
Chard is concerned that the northern perimeter wall is under-defended
and realises that the Zulu, aware of this, are preparing to attack the
station from all sides. Zulu warriors armed with British rifles also
start taking potshots at the soldiers. Throughout the day and night,
wave after wave of Zulu attackers are repelled, but some defenders are
killed and wounded. The hospital's hay roof catches fire and the whole
building is engulfed. Private Henry Hook rallies the patients to fight
attacking warriors and escape. Sergeant Robert Maxfield, Hook's
mentally broken commanding officer, is killed along with a Zulu
warrior as the hospital burns down.
The next morning, a large number of Zulu warriors approach to within
several hundred yards and sing a lament for their dead before
launching again into their war chant. The British respond by singing
the Welsh song "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 in front of the chapel.
With a reserve of men hidden within the redoubt, they form into three
ranks and fire volley after volley, inflicting heavy casualties; the
Zulus retreat. After a pause of three hours, the Zulus re-form on the
Oscarberg. Resigned to another assault, the British are astonished
when the massed Zulu sing a song to honour the defenders' bravery and
depart.
Cast
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* Stanley Baker as Lieutenant John Chard, a veteran commander serving
with the Royal Engineers to build a bridge nearby. He takes charge of
the defence of Rorke's Drift by virtue of seniority in his commission
date.
* Michael Caine as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, an upper-class
officer who yields to Chard's command. He is inexperienced, arrogant,
and dismissive of the Zulu army's capabilities, but slowly comes into
his own by following Chard's example and proves to be courageous.
* Jack Hawkins as Reverend Otto Witt, a Swedish missionary based at
Rorke's Drift.
* Ulla Jacobsson as his daughter Margareta Witt
* Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi as King Cetshwayo; Cetshwayo was
Buthelezi's maternal great-grandfather
* James Booth as Private Henry Hook, described as "a thief, a coward,
and an insubordinate barrack-room lawyer", who has been confined to
the hospital after falsely claiming sickness to get excused from his
duties.
* Nigel Green as Colour sergeant Frank Bourne, a seasoned NCO who
plays a key role in organizing and leading the British defence.
* Paul Daneman as Sergeant Robert Maxfield, Private Hook's bedridden
and mentally broken commanding officer.
* Joe Powell as Sergeant Joseph Windridge
* Ivor Emmanuel as Private Owen, a Welsh baritone and head of the
company choir.
* Glynn Edwards as Corporal William Allen
* Neil McCarthy as Private Thomas, Owen's best friend who longs to
return to his farm in Wales
* David Kernan as Private Frederick Hitch
* Gary Bond as Private Cole
* Peter Gill as Private 612 John Williams, a member of the company
choir assigned to the squad defending the hospital.
* Richard Davies as Private 593 William Jones
* Denys Graham as Private 716 Robert Jones
* Patrick Magee as Surgeon-Major James Henry Reynolds
* Dickie Owen as Corporal Frederick Schiess, a hospitalised Swiss
corporal in the Natal Native Contingent who volunteers for Chard's
defenders
* Gert van den Bergh as Lieutenant Gert Adendorff, an Afrikaner
officer serving with the Natal Native Contingent and one of the few
British survivors of the battle at Isandlwana. He advises Chard and
fights alongside him
* Dennis Folbigge as Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton
* Larry Taylor as Hughes
* Kerry Jordan as Louis Byrne, the company cook who is forced to join
the defenders despite his pleas of cowardice.
* Harvey Hall as Sick Man
Production
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Cy Endfield was inspired to make the film after reading an article on
the Battle of Rorke's Drift by John Prebble. He took it to actor
Stanley Baker, with whom he had made several films and who was
interested in moving into production. Endfield and Prebble drafted a
script, which Baker showed to Joseph E. Levine while making 'Sodom and
Gomorrah' (1962) in Italy. Levine agreed to fund the movie, which
Baker's company, Diamond Films, produced. It was shot using the Super
Technirama 70 cinematographic process, and distributed by Paramount
Pictures in all countries excluding the United States, where it was
distributed by Embassy Pictures.
