Someone had to say it! Whereas Chard (Baker) and Bromhead (Caine) rightly get emotionally drained by the weight of their decisions, Bourne never lets his emotions interfere with his ability to be a soldier. Whether bayonetting enemies or calling the roll, he maintains his frame.
I like how they actually gave respect to the Zulus instead of just portraying them as mindless savages, in the beginning the Boer man puts down a soldier who thinks of them that way by saying zulus can run twice as far as he could march and fight a battle afterwards.
Its all fun and games untill 800 Zulu warriors break through your second volley, they are some of the greatest warriors the worlds ever known and a valued adversary in British history.
@@IbrahimservantofAllah 4000. It was even worse at the battle of…. I don’t know how to spell it unfortunately, that happened earlier on in the day. 2000 British soldiers with cannons and rocket artillery, outnumbered 10:1 against 20000 warriors. Compare that to the drift. 150 (a lot of whom where wounded/sick) facing off against 4000 warriors. That’s 26:1. Luckily the battle wasn’t that catastrophic. The zulus who attacked the drift weren’t even supposed to be there in the first place, so the fight was actually cut short because the zulus had received orders that their earlier victory was good enough to send the message the king wanted to send and attacking the drift was unnecessary.
Colour Sgt. Major Bourne lived till the age of 91 . He fought in the trenches of the first world war in the rank of colonel and died in his house on VE Day, 1945 at 16 Kings Hall Road, Beckenham, Kent.. On google earth street view you can see the blue disc on the front wall above the front door. If he had lived another 18 years he could have gone to the cinema to see the film
This movie does a great job of depicting this kind of territorial war. When it come to the soldiers on the ground there are just 2 groups of people. Neither good, neither bad, both in a situation where they need to do terrible things to survive. There is a mutual acknowledgement and respect of this nearly professional soldiering. It is what it is, and both sides get on with it. You don't cheer on the british and you don't cheer on the zulu, you just accept what's happening.
@@halcyon289 Except that the 24th Regiment weren't Welsh, they were the 2nd Warwicks with most of them coming from Birmingham and only a third of the Regiment containing Welsh men.
Michael Caine once admitted that as an actor he was never really sure of what to do with his hands. As this was his first big role, he decided to play it 'down' by doing as little as possible with his hands whenever possible. In hindsight, it made his character BETTER representation of the 'conserved stiff upper-lip aristocrat' that dominated the officer ranks of the time period. THAT is why his performance in Zulu is so well remembered and recognized. It was the subtle difference of his voice (Cockney) not overwhelming the CHARACTER he was playing. Something that has sustained his career for decades. His ability to come from humble "working class background' and yet pull off the most elitists character or humblest or roughest or simply funniest. Whenever you need an actor to show what you should do on screen, there is a role where Caine perfectly nailed it by being as subtle about his mannerisms than anything ever written.
I understand that Michael Caine based a lot of his performance on his platoon commander in Korea, Lt. Mills. Michael Cain knew about soldiering and war.
@@rogueriderhood1862 the British don't get near enough credit and respect for their participation in the Korean War. Most people tend to forget it was an international effort not just the US versus North Korea and China.
Surprised they left out the part were the zulus salute "fellow braves" amongst so much else... the Britishness, the humour in dire situations and on that note the register scene.
War films I watched with my Dad.......Well...My Dad took me to see this film when it was first released. I must've been about 14 or 15. I've seen this film many times since...but NOTHING even comes close to the Cinema experience of steriophonic surround sound and Cinemascope. They were the Hightech Buzzwords in 1964. The sound of the 'Train and the War chants from the Zulu warriors as they threw thier Asakis into the ground to mark off the range. I never saw this film as racist, just an event that happened a long time ago. My reaction was that of respect for the Zulu warrior and respect for our soldiers. Also a feeling of a shameful loss of life, but there yer go...when negotiation fails its down to the soldier to do the nasty stuff.
