ZULU

Review: This is a rousing recreation of the January 22,1879, siege of Rorke’s Drift Mission in Natal, South Africa.
Director: Cy Endfieldh
Actors: Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, Michael Caine and Richard Burton
Year: 1964
Genre: Classics, Drama, History and War
Conclusion: 5/5
A classic war film that made Michael Caine a star overnight. Richard Burton reads the opening and closing narration which is very moving. A real triumph from director Cy Endfield. Superb cast for the film. The score from composer John Barry is amazing. The cinematography is breathtaking. In the real life battle only 17 British soldiers were actually killed. Actor Jack Hawkins was upset about the way his character was portrayed on film, and refused to attend the opening. The battle chants used by the Zulu warriors were used in the opening battle scene in Gladiator (2000). I have found several versions of this film on the BBFC website. The video states that the film went uncut but in the final film itself there were cuts required but the details are not available. This is in the list of Barry Norman’s 50 Greatest British Films that he published in the Radio Times in 2013.