Most of 'Zulu' was shot on location in South Africa. The mission depot
at Rorke's Drift was recreated beneath the natural Amphitheatre in the
Drakensberg Mountains. (This landscape was more precipitous and
dramatic than the real Rorke's Drift, which is little more than two
small hills). The set for the British field hospital and supply depot
was created near the Tugela River with the Amphitheatre in the
background. The real location of the battle was 100 kilometres (60 mi)
to the northeast, on the Buffalo River near the isolated hill at
Isandlwana.
Other scenes were filmed within the national parks of the then
Province of Natal. Interiors and all the scenes starring James Booth
were completed at Twickenham Film Studios in Middlesex, England. The
majority of the Zulu warriors were real Zulus. The 240 Zulu extras who
were employed for the battle scenes, were bused in from their tribal
homes more than 100 miles away. Around 1,000 additional tribesmen were
filmed by the second unit in Zululand. Eighty South African military
servicemen were cast as soldiers.
The film was compared by Baker to a Western movie, with the
traditional roles of the United States Cavalry and Native Americans
taken by the British and the Zulu, respectively. Director Endfield
showed a Western to Zulu extras to demonstrate the concept of film
acting and how he wanted the warriors to conduct themselves.
It has been rumoured that due to the apartheid laws in South Africa,
none of the Zulu extras could be paid for his performance. Endfield
was said to have circumvented this restriction by leaving them all the
animals, primarily cattle, that were used in the film. These are
highly valued in their society. This allegation is incorrect; no such
law existed and all the Zulu extras were paid in full. The main body
of extras were paid the equivalent of nine shillings per day each,
additional extras eight shillings, and the female dancers slightly
less.
Michael Caine, who was primarily playing bit parts at this early stage
in his career, was originally up for the role of Private Henry Hook,
which went to James Booth. According to Caine, he was extremely
nervous during his screen test for the part of Bromhead. Director Cy
Endfield told him that it was the worst screen test he had ever seen,
but they cast Caine in the part anyway because the production was
leaving for South Africa shortly and they had not found anyone else
for the role.
Caine said that he was fortunate that the film was directed by an
American (Endfield), because "no English director would've cast me as
an officer, I promise you, not one," due to his Cockney roots. Most
officers at the time were from upper-class families.
Caine later said "My entire movie career is based on the length of the
bar at the Prince of Wales theatre, because I was on my way out [after
failing to get the part auditioned for] and it was a very long walk to
the door. And I had just got there, when he called out: 'Come back!'
The company was unable to obtain enough historically authentic
Martini-Henry rifles for all of the extras, and had to make up the
difference with later Lee Enfields. These have a very noticeable
moving bolt on the right side, absent on the Martini-Henry. The
sidearms used were also visibly later types, World War I-vintage
Webley Mk VI revolvers.
The budget of the film has been the subject of some speculation.
Press-related figures of $3 million and even $3.5 million were
mentioned upon the picture's American release. Joe Levine later
revealed that Stanley Baker had approached him with a script and
budget in 1962, just after filming 'Sodom and Gomorrah'. Levine agreed
to finance the picture up to $2 million. According to the records of
the British completion bond company, Film Finance, Ltd., the
production eventually finalized its budget at £666,554 (approximately,
$1,720,000). This included a contingency amount of £82,241, of which
only £34,563 had been used by the time the picture had all but wrapped
post-production (Cost Report #15, 18 October 1963). This would have
placed the near-final negative cost at £618,876 (approximately
$1,600,000).
Historical accuracy
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Historical picture of Zulu warriors from about the same time as the
events depicted in 'Zulu'
The basic premises of the film are true and largely accurate, but this
does not claim to be an historical re-enactment of real events.
Although named characters in the film represent documented battle
participants, they bear little resemblance to their counterparts. The
vastly outnumbered British did successfully defend Rorke's Drift, more
or less as portrayed in the film. Writer and director Cy Endfield
consulted a Zulu tribal historian for information from Zulu oral
tradition about the attack.