My husband used to impersonate Michel Caine and told my daughter that the most famous line in Zulu was “ Stop throwing those bloody spears at me!!” Lol she truly believed him until she sat through the whole film waiting for him to say it !!!…..🤣🤣
Have to confess I never got round to watching it till dec 2021. I had missed out. Mind you, I probably wasn't the only one. When Elizabeth The Golden Age came out, my brother told me he watched newsnight when they reviewed it. And one of the studio guests said 'name me another film of the past forty years that depicts a British triumph of Arms so well.' And he thought he;s not watched Zulu, has he?
The singing is not intended to intimidate the enemy...its purpose is to improve morale of your own troops. It creates a self-confident 'warrior spirit."
Nigel Greene's part wasn't originally as big, some of the lines he has were intended to be spoken by Joe Powell who played Sgt Windridge, but Powell was taken ill and spent time in hospital. They carried on filming and gave the lines to Green.
Zulu Dawn was like watching a made for television movie. Zulu Dawn on the other hand, was superior in every single way, yet it seems no one remembers that one.
Do you think it is because Rorke's Drift sits better with our collective sense of ourselves as the triumphant underdog than Isandlwana (in the same way we remember Dunkirk more than Dieppe)? I'd also suggest Zulu is a much more human film in that you can relate to everyone in it on some level; Zulu Dawn is visually spectacular but I find myself caring less about the characters (perhaps because Chelmsford, and later Wolseley, thought the victory at RD was just a lucky escape barely worth celebrating).
James Luetchford That’s highly possible. I probably love Zulu Dawn more because as far as I know it’s an incredibly accurate portrayal of what happened and the sheer scope of the project was amazing. The scene where they stumble upon the Zulu and you see thousands of them was absolutely incredible.
@@KardKing66 Rorke's Drift certainly got Chelmsford out of the poo over the debacle of Isandlwana. That's also why he pushed for some many VCs to be awarded.
Ide like to see it remade but this time let the truth be told . Far to many facts left out for my liking . There was no singing , Witt didn't have a grown up daughter in fact he wasn't even ther . Ulundi is 70 miles from the drift so even if Witt was present at the wedding ceremony he wouldn't have got back to the drift in time , ardendorf didn't stay for the fight , there was no posing on the hillside and definately no salute for bravery by the Zulus at the end . I could go on but enough enough
@@Strawberry-12. I got curious and had to check this. Turns out...a lot more than a decade or two as well as the first steam powered railway journey took place on 21st Feb 1804. And we know Rorke's Drift occurred 22nd Jan 1879.
The actor who steals the movie is not Caine so much as Nigel Green as Col-Sgt. Frank Bourne. He steals the show and deserved an Oscar !
Someone had to say it!
Whereas Chard (Baker) and Bromhead (Caine) rightly get emotionally drained by the weight of their decisions, Bourne never lets his emotions interfere with his ability to be a soldier. Whether bayonetting enemies or calling the roll, he maintains his frame.
Nigel Green a fine actor who died too young. 100% agree he stole the show.
I have to agree with Al Murray
If you don't like zulu we can't be friends
I like how they actually gave respect to the Zulus instead of just portraying them as mindless savages, in the beginning the Boer man puts down a soldier who thinks of them that way by saying zulus can run twice as far as he could march and fight a battle afterwards.
Baker had the Zulu chief as a advisor
Its all fun and games untill 800 Zulu warriors break through your second volley, they are some of the greatest warriors the worlds ever known and a valued adversary in British history.
@@IbrahimservantofAllah 4000. It was even worse at the battle of…. I don’t know how to spell it unfortunately, that happened earlier on in the day. 2000 British soldiers with cannons and rocket artillery, outnumbered 10:1 against 20000 warriors. Compare that to the drift. 150 (a lot of whom where wounded/sick) facing off against 4000 warriors. That’s 26:1.
Luckily the battle wasn’t that catastrophic. The zulus who attacked the drift weren’t even supposed to be there in the first place, so the fight was actually cut short because the zulus had received orders that their earlier victory was good enough to send the message the king wanted to send and attacking the drift was unnecessary.
Colour Sgt. Major Bourne lived till the age of 91 . He fought in the trenches of the first world war in the rank of colonel and died in his house on VE Day, 1945 at 16 Kings Hall Road, Beckenham, Kent.. On google earth street view you can see the blue disc on the front wall above the front door. If he had lived another 18 years he could have gone to the cinema to see the film
'The best thing in it' Was Nigel Green,as Colour Sgt Major Bourne.
