Top-Rated Episodes
S1.E10
Shaka helps Farewell and a Zulu delegation to get to Cape Town, where Lord Somerset imprisons them; Nandi's death sends Shaka into a frenzy of destruction.
S1.E6
Shaka goes deep into the Nkandla forest and has a blacksmith forge a stabbing spear, which he has empowered by "The Nameless One" and given magical powers. However, it is predicted that the weapon ...
S1.E8
Fynn traces the history of Shaka and the Ndwandwe king Zwide after Shaka orders the Britons to help fight Zwide, who was responsible for the death of Dingiswayo.
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Title: Shaka Zulu (1986)
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Framed around Queen Victoria's decision on England's political stance towards the Zulu Nation, this mini-series details King Shaka's rise and fall with mythic detail. Prophecy is mixed with recorded fact regarding Shaka's birth, exile, innovations in warfare, assumption of the throne, building of the Zulu Empire, first contact with Europe and the events that lead to his downfall. Written by Renee Ann Byrd <byrdie@wyrdbyrd.org>
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The Most Savage Warrior of All Time!Certificate:
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Release Date:
24 November 1986 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Shaka Zulu See more »Filming Locations:
South AfricaEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$24,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Harmony Gold, South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Tele München Fernseh Produktionsgesellschaft (TMG) See more »
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1.33 : 1
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["Swallows" is the Zulus' term for the British... since they, like their bird-namesakes, first came to Africa from across the sea]
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Trivia
This has been the most repeatedly screened mini-series ever shown on television in the U.S. By 1992, over three hundred fifty million viewers had seen it. This mini-series dislodged The Hunters (1957) and The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) and its sequels as the prime shaper of American perceptions of "tribal" history in southern Africa. The series even achieved cult status. The U.K. actors and actresses who worked on the project were nearly blacklisted by the U.N. See more »Quotes
Shaka: [last words, as he is slain by his own bodyguards] ... THE SWALLOWS HAVE WON!["Swallows" is the Zulus' term for the British... since they, like their bird-namesakes, first came to Africa from across the sea]
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Alternate Versions
Also released on video in an edited, 'feature length' version. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Thinking of South-Africa and the 1980s in one context, three things come to mind: apartheid, boycott and the mini-series "Shaka Zulu". I'd place this among the best mini-series of the 80's and 90's, among shows like "Shogun", "Tai-Pan", "Roots" and "North and South". "Shaka Zulu" has bit from all of them. It's got history; it's got adventure and action, it has compelling characters and story lines that keep you glued to the screen.
Shaka has most often been described as the Napoleon of Africa", which isn't incorrect, yet, I myself do like to see him as the King Arthur of South Africa. This is mainly due to having read Thomas Mofolos "Chaka Zulu" prior to having seen the TV-series. If you're the reading type, I recommend you to pick it up; it's not only a masterpiece of storytelling, but combines history and mysticism perfectly. Some of the mystic elements have made it into the series (the prophecy of Shaka's rise to power; the forging of Shaka's spear), but generally the story of the TV-show is rooted in reality.
What's to be said about the actors? Well, people like Edward Fox, Robert Powell or Fiona Fullerton are beyond dispute, doing a fine job as would be expected. Same goes by short but poignant guest-appearances by the likes of Sir Christopher Lee, Trevor Howard and Roy Dotrice (superb as a decadent King George IV) but the real kudos must go to the South African cast which, despite being mainly laymen actors, come across as convincingly and authentic as they come.
Former South-African football hero Henry Cele embodies Shaka Zulu like Helmut Berger embodied King Ludwig II of Bavaria, imposing and final. Dudu Mkize virtually steals the scenes she's in, with a mix of grace and dignity that is rare to see on modern TV or Conrad Magwaza as Shakas father Senzagakona and Gugu Nxumalo as Shakas feline-like aunt Mkabayi. Sadly, most of those actors were never seen on screen again; Cele starring in a couple of low-budget action / horror flicks (among them "The Ghost and the Darkness), same goes for Mkizi and for Magwaza (apart in a guest-appearance in a film about Albert Schweizer) and Nxumala, "Shaka Zulu" that remained their only appearance on the silver screen.
In essence, this is a (mini)-series that makes you feel sad once you've reached the final episode: sad that it's over and that there is no more. One wishes it would have gone on, that one could have seen more of the characters, their stories, and more of the rich Zulu culture and its history.
I'd give it 10/10 points if it wasn't for the abrupt, sudden ending, which comes as a bit of a let-down, so 9 from 10 will have to do.