The film does have a number of historical inaccuracies, as discussed
below.
The regiment
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*The script presents the 24th Regiment of Foot as a predominantly
Welsh regiment, which was not the case in 1879. Of the soldiers
present at Rorke's Drift, 49 were English, 32 Welsh, 16 Irish, and 22
others of indeterminate ethnicity. While the regiment had been based
at Brecon in South Wales for several years, its full name at the time
was 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot. (In 1881, the regiment
assumed its later name of South Wales Borderers.)
*The song "Men of Harlech" features prominently as the regimental
song; it did not achieve that status until later. At the time of the
battle, the regimental song was "The Warwickshire Lad". No
"battlefield singing contest" took place between the British and the
Zulu.
The Witts
===========
The historical record concerning the Swedish missionaries, the Witts,
has inconsistencies. But the minister in the film is cast and
portrayed quite differently than the historical Witt. The real man was
younger, only 30 years old, married and with children, a teetotaler
and not a pacifist.
Otto Witt's wife and children were 30 km away at the time of the
battle. No pacifist, Witt had co-operated closely with the British
Army and earlier negotiated a lease to put Rorke's Drift at Lord
Chelmsford's disposal. Witt clarified that he did not oppose British
intervention against King Cetshwayo. Witt had stayed at Rorke's Drift
because he wished "to take part in the defence of my own house and at
the same time in the defence of an important place for the whole
colony, yet my thoughts went to my wife and to my children, who were
at a short distance from there, and did not know anything of what was
going on". On the morning of the battle, Otto Witt, with the chaplain,
George Smith, and Surgeon-Major James Henry Reynolds, had ascended
Shiyane (Oscarberg), the large hill near the station, and noticed the
approach of the large Zulu force across the Buffalo River. But given
his family at a distance, he left on horseback before the battle in
order to join them.
The men of the regiment
=========================
* Lieutenants John Chard and Gonville Bromhead: Chard received his
commission in February 1868, before Bromhead. The latter was the
junior officer and second-in-command at the Drift although he was an
infantryman (who usually took command) and Chard was an engineer. The
film says that Bromhead received his commission three months after
Chard but, in fact, he did not receive it until three years after
Chard.
* Surgeon Reynolds: During the Battle of Rorke's Drift, Reynolds went
around the barricades, distributing ammunition and tending to the
wounded, actions not shown in the film. During the closing voiceover,
he is incorrectly referred to as "Surgeon-Major, Army Hospital Corps".
Reynolds was of the Army Medical Department, and was not promoted to
the rank of Surgeon-Major until after the action at Rorke's Drift. The
pacifism apparent in Magee's portrayal is not based on the historical
Surgeon Reynolds.
* Private Henry Hook, VC, is depicted as a rogue with a penchant for
alcohol; in fact, he was a model soldier who later was promoted to
sergeant; he was also a teetotaller. Historically he had been assigned
to the hospital specifically to guard the building. The real Hook's
daughters were elderly when the film was released. They were so
disgusted at his portrayal that they walked out of the London premiere
in 1964. A campaign was organized to have Private Hooks's documented
historical reputation restored. The film's producers said they chose
Hook by chance and created the character as seen in the film, simply
because "they wanted an anti-hero who would come good under pressure".
* Corporal William Allen is depicted as a model soldier; historically
he had recently been demoted from sergeant for drunkenness.
* Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne (1854-1945) is cast as a middle-aged,
big and hardened veteran. In fact, he was of modest stature and, at
age 24, the youngest colour sergeant in the British Army. He was
called "The Kid" by his men. Colour Sergeant Bourne would not have
worn medals on his duty uniform. Moreover, Green's costume has the
chevrons on the wrong arm. After the battle, Bourne was offered a
commission but turned it down because he lacked the money necessary to
serve as a commissioned officer; he finally accepted a commission in
1890. He was the last British survivor of the Battle and died as a
full colonel.
