Zulu

Rating:
Summary: superlative
Review: Without doubt this is one of the most fantastic war films ever made. Caine is fantastic as Bromhead and it is nice to hear him speaking more perfect queen's english than his trademark cockney. The film is full of heroism both from both armies and a great respect grows for all involved. Even if british imperialism isn't your thing you will enjoy this enourmously.

Rating:
Summary: Better than ever in MGM re-mastered video quality!
Review: This movie is a familiar classic and the historical (and miraculous) event upon which it is based is even more well-known. Therefore, I will go straight to talking about this DVD's technical merits. Compared to VHS and earlier DVD versions, this MGM release delivers great video quality. The image is sharp, the colours solid, and great adjustments in brightness and contrast. Not all of MGM's war classics in DVD are so well done, but I was very glad that this one, ZULU, was. There's a fairly long trailer and a very good scene selection menu. Of course, there is no fancy Dolby 5.1 sound or other redundant "extras" found in DVD versions of more contemporary (and easily forgettable) movies. My only disappointment with this MGM release is the sub-titles. If there are a lot of words to appear, some of them may appear above the bottom black bar and into the lower portion of the movie image. Because of this, I turned on my TV's closed captioning option and learned that this DVD does contain closed captioning for the hearing-impaired, with all the captioning staying at the bottom black bar. ZULU has become even greater in this MGM DVD incarnation. A must for every war/history buff who finds nothing politically offensive about watching throngs of spear-wielding Zulu warriors being gunned down by a comparatively handful of British soldiers.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent action movie with vivid portrayals of a real event
Review: This is a very fine action film that is based on a real battle in January of 1879. The names of many of the characters are real because eleven of the soldiers won a Victoria Cross and many more won other decorations. 150 soldiers defended a supply station against something like 4,000 Zulu warriors for two days. And these 150 aren't the "real" soldiers - they were left as bridge builders and quartermasters and such. The fighters had gone out and gotten largely slaughtered by another army of Zulu.

The story as told here is full of vivid characters. Of course, the real life characters were almost completely different than their portrayal here. For example, the battle didn't break off because the Zulus wanted to honor the brave English, but because they saw off to their flank that reinforcements were coming. But it is true enough for a movie. Just don't take everything here as gospel (as you should avoid doing on anything from Hollywood and almost everything on film).

Michael Caine is glorious as Gonville Bromhead who was second in command and from a well-known military family. Stanley Baker is very fine as the engineer who finds himself in command of a military operation. There are many other fine and memorable performances, but my favorite is Nigel Green as Colour Sgt Frank Bourne. In any fight it is the Sergeants that keep everything together and the discipline necessary to continue the fighting. This is a wonderful portrayal.

It is a movie that could not be made today, but I am glad that we have it on DVD. I wish we had it in a better transfer with some more background material, but this is certainly worth having. Maybe we can get a restored version someday in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A great epic!
Review: They rarely make'em like this anymore.

Rating:
Summary: Never could have been made today. But good for its time.
Review: This 1964 film is based on a real incident in 1879. It's set in Africa where the Zulus have just massacred 1500 British troops. Word spreads to a different small British outpost that the Zulus are about to attack the 140 men there, many of whom are sick. After a day of ferocious fighting, they have pushed the Zulus back. The Brits have guns, of course. But so do some of the Zulus because they have taken guns off fallen British troops in their first attack.

Stanley Baker and Michael Caine are cast as British lieutenants who disagree on tactics. Jack Hawkins is cast as a pacifist preacher. There is a lot of bickering among the men, some of which provides comic relief. There's fear here too as most of them assume they will die. It is all filmed from the British point of view. No mention is made about why the Zulus want to attack the English. And no history is explained other than the fact that the Zulus are intent on a massacre. Clearly, this film was made well before anyone thought about political correctness.

The battle scenes were impressive but yet boring. Hundreds of ferocious Zulu warriors just keep attacking and there is no individualization or background attached to any of them. The Brits die too and the bodies pile up. But as the film was made in 1964, all the deaths are clean. The actors just clutch their chests and fall down.

The acting is uniformly good. There is real drama in the plot. And the African landscape is well filmed. But the film just doesn't translate into more than a paean to the bravery of the British soldiers who managed to hold off the savage Zulus. It is interesting to see the changes that have occurred in filmmaking over the past forty years. So film buffs might enjoy it. But for everyone else, "Zulu" has just not stood the test of time.

Rating:
Summary: Even Better Now...and More Vivid in DVD
Review: I well recall the first time I saw this film. It was during the summer of 1964. My family and I were vacationing with another family, sharing a rental house on the New England shore. Zulu was the only film available to see at the village theatre. My friend and I could not convince our wives to join us so we went alone. (The title deterred them.) After the deliberately slow introduction of setting, circumstances, and characters, director Cy Raker Endfield begins to accelerate the plot developments and soon our emotions became wholly engaged in the subsequent action. Later, the more we raved about Zulu, the more reassured our wives became that they had not missed anything special. They still think that and I could not disagree more.

