One of the best British action movies ever made, Zulu launched the career of Michael Caine and insured that the Battle of Rorke's Drift was not forgotten.
Over Christmas, I picked up a copy of Zulu on DVD for £6 and attempted to watch it with fresh eyes. The movie has long been placed near the top of British Cinema and is usually included in the lists of greatest war movies, but does it really deserve these accolades?
The first thing that struck me as I began to watch the movie was the picture quality. The DVD has been digitally-remastered, and the picture clarity is on a par with modern productions. This is especially important for this movie as so much of its power is derived from the epic South African landscapes that serve as the backdrop. (The movie was not actually filmed on the location of the battle, partially because the backdrops to the battlefield are unimpressive). The movie also greatly benefits from a wide-screen format that better captures the awe-inspiring lines of thousands of Zulu warriors.
After the initial excitement of the stunning visuals, the movie gets off to a very slow start. Strangely, it offers very little context for the battle, and instead spends long minutes showing a mass Zulu marriage ceremony. It then switches to the British garrison at Rorke’s Drift, resplendent in their red-coats. (Although the uniforms are mostly accurate, they are far cleaner and in better condition than would have actually been the case). The British soon learn that the Zulus are headed their way – and begin their preparation. The real interest in this part of the film is the interaction between Lt. Chard (Stanley Baker) a member of the Royal Engineers who happens to be the highest ranking officer at the station and Lt. Bromhead (Michael Cain), the typically arrogant English officer. Both men turn in strong performances throughout the film, which does a lot to hide the lack of talent amongst most of the supporting cast.
It takes nearly an hour before the Zulu’s attack, which will probably strike most modern audiences as overly long, but once the action starts it doesn’t let up. The depiction of the various attacks on Rorke’s Drift are not overly accurate in a historical sense, but it does include most of the major incidents, and gives a fairly accurate view of the tactics employed by the two sides.
Again, modern audiences might find the film a bit unbloody for a war movie, but in many cases the drama is actually heightened by less blood and better music and film work. Many modern directors could learn a thing or two by watching some of the old classics.
All and all, I can only agree with the popular opinion, that Zulu is in fact a cinematic classic. Although there are moments here and there that suffer the flaws of movies made in the sixties and before, these are far out-weighted by a host of scenes that will stay forever in the mind of the viewer.
