Writer: John Prebble, Cy Endfield (Screenplay) John Prebble (Article)
Starring: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ula Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Plot: Outnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke’s Drift.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Classic Story of Heroism
Story: Zulu starts as we see the aftermath of one of the Zulu warrior’s attacks on the British military post before we see how Otto Witt (Hawkins) and his daughter Margareta (Jacobsson) is trying to discuss peace. He learns that the Zulu warriors are about to attack the Rourke’s Drift post one of the strongest military posts the British have.
When Lieutenant Chard (Baker) arrives at Rourke’s Drift to help construct a bridge he clashes with LT Bromhead (Caine). As the Zulu approach the military post Chard and Bromhead clash on defensive techniques in what is the story of 4000 Zulu warriors against a mere 140 British soldiers in what is one of the most famous battles in military history.
Thoughts on Zulu
Story – The story is easy to follow but when you look at history you are left to wonder (without doing research) why the British were at war with the Zulu’s in the first place. The story only shows one epic battle that the British actually won against what seemed like impossible odds at the time.
History/War – When you look through the history books we have seen the British have been involved in many wars but this one could well be one of the greatest victories against the odds in our military history.
Characters/Performance – The characters are based on the real men who were fighting in the battle of Rourke’s Drift in what is considered a battle for true heroism. The performances are all great throughout the film showing how organised the British soldiers once were when it came to battle for King and country.
Settings – Looking at the settings we see they used South Africa as the main setting which makes us understand the climate and condition the soldiers would have had to fight under.
Final Thoughts – This will always be one of the classic war films that shows just how the British managed to overcome the impossible odds, we get to understand the military decisions being made throughout which makes this one of the greatest of all time.
Overall: Classic that will always be considered one of the greatest.
Rating