* Padre George Smith ("Ammunition" Smith), the chaplain, is not a
character in the film, although he won a Victoria Cross for his
actions.
* Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess was 22, significantly younger
than the actor who portrayed him.
* The detachment of cavalry from "Durnford's Horse" who ride up to the
mission station were members of the Natal Native Contingent.
Historically this was chiefly composed of black African cavalrymen,
rather than the purported local white farmers depicted as a kind of
militia in the film. The members of the NNC were present at the
opening of the battle, but left as they had very little ammunition for
their cavalry carbines. Captain Stephenson is depicted at their head;
in reality, he was leading the NNC infantry, which had already
deserted.
* The uniforms of the Natal Native Contingent are inaccurate: NNC
troops were not issued with European-style clothes. Only their
European officers wore makeshift uniforms. The rank and file wore
traditional tribal garb topped by a red rag worn around the forehead
(as correctly depicted in the 1979 film, 'Zulu Dawn', about the battle
of Isandlwana.) The story of their desertion is true. Witt left before
they did. They left of their own accord, along with Captain Stephenson
and his European NCOs. These deserters were fired at as they left and
one of their NCOs, Corporal Anderson, was killed. Stephenson was later
convicted of desertion at a court-martial and dismissed from the army.
The Zulu
==========
King Cetshwayo did not order the attack on the mission station, as the
film suggests. Cetshwayo had specifically told his warriors not to
invade Natal, the British colony. The attack was led by Prince
Dabulamanzi kaMpande, the King's half-brother, who pursued fleeing
survivors at Isandlwana across the river and moved on to attack
Rorke's Drift. Although the defenders fired almost 20,000 rounds of
ammunition, just under 400 Zulus were killed at Rorke's Drift. A
similar number were left behind when the Zulu retreated, as they were
too badly wounded to move. Comments from veterans many years after the
event suggest the British killed many of these wounded men in the
battle's aftermath, raising the total number of Zulu deaths to more
than 700.
Battle
========
At roughly 7 am following the day of battle, an Impi appeared,
prompting the British to man their positions again. No attack
materialised, as the Zulu had been on the move for six days prior to
the battle. Their ranks included hundreds of wounded, and they were
several days' march from any supplies.
Around 8 am, another force appeared. The defenders abandoned their
breakfast and took up their positions again. The approaching troops
were the vanguard of Lord Chelmsford's relief column.
The Zulu did not sing a song saluting fellow warriors and departed at
the approach of the British relief column. This inaccuracy has been
both praised for showing the Zulus in a positive light and for
treating them and the British as equals, and criticised as undermining
any anti-imperial message of the film.
Reception
======================================================================
On its initial release in 1964, this was one of the biggest box-office
hits of all time in the British market. For the next 12 years, it
remained in constant cinema circulation before its first television
appearance. It became a television perennial and remains beloved by
the British public.
'Zulu' received highly positive reviews from critics. Bosley Crowther
of 'The New York Times' wrote that "if you're not too squeamish at the
sight of slaughter and blood and can keep your mind fixed on the
notion that there was something heroic and strong about British
colonial expansion in the 19th century, you may find a great deal of
excitement in this robustly Kiplingesque film. For certainly the
fellows who made it, Cy Endfield and Stanley Baker, have done about as
nifty a job of realizing on the formula as one could do." 'Variety'
praised the "intelligent screenplay" and "high allround standard of
acting," concluding, "High grade technical qualities round off a
classy production."
Richard L. Coe of 'The Washington Post' wrote that the film was "in
the much-missed tradition of 'Beau Geste' and 'Four Feathers.' It has
a restrained, leisurely tension, the heroics are splendidly
stiff-upper-lip and such granite worthies as Stanley Baker and Jack
Hawkins head the cast."
