Zulu (1964)

Director:

Cy Endfield

Writers:

John Prebble (screenplay) and
Cy Endfield (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 June 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Dwarfing The Mightiest! Towering Over The Greatest!

Plot:

Outnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift.

Plot Keywords:

Zulu | Warrior | Battle | British Army | Military

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Stanley Baker	...	Lieutenant John Chard R.E.
Jack Hawkins	...	Otto Witt
Ulla Jacobsson	...	Margareta Witt
James Booth	...	Private Henry Hook
Michael Caine	...	Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
Nigel Green	...	Colour-Sergeant Bourne
Ivor Emmanuel	...	Private Owen
Paul Daneman	...	Sergeant Maxfield
Glynn Edwards	...	Corporal Allen
Neil McCarthy	...	Private Thomas
David Kernan	...	Private Hitch
Gary Bond	...	Private Cole
Peter Gill	...	Private 612 Williams
Tom Gerrard	...	Lance / Corporal
Patrick Magee	...	Surgeon Reynolds

Also Known As:

The Battle of Rorke's Drift (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Zulu

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Mono (35 mm optical prints)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M (alternate rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Finland:K-8 | Singapore:PG (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1989) | UK:U (original rating) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Drakensburg Mountains, South Africa

Company:

Diamond Films

Trivia:

In real life, Lt. Bromhead, played by Michael Caine as an arrogant "upper class twit", was extremely deaf. It was much more for this reason - rather than the few months' precedence in gaining his commission which Chard (Stanley Baker) claims in the movie - that Bromhead agreed to relinquish command. Chard's precedence, historically, was closer to three years than to the much more dramatic matter of months.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the hospital before the battle, one of the soldiers named Jones tells Cpl. Schiess (who was actually in the Natal Native Contingent, not the Mounted Police as stated in the film) that he belongs to 'C Company'. In fact the company stationed at Rorke's Drift was B Company - as correctly identified at the end of the film in the list of recipients of the Victoria Cross.

Quotes:

Lieutenant John Chard: Mr. Bourne, there should be 12 more men working on this redoubt.
Color Sgt. Bourne: They're very tired, sir.
[Chard whirls around]
Lieutenant John Chard: I don't give a damn! And I want this wall nine feet high, firing steps on the inside. Form details to clear away the Zulu bodies, rebuild the south rampart, keep 'em moving! Do you understand?
Color Sgt. Bourne: Yes sir... very good, sir.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes (1993) (TV)

Simply an Incredible Film

When one sees this film you know great pains were taken in the making of this masterpiece -- of all of the films that I have seen I found this one to be one of the classics that sets a standard for film. Great effort was put into the historical tale-telling. From political and social commentary to great action sequences Zulu is one of the more complete films that you will ever see, having something for everyone.

I enjoyed the human aspect of different men, coming together under duress to fight bravely in the face of overwhelming odds; it shows normal men coming together and accomplishing something great in the face of opposition and all the human story that goes along with it. A must-see for anyone who enjoys action & war films.