Majuba: Heuwel van Duiwe (1968) User Reviews

Good battles, limp plot

[uzulu24 · 6/10 · 13 July 2006]

This is another of David Millin's films inspired by his interest in South African history. It concerns the Transvaal Rebellion of 1881, when the Transvaal attempted to throw off British rule. It is based on Stuart Cloete's novel, 'Hill of Doves', which, let's be honest, is itself just one step up from a bodice-ripper. Apparently the film was shot in two languages, with an English-language throughout edition intended for overseas distribution. Whether this has survived I don't know; certainly the only version I have seen is the one released in South Afrca, which has Afrikaans characters speaking Afrikaans and English characters speaking English. Most of the characters speak Afrikaans! It also seemed shorter than the publicity at the times suggested, so some of the holes in the plot might be due to cuts. The story concerns the impact of the war on a Boer family living near Majuba. Since my Afrikaans is minimal I couldn't follow this, although frankly it doesn't seem to be rocket science. The film also suffers from an inane script (certainly the English bits) and, more fundamentally, from the need to offend neither section of the white South African audience who were its main market. The climactic battle of the war - Majuba - has a deep nationalistic significance to Afrikaners which makes such sensitivities problematic. On the plus side, the film has three great historical tableaux - the battles of Bronkhorstspruit, Laing's Nek and Majuba - and where else in a movie are you going to find those? All three are staged well from a historical point of view, and the lines of redcoats moving around the spectacular veldt locations have an epic quality reminiscent of 'Zulu'. The attack on Laing's Nek - the last time British redcoats carried regimental Colours into action - is particularly well done, although the film inevitably lacks the bloodiness of modern war-pictures. It also takes a curiously detached view of events, the result I suppose of a surprising lack of close-up shots to involve the audience in the action. But, particularly for anyone interested in the history, the attack on Majuba is stunning, and the locations are extremely realistic (it was filmed on Nkwelo mountain, which is next to the real Majuba). Oddly, the dramatic climax of the movie, the death of the British general Colley, takes place off-screen, presumably the result of the political sensitivities referred to - which does rather cut the guts out of it. But it's a very visual film, and, if you have an interest in the history, are not expecting 'Black Hawk Down' and don't mind the lack of sub-titles, it is well worth tracking down.

First Anglo-Boer War history film from the sixties

[nicovdk-54575 · 6/10 · 8 April 2020]

It is wonderful to see a South African, Afrikaans, film about the events of the First Anglo-Boer War. The film had a really good production value with good attention given to the appearance of the British and the Afrikaners. Great battle scenes were interestingly enacted at a large scale. The frame of reference during the battle scenes was not very clear during a fight which could be confusing to the viewer. The dialogue of the film was mediocre, the acting from the cast felt dull at times with the best acting coming from the older women in the film. The character drama throughout the film clearly wanted to put an emphasis on the role of the Afrikaner women as well as feelings towards the British, although this generates emotion it falls flat at times. The reason for the conflict and the politics concerning the conflict are mentioned very quickly and does not paint a clear picture of why the Afrikaners were willing to take up arms and fight for freedom. Recommend the film to any South African that wants to see an older Afrikaans film or a film regarding the country's history.

Remember Majuba

[Coffee_in_the_Clink · 7/10 · 15 May 2022]

Most people have heard of the Boer War, or the Second Boer War, which went on from 1899-1902. But what most people don't know is that there had been another one two decades before it. That one lasted a few months. Best known as the Anglo-Boer War of 1881, the Dutch settlers, known as Boers, brought the British Empire to the negotiating table after a series of victories, the finally one being at Majuba Hill. This film brilliantly recreates the important events of that war, from both sides.

The runtime is incorrectly listed as being over three hours long. The original cut was indeed this long but the studio had it cut and apparently did not bother saving it, so the original cut is lost forever. A shame, really because the film is somewhat inhibited by this fact as it appears choppy in places. There are no subtitles for the Boers, so this is off-putting but the drama is not difficult to follow.

Where the film triumphs is in its cinematography and battle scenes. Filmed in South Africa, this gives the film the necessary authenticity to make a fine war film. The kit and costumes all appears correct, but this film scores highly probably due to its novelty as there is very little movie portrayals of the better known Second Boer War, let alone the first one in question here.

This is well worth checking out for the history and war kit enthusiasts. The missing subtitles did not restrict my enjoyment of it at all.