Cy Endfield’s Zulu was released in 1964 and stars Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. It is based on the Battle of Rorke’s Drift in 1879 between the British army and the Zulus.
The Zulus vastly outnumber their opponents, with 4,000 warriors fighting on the formers side, compared to 100 British soldiers. Zulu captures the feeling of these number differences greatly through outstanding cinematography, with wide shots of the Zulus, shown like bushes you see on steep hills in the countryside, as opposed to the British, who are often presented through shots of one-three soldiers at a time. The soldiers are the primary focus of the film, all presented as individuals instead of an army and with a theme of class. These include Gonville Bromhead (Michael Caine), a higher class, snobbish lieutenant who refuses to lend a hand to John Chard (Stanley Baker), a middle class engineer with serious passion, who uses what creativity he has to try and help the soldiers, including Henry Hook (James Booth), a lower class, selfish criminal on excused duty with no interest in fighting, to prepare for the forthcoming Zulu attacks.
The soldiers are enemies in themselves, forced to work together in an attempt to defeat the Zulus. On the other hand, the Zulus, with the use of wide shots are portrayed as a whole army, with not much individuality and are completely interchangeable. Unlike the soldiers, they function better as an army, working well together and creating an impressive binary opposition between the two forces. These differences and the overall outcome of the film are built up with an engaging two-hour storyline, the first hour following the soldier’s preparations and the battle itself in the second. The battle occurs in a completely remote area where no else is around and complete silence, with the exception of the Zulus banging their shields to frighten the soldiers and the gunfire from the soldier’s rifles making the final outcome of the battle unpredictable to anyone watching.
Zulu is a must see for all ages.
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