Michael Caine was very good, but the man that played colour Sergt. Bourne was brilliant.
Michael Kearney ..Nigel Green, yes he was brilliant.
Definitely, in the film Colour Sgt.Bourne was the true leader from whom both the soldiers and officers draw their inspiration
Hook was great too!
The real Colour Sgt Bourne was 23 at the time of the battle. The youngest of that rank in the British Army and only 5’6”.
"Britishness in the face of certain death"!!
when the zulu sing you feel the hairs rising and the two sides sing its unforgettable
This movie does a great job of depicting this kind of territorial war. When it come to the soldiers on the ground there are just 2 groups of people. Neither good, neither bad, both in a situation where they need to do terrible things to survive. There is a mutual acknowledgement and respect of this nearly professional soldiering. It is what it is, and both sides get on with it. You don't cheer on the british and you don't cheer on the zulu, you just accept what's happening.
have seen this 100s of times but i still well up every time they start singing. fantastic film
I love the bit about 'Michael Caine you just can't take your eye's off him' Yeah! him and thousands of Zulu's descending on them.
My favourite line is Sgt Bourne’s response to “Why us?”...”Because we are here lad, nobody else. Just us”
Button your tunic, lad
I love 'Now then. No one told you to stop working.'
Still my favourite movie....
“Why us?!”
“Cos we’re the only ones here lad.... and no one else”
Perfect. Perfect film, on every level.
You knew the Zulu's were brave when they challenged the Welsh to a singing contest.
They lost twice that day.
@@halcyon289 Except that the 24th Regiment weren't Welsh, they were the 2nd Warwicks with most of them coming from Birmingham and only a third of the Regiment containing Welsh men.
@@JohnSmith-fr7js That's right .
*adopts crap Welsh accent* "Oh.. rap battle then is it?.... tidy"
Michael Caine once admitted that as an actor he was never really sure of what to do with his hands. As this was his first big role, he decided to play it 'down' by doing as little as possible with his hands whenever possible. In hindsight, it made his character BETTER representation of the 'conserved stiff upper-lip aristocrat' that dominated the officer ranks of the time period. THAT is why his performance in Zulu is so well remembered and recognized. It was the subtle difference of his voice (Cockney) not overwhelming the CHARACTER he was playing. Something that has sustained his career for decades. His ability to come from humble "working class background' and yet pull off the most elitists character or humblest or roughest or simply funniest. Whenever you need an actor to show what you should do on screen, there is a role where Caine perfectly nailed it by being as subtle about his mannerisms than anything ever written.
I understand that Michael Caine based a lot of his performance on his platoon commander in Korea, Lt. Mills. Michael Cain knew about soldiering and war.
@@rogueriderhood1862 the British don't get near enough credit and respect for their participation in the Korean War. Most people tend to forget it was an international effort not just the US versus North Korea and China.
@@rc59191 That is true, 27 and 29 Commonwealth Brigades should be much better known.
Love this film. " Why us " ? " Cause we're here lad and there's nobody else" !
It was the best film of my life, I'm 69, and Welsh. Ivor Emmanuel was a crap actor but what a.voice.
He wasn't that bad .
This battle was required reading in my staff NCO leadership class in the 80’s-90’s.
Surprised they left out the part were the zulus salute "fellow braves" amongst so much else... the Britishness, the humour in dire situations and on that note the register scene.
War films I watched with my Dad.......Well...My Dad took me to see this film when it was first released. I must've been about 14 or 15.
I've seen this film many times since...but NOTHING even comes close to the Cinema experience of steriophonic surround sound and Cinemascope. They were the Hightech Buzzwords in 1964.
The sound of the 'Train and the
War chants from the Zulu warriors as they threw thier Asakis into the ground to mark off the range.
I never saw this film as racist, just an event that happened a long time ago. My reaction was that of respect for the Zulu warrior and respect for our soldiers. Also a feeling of a shameful loss of life, but there yer go...when negotiation fails its down to the soldier to do the nasty stuff.
