Zulu (film)

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Zulu
original film poster
Directed by	Cy Endfield
Produced by	Stanley Baker Cy Endfield
Written by	John Prebble Cy Endfield
Narrated by	Richard Burton
Starring	Stanley Baker Jack Hawkins Ulla Jacobsson James Booth Michael Caine
Music by	John Barry
Cinematography	Stephen Dade
Editing by	John Jympson
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (non-US) Embassy Pictures (US)
Release date(s)	22 January 1964 (UK)
Running time	139 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	US$2,000,000[1]
Followed by	Zulu Dawn

Zulu is a 1964 historical war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879, during the Anglo-Zulu War. The film was directed by blacklisted American screenwriter^[2] Cy Endfield and produced by Stanley Baker and Endfield, with Joseph E. Levine as executive producer. The screenplay is by John Prebble and Endfield, based on an article by Prebble, an historical writer. The music is by John Barry and the cinematography by Stephen Dade. The film stars Stanley Baker and Michael Caine, in his first starring role, with a supporting cast that includes Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Nigel Green, Paul Daneman, Glynn Edwards and Patrick Magee. The opening and closing narration is spoken by Richard Burton. The film was made by Diamond Films, Stanley Baker's newly-formed production company,^[2] and distributed by Paramount Pictures in all countries except the United States, where it was distributed by Embassy Pictures.

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 Zulus respectively. The film acknowledges the Zulus' bravery. Director Endfield showed a Western to Zulu extras to demonstrate the concept of film acting and how he wanted the warriors to conduct themselves.^[2]

Most of the characters in the film were based on actual participants of the battle, but their behaviour is mostly fictional – something that has provoked disapproval: in an interview on the DVD, the descendants of Private Hook object to his negative portrayal in the film (he is depicted as a thief and malingerer, though his character acts bravely near the end of the movie during some desperate fighting). Indeed, Hook's elderly daughters walked out of the film's 1964 London premiere, angry at the way their father had been depicted.

A prequel, Zulu Dawn, about the Battle of Isandhlwana which immediately preceded the Battle of Rorke's Drift, was released in 1979. It was also written by Cy Endfield, and starred Burt Lancaster and Peter O'Toole.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Historical inaccuracies 5 Reception 6 Awards and honours 7 Rights 8 Merchandising 9 In popular culture 10 See also 11 References 11.1 Notes 11.2 Bibliography 12 External links

[edit] Plot

In 1879, a communiqué from British South Africa to the government in London, narrated by Richard Burton, details the crushing defeat of a British force at the hands of the Zulus at the Battle of Isandhlwana. The first scene shows a grassy landscape with many dead British soldiers, while victorious Zulus gather their weapons.

A mass Zulu marriage ceremony witnessed by missionary Otto Witt (Jack Hawkins), his daughter (Ulla Jacobsson) and Zulu King Cetshwayo (Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi) is interrupted by a messenger who informs Cetshwayo of the great victory earlier in the day.

The movie then shifts to the missionary station of Rorke's Drift in Natal, being used by the British army as a supply depot and hospital for their now-defeated invasion force across the border in Zululand. Upon receiving news of Isandhlwana from the Witts and that a large enemy force is advancing their way, Lieutenant John Chard (Stanley Baker) assumes command of the small British detachment, being senior to Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead (Michael Caine). Realising that they cannot outrun the Zulu army, especially with wagonloads of wounded soldiers, Chard decides to fortify the station, using wagons, sacks of mealie, and crates of ship's biscuit, and await the assault. When Witt becomes drunk and starts demoralising the men with his dire predictions, Chard has him and his daughter sent away in their carriage.

As the Zulu impis approach, soldiers of the Natal Native Contingent and Boer horsemen flee, despite Chard's desperate pleas for them to stay. Zulu sharpshooters open fire on the station from a neighbouring hill. Over the next few hours, wave after wave of Zulu attacks are repulsed. The attackers 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. Malingering Private Henry Hook (James Booth) surprises everyone by taking charge in the successful breakout. Attacks continue into the night, finally forcing the British to withdraw into a tiny redoubt built from supply crates and mealie bags.

The next morning, at dawn, the Zulus withdraw several hundred yards and begin singing a war chant; the British respond by singing "Men of Harlech". In the last assault, just as it seems the Zulus will finally overwhelm the tired defenders, the soldiers Chard had hidden behind a final redoubt emerge, form into three ranks, and pour volley after volley into the stunned natives. They withdraw after sustaining heavy casualties, sing a song to honour the bravery of the British defenders, and leave. The film ends with a narration by Richard Burton, listing defenders who received the Victoria Cross — including Private Hook. Eleven were awarded for the actual fighting at Rorke's Drift, the most ever for a regiment in a single battle in British military history.