The film recreates an especially important segment of British military history: the siege of the Rorke's Drift outpost in Natal, South Africa, in January of 1879, when a company of 120 Welsh soldiers defended the outpost against more than 4,000 Zulu warriors. Their commanding officer (a lieutenant played by Stanley Baker who also produced the film) and one other officer (played by Michael Caine) had no prior combat experience. Fortunately, they are supported by Color Sergeant Bourne (masterfully portrayed by Nigel Green) as they and their comrades beat back one ferocious attack after another. The carnage is substantial and graphic but never gratuitous. As some indication of the defenders' courage, the viewer later learns that from 1856 until 1964 when the film was made, only 1,344 Victoria Crosses had been awarded...eleven to men in the Rorke's Drift contingent. (Of special note is the fact that the voice-over narration which includes this information is provided by Richard Burton.) Aside from the combat itself, the film offers so much else. For example, the relationship between the two officers which proceeds from initial discomfort to mutual respect. Also the sub plot involving the Reverend Otto Witt (Jack Hawkins) and his daughter Margareta (Ulla Jacobsson) who are allowed to depart a Zulu camp in peace, arriving at Rorke's Drift before the Zulus do. Witt tries but fails to convince Lt. John Chard (Baker) to avoid a military confrontation. Finally, special credit must be given to James Booth for his indelible portrayal of Private Henry Hook, a malcontent and malingerer who (in the crucible of ferocious hand-to-hand combat) becomes transformed into a reluctant but admirable hero, one of the eleven Victoria Cross recipients.

As my friend and I departed the village theatre almost 40 years ago, we said nothing to each other. Only later, in response to our wives' inquiries, did we express our reactions to what we had experienced, albeit vicariously. Then and now, we agree, although the film celebrates courage among both the Welsh troops and their Zulu adversaries, it does not celebrate the circumstances at Rorke's Drift which require it. Endfield and Baker leave no doubt about this point at the film's conclusion. Nor do I wish to when completing this brief commentary.

Rating:
Summary: Zulu on DVD
Review: First off let me say that I absolutely LOVE "Zulu" however I was greatly disappointed with the latest DVD version.
First of all there was no insert with the case. Would it have killed MGM to provide some additional background information on the film?
Second, and most importantly, the sound quality is PATHETIC.
This DVD is presented in Mono and the whole thing sounds as if you are trying to listen to it underwater.
A truly shabby treatment of a great film. MGM should be ashamed.

Personally I suggest sticking to the VHS version until a better DVD becomes available.
This one was a waste of time and money.

Rating:
Summary: Zulu - Historically Accurate!!!
Review: I strongly suggest that anyone who doubts the accuracy of this film to purchase some books from this very site and READ the many historical accounts that are available about the battle at Rorkes Drift. "The Washing of the Spears" by Donald Morris is an excellent book that covers the history of the Zulu nation. The film has only two minor flaws that I have encountered. One is the character portrayed by Jack Hawkins. I have never read any account that describes an alcoholic preacher visiting before the battle. But the character does add tension to the film and shows the fear that many of the survivors of the battle of the previous day at Isandhlwana felt. The second flaw is the scene where the soldiers form three lines and volley fire into the charging Zulu warriors. Again, I have never read anything like this but what it serves to display is how a well trained and equipped modern (for its day) army could decimate any opponent; which is exactly what happened. The fewer than 150 British soldiers at the outpost withstood a siege from nearly 5000 Zulu wariiors over a 24-30 hour period with 10 hours of non-stop fighting. Why did they stay and fight? Because they had protection and close to 30 of the men were in the hospital with various ailments (some quite severe). If they had left they would have had to carry the sick with them to the next outpost which was over 30 miles away. This film does a fantastic job of portraying the very real events that occured at the battle of Rorkes Drift on January 23rd, 1879. Definitely one of only a few epic-war films that does not rewrite history to suit the big screen.

Rating:
Summary: Impressive Epic
Review: "Zulu" is one of those rare moments in cinema when war is depicted with such realistic, nail-biting authenticity. This film was broadcast a few years ago on the History Channel, with historians speaking freely on how accurate the portrayal of the men at Roarke's Drift is.
I was overjoyed to see such a fine print at last on DVD. Shot in Ultra Technirama 70, the sharpness and color will overwhelm all who see it. I have always felt Technirama was the best of the widescreen processes, with such films as "Spartacus", "The Alamo" and "King of Kings" utilizing its epic proportions. Although the sound is mono, and doesn't open up as well in surround sound, this slight setback shouldn't put anyone off from purchasing this disc, and at such a modest price, too.

Rating:
Summary: Lauren: Why not buy a book on Rourke's Drift on Amazon??
Review: This movie (and it is a movie folks, not a history lesson) is an excellent action movie and a fair depiction of Rourkes drift. Despite what another reviewer thinks, the "premise" is based on actual events, a company of the 24th foot was based at the mission station at Rourke's Drift to guard suppies and a river ford. After the British Disaster at Isandlawana (the subject of the prequal movie "Zulu Dawn"), a large impi of Zulu's attacked the station. The fight spread out over 22-23 January 1879 resulted in 17 British Casualties, estimates of Zulu casualties range from 350 confirmed to an estimated 600 who may have later succumbed to their wounds.

There are some historical problems, the real life Hook was actually a model soldier, not the "rouge" that is excellently portrayed by James Booth, and his descendant were rightly upset (though it is again a great character). The idea to defend the mission was Commisary Dalton (who was an old soldier and not the comic relief bungler portrayed) etc. etc. (which BTW was a sound decision despite what another reviewer stated as the Zulu would have quickly run down and destroyed a british contingent in the open as they did at Fugitive's Drift).

There are other inaccuracies, but if you want the histoical facts get one of the several excellent books that Amazon suggests. However as a movie that give you a feel for the events while still giving an exciting story that is told in the space of 2 hours, this can not be topped. The characters are memorable with good story telling.