I keep seeing al Murray down the random RUclips rabbit hole I go down I see him in drumming videos comedy videos and random historical videos
One of my favourite movie's,,
Stanley Baker, what a great actor, tragically died at age 48 in 1976
My husband used to impersonate Michel Caine and told my daughter that the most famous line in Zulu was “ Stop throwing those bloody spears at me!!” Lol she truly believed him until she sat through the whole film waiting for him to say it !!!…..🤣🤣
Have to confess I never got round to watching it till dec 2021. I had missed out.
Mind you, I probably wasn't the only one. When Elizabeth The Golden Age came out, my brother told me he watched newsnight when they reviewed it. And one of the studio guests said 'name me another film of the past forty years that depicts a British triumph of Arms so well.' And he thought he;s not watched Zulu, has he?
The singing is not intended to intimidate the enemy...its purpose is to improve morale of your own troops. It creates a self-confident 'warrior spirit."
1:52 ... I mean, I wouldn't say "utterly convincing and authentic"..... let's be honest here... simply really really good..........
Caine plays a very classy officer, his language was also posh. The Nigel Green sergeant was a good addition.
Nigel Greene's part wasn't originally as big, some of the lines he has were intended to be spoken by Joe Powell who played Sgt Windridge, but Powell was taken ill and spent time in hospital. They carried on filming and gave the lines to Green.
@@rogueriderhood1862 Nigel Green was good in Tobruk (1967)
"Thanks... for what you said" - "Hmm? Oh you mean about us needing you? Don't bother old boy - it's true"
Absolutely brilliant film …
All so see zulu Dawn
Hookey!!!!
is that PYRO IN THE BACKGROUND?
HMMMMUG UGH HNNNNNGGG!
The greatest ever war film ever is Paths of Glory, an anti-war film.
Nah, this is better. And no pretence about it.
James Booth stole the show as Hookie - Pvt. Henry Hook
Zulu Dawn was like watching a made for television movie. Zulu Dawn on the other hand, was superior in every single way, yet it seems no one remembers that one.
Do you think it is because Rorke's Drift sits better with our collective sense of ourselves as the triumphant underdog than Isandlwana (in the same way we remember Dunkirk more than Dieppe)? I'd also suggest Zulu is a much more human film in that you can relate to everyone in it on some level; Zulu Dawn is visually spectacular but I find myself caring less about the characters (perhaps because Chelmsford, and later Wolseley, thought the victory at RD was just a lucky escape barely worth celebrating).
James Luetchford That’s highly possible. I probably love Zulu Dawn more because as far as I know it’s an incredibly accurate portrayal of what happened and the sheer scope of the project was amazing. The scene where they stumble upon the Zulu and you see thousands of them was absolutely incredible.
@@KardKing66 Rorke's Drift certainly got Chelmsford out of the poo over the debacle of Isandlwana. That's also why he pushed for some many VCs to be awarded.
Anyone know what documentary this is?
Cymraig An Zulu!
Where can I rent/buy this movie online? Cannot find it anywhere?
You might struggle to find it now, as it's a prime "woke" target. That said, amazingly it is on RUclips in full, let me know if you can't find it.
Get it on DVD from eBay. Or try 123movies
Also you get buy it on RUclips
www.dailymotion.com/video/x5yp6fk
but shhh, keep quiet about it lads, or else it'll be taken down.
Surely, it's still available from Amazon.
Ide like to see it remade but this time let the truth be told . Far to many facts left out for my liking . There was no singing , Witt didn't have a grown up daughter in fact he wasn't even ther . Ulundi is 70 miles from the drift so even if Witt was present at the wedding ceremony he wouldn't have got back to the drift in time , ardendorf didn't stay for the fight , there was no posing on the hillside and definately no salute for bravery by the Zulus at the end . I could go on but enough enough
erm Bromhead....what is a train?
Trains existed at the time of the battle
@@Strawberry-12. several years before the battle to put it...
Ketamine I Need decades even
@@Strawberry-12. I got curious and had to check this. Turns out...a lot more than a decade or two as well as the first steam powered railway journey took place on 21st Feb 1804. And we know Rorke's Drift occurred 22nd Jan 1879.
Astral-Aquila thanks for the info my guy