Whitney Balliett of 'The New Yorker' wrote that the film had "not only
refurbished all the clichés of the genre but given them the sheen of
high style ... It has already been pointed out that 'Zulu' is in poor
taste. But so are such invaluable relics as G. A. Henty and Rider
Haggard and Kipling." 'The Monthly Film Bulletin' called 'Zulu' "a
typically fashionable war film, paying dutiful lip service to the
futility of the slaughter while milking it for thrills. And the
battle, which occupies the whole second half of the film, is
unquestionably thrilling ... But whenever there is a pause in the
action the script plunges relentlessly into bathos, with feuding
officers, comic other ranks, and all the other trappings of British
War Film Mark I, which one had hoped were safely obsolete."
Caine's performance in 'Zulu' won him praise from reviewers. His next
film role would be as the star of 'The Ipcress File', in which he was
reunited with Nigel Green.
Rotten Tomatoes gives a score of 96% based on reviews from 27 critics.
The consensus summarizes: "'Zulu' patiently establishes a cast of
colorful characters and insurmountable stakes before unleashing its
white-knuckle spectacle, delivering an unforgettable war epic in the
bargain."
Among more modern assessments, Robin Clifford of Reeling Reviews gave
the film four out of five stars, while Brazilian reviewer Pablo
Villaça of 'Cinema em Cena' (Cinema Scene) gave the film three stars
out of five. Dennis Schwartz of Ozus Movie Reviews praised Caine's
performance, calling it "one of his most splendid hours on film" and
graded the film 'A'.
When released in Apartheid South Africa in 1964, the film was banned
for black audiences (as the government feared that its scenes of
blacks killing whites might incite them to violence). The government
allowed a few special screenings for its Zulu extras in Durban and
some smaller Kwazulu towns.
By 2007, critics were divided over whether the movie should be seen as
deeply anti-imperialist or as racist.
A reviewer gave the film 8 out of 10 stars.
In 2010, Alex von Tunzelmann of 'The Guardian' gave the film a grade
of B, saying: "The Zulus are a mystery, the Welsh are misplaced, a
Victoria Cross recipient is slandered, and no one has enough facial
hair. Nonetheless, Zulu is a brilliantly made dramatisation of Rorke's
Drift, and it does a fine job of capturing the spirit for which the
battle is remembered."
In 2014, Pat Reid of 'Empire' gave the film four out of five stars,
describing 'Zulu' "As a spectacular war film with a powerful moral
dimension, Zulu pre-dates Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan by more than
three decades. Like the defence of Rorke's Drift itself, its legend
grows with the passing of time." The same year, 'Cinema Retro'
released a special issue dedicated to 'Zulu', which detailed the
production and filming of the film. Stating that the film "has lost
none of its impact over the years", it praises the battle sequences,
calling them "impressively staged" and the portrayal of the Zulus "as
noble figures who develop a mutual respect for the British, even as
they are trying to kill them". It also praises the "particularly
impressive" performances of the supporting cast of Hawkins,
Jacobbsson, and Magee.
In a 'Telegraph' article, Will Heaven wrote, "'Zulu' is a story of
real-life heroism seen through the lenses of Victorian propaganda and
Hollywood epic cinema. It may not be truthful - but, my God, the
result is thrilling."
In a book, Daniel O'Brien noted one of the Zulus killing one of their
own to protect Witt's daughter, and how Bromhead dismissing the native
auxiliaries who died with the column at Isandhlwana, "Damn the levies
man - more cowardly blacks", is reprimanded by Adendorff.
In 2018, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi defended the film's cultural and
historical merits, stating that there's a "...deep respect that
develops between the warring armies, and the nobility of King
Cetshwayo's warriors as they salute the enemy, demanded a different
way of thinking from the average viewer at the time of the film's
release. Indeed, it remains a film that demands a thoughtful
response." Buthelezi, with whom Baker had become friends with during
production, described Baker as "the finest white man he had ever met".
Awards and honours
====================
Ernest Archer was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Colour Art
Direction on the film. The magazine 'Total Film' (2004) ranked 'Zulu'
the 37th greatest British movie of all time, and it was ranked eighth
in the British television programme 'The 100 Greatest War Films'.
