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Zulu (1963)

Director: Cy Endfield

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4 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

A film which comes with two heavy strikes against it: it was made during the '60s boom for epic adventures in exotic climes (which now look like a breed of cinematic dinosaur), and it recounts one of those heroic tales of the thin red line holding out against hordes of fuzzy-wuzzies that endlessly fuelled Boy's Own. In fact, Zulu is a fairly tough-minded and interesting account of a company of Welsh soldiers doing their bit for somebody else's Queen and Country in an alien land (the script was co-written by the chronicler of the Highland Troubles, John Prebble), and is a more honest account of imperialism than the belated follow-up, Zulu Dawn, supposedly telling the Zulus' side of things. In his first starring role, Cockney wide boy Caine actually assumes an upper crust, but is finally one-upped by Baker's officer of Engineers.

Author: MA 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Sergentcolon said...

Posted on May 07 2009 23:51 The 2nd warwickshire regiment of the 24th of foot became the South Wales Borderers in 1881 So they are the same regiment

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sergentcolon said...

Posted on May 07 2009 23:33 They were South Wales Borderers, try going to the regimental museum in Brecon and looking at quite a few of the Victoria crosses and other artifacts from the battle. This is one of my favourite films which may have some innacuracies but is still magnificent.

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Sean said...

Posted on May 15 2008 21:28 Selavy's point about historical inaccuracy is well taken, however, this IS entertainment not history a lesson many of us need to continue to re-learn a la Oliver Stone and his offerings. While the battle scenes seem to pale in comparison to the graphic bloodletting that modern special effects afford us, there is still a gritty, sweaty, exhausting quality to the battle scenes. And once endowed with the epic score, we soon forget that the fighting isn't quite as graphically violent as that to which we have become accustomed . . . and so, we suspend our disbelief. We disregard the politically incorrect themes of jingoistic racism and stereotypical stiff-upper lipped colonialism in the face of the supreme bravery of both sets of combatants. Stanley Baker, as the engineer-turned-battlefield-commander and Michael Caine, in his first major role, as Victorian blueblood-turned-Victorian-Cross-for-valor recipient provide stirring performances. A great and oft-ignored movie that MUST be seen on the widescreen to appreciate the epic quality of 60s films made in the days before computer enhancements. A genuinely great film.

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Selavy said...

Posted on Jan 31 2008 02:07 Another brain dead critic who thinks films are historically accurate. The army was composed mainly of Englishmen. The film innacurately portrays them as the Welsh Borderers, in fact they were the 2nd Warwickshire that were base in Wales. Zulu Dawn was about the battle of Isandlwana.
Seriously, if you are unable to do 2 minutes research then give up reviewing films based on history.
That said the film is damn good. A must see.

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