[edit] Cast

• Stanley Baker as Lieutenant John Chard, of the Royal Engineers
• Michael Caine as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, his first major role
• Jack Hawkins as Reverend Otto Witt, a Swedish missionary based at Rorke's Drift
• James Booth as Private Henry Hook, described as "a thief, a coward, and an insubordinate barrack-room lawyer"

• Nigel Green as Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne. Green and Caine appeared in a number of films and television episodes together. In this film, Green was Caine's subordinate, but in The Ipcress File and Play Dirty, he was Caine's superior.
• Glynn Edwards as Corporal William Allen, portrayed as a model soldier
• Ivor Emmanuel as Private Owen, a Welsh baritone and head of the company choir. In response to the Zulu war chant, Owen leads the men in singing "Men of Harlech".
• Neil McCarthy as Private Thomas
• Patrick Magee as Surgeon-Major James Henry Reynolds, the overworked doctor
• Gert Van den Bergh as Lieutenant Josef Adendorff, an Afrikaner officer serving with the Natal Native Contingent and a survivor of the battle at Isandhlwana
• Dickie Owen as Corporal Schiess, a hospitalised Swiss corporal in the Natal Native Contingent

[edit] Production

Zulu was made at Twickenham Film Studios, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK and on location in South Africa, at Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, and the national parks of KwaZulu-Natal. The Super Technirama 70 cinematographic process was used.

Michael Caine, who at this time in his career was primarily playing bit parts, 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, and director Cy Endfield told him that it was the worst screen test he had ever seen, but they were casting Caine in the part anyway because the production was leaving for South Africa shortly and they hadn't found anyone else for the role.^[2]

Caine's performance in Zulu won him praise from reviewers, and his next film role would be as the star of The Ipcress File in which he was reunited with Nigel Green.^[2]

[edit] Historical inaccuracies

Although writer Cy Endfield consulted with a Zulu tribal historian for information from Zulu oral tradition about the attack,^[2] a number of historical inaccuracies in the film have been noted.

[edit] Reception

Zulu received highly positive reviews and earned a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

[edit] Awards and honours

Zulu received no Academy Award nominations, but Ernest Archer was nominated for a BAFTA Award for "Best Colour Art Direction" on the film.^[2] In 2004, however, the magazine Total Film named Zulu the 37th greatest British movie of all time, and it was voted eighth in the British television programme The 100 Greatest War Films.^[3] Empire Magazine named Zulu #351 on their list of the 500 greatest films.

[edit] Rights

In the US, Zulu officially lapsed into the public domain, meaning there have been several issues of the film on home video/LaserDisc/DVD in North America — most notably an LD release by the Criterion Collection which retains the original stereophonic soundtrack and 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 Embassy's successor-in-interest, StudioCanal (with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer handling video distribution). StudioCanal (the current owner of the Embassy theatrical library) had acquired US control of the film in 2000 after its copyright was restored. Outside the USA, the film has always been owned by Paramount Pictures.

[edit] Merchandising

• A soundtrack album by John Barry featuring one side of film score music and one side of "Zulu Stamp" music was released on the Ember Records in the UK and United Artists Records outside the Commonwealth
• A comic book by Dell Publishing was released to coincide with the film that features scenes and stills not in the completed film
• Conte toy soldier playsets decorated with artwork and stills from the film were produced.
• Though not advertised as a film tie in, in the United States in the mid 1960's, a child's toy blowgun the size of a ball point called a "Zulugun" was produced that shot plastic sticking darts that reportedly were often inhaled and swallowed.^[4]

[edit] 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, according to Jackson's comments in supplemental material included in the special extended DVD edition of The Two Towers.
• The Germanic war chant in the battle scene at the beginning of Ridley Scott's film Gladiator is the Zulu war chant from Zulu. In the video commentary, Scott revealed that Zulu was one of his favourite movies.
• The Battle of O'Rourke's Ford in S.M. Stirling's science fiction novel On the Oceans of Eternity is a recreation of the movie premise, right down to a malingering Private Hook.
• In the tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000, made by Games Workshop, there is a battle very similar to the one featured in Zulu. The only major difference was that the British soldiers were replaced with Praetorian Imperial Guard, and the Zulu forces with Ork hordes.

[edit] See also

• Zulu Dawn (a prequel to this film)

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Hall, Dr Sheldon Zulu: With Some Guts Behind It: The Making of the Epic Movie 2005 Tomahawk Press

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Zulu

• Zulu at the Internet Movie Database
• Zulu at the TCM Movie Database
• Zulu at Allmovie
• Rorke's Drift Victoria Cross remembrance site
• Long review w/appendices at James Booth fansite
• http://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/191-HOMOEROTICISM-IN-ZULU-THE-ELEPHANT-IN-THE-ROOM.html

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