'Empire' magazine ranked 'Zulu' 351st on their list of the 500
greatest films.
Presentation format
======================================================================
'Zulu' was filmed in Technirama and intended for presentation in Super
Technirama 70, as shown on the prints. In the UK, however, the only
70mm screening was a press show prior to release. While the vast
majority of cinemas would have played the film in 35mm anyway, the
Plaza's West End screenings were of the 35mm anamorphic version as
well rather than, as might have been expected, a 70mm print. This was
due to the UK's film quota regulations, which demanded that cinemas
show 30% British films during the calendar year, but the regulations
only applied to 35mm presentations. By 1964, the number of British
films available at cinemas like the Plaza could be limited, and 'Zulu'
gave them several weeks of British quota qualification if they were
played in 35mm. In other countries, the public got to see films in
70mm.
Home video releases
======================================================================
In the US, a LaserDisc release by The Criterion Collection retains the
original stereophonic soundtrack taken from a 70mm print.
An official DVD release (with a mono soundtrack as the original stereo
tracks were not available) was later issued by StudioCanal through
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was released on Blu-ray in the UK in
2008; this version is region-free. On 22 January 2014, the 50th
anniversary of the film and the 135th anniversary of the actual
battle, Twilight Time issued a limited-edition Blu-ray of 'Zulu' in
the US with John Barry's score as an isolated track.
Merchandising
======================================================================
* A soundtrack album by John Barry featuring one side of the film
score music and one side of "Zulu Stamp" was released on Ember Records
in the UK and United Artists Records outside the Commonwealth.
* The choreographer Lionel Blair arranged a dance called the "Zulu
Stamp" for Barry's instrumentals.
* A comic book by Dell Comics was released to coincide with the film
that features scenes and stills not in the completed film.
* Conte toy soldiers and playsets decorated with artwork and stills
from the film were produced.
Prequel
======================================================================
Endfield later wrote 'Zulu Dawn' (1979), a prequel to the original
film.
In popular culture
======================================================================
* 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'.
* 'Blood Bath at Orc's Drift' is a 1985 campaign supplement for the
Games Workshop Warhammer Fantasy Battle (2nd edition) game, which
pitted a small force of High Elves, Dwarfs, and Humans against an
attacking army of Orcs. In 1997, Games Workshop again drew inspiration
from 'Zulu' for the 'Massacre at Big Toof River'. In this event,
Praetorian Guards, a faction based directly on late-19th century
colonial English forces, faced off against Orc attackers, filling the
role of the Zulus.
* Stanley Baker purchased John Chard's Victoria Cross in 1972,
believing it to be a replica. After Baker's death, it was sold to a
collector at a low price but found to be a genuine medal.
* Afrika Bambaataa said that he chose the name "Zulu" based on
inspiration from the 1964 film. What Bambaataa "saw in Zulu, were
powerful images of Black solidarity." This would later inspire the
name for his organisation, Universal Zulu Nation, in the 1970s.
* A small section of the background noise just before the Germania
battle in the 2000 film "Gladiator" was taken from Zulu. Heard was
part of the Zulu warrior's taunting chant also used just before
battle.
See also
======================================================================
* BFI Top 100 British films (1999)
* Cape Colonial Forces
* Colony of Natal
* Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, 1st Baronet
* Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon
* History of Cape Colony from 1870 to 1899
* Kaffir (Historical usage in southern Africa)
* British Kaffraria
* Kaffraria
* List of conflicts in Africa
* Martini-Henry
* Military history of South Africa
* Scramble for Africa
* Shaka Zulu (TV series)
* Xhosa Wars (also known as the Cape Frontier Wars or "Africa's 100
Years War")
* Zulu Kingdom
* Zulu War
References
======================================================================
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
======================================================================
*
*
*
* [http://www.jamesbooth.org/reviews/zulu.htm Long review with
appendices at James Booth fansite]
License
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License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulu_(1964_film)