Zulus, thousands of 'em!

Zulu (1964)

Michael Caine had his break through role co-staring alongside Stanley Baker in this film from director Cy Enfield. It is 1879 and 139 British troops are surrounded by 3-4000 Zulu warriors.

British imperialism of the Victorian period is a sticky subject which this film largely side steps in favour of focusing on the nature of war rather than the specific reasons for this one. While some characters do have bigoted views the film is largely respectful to the men on both sides of the conflict. There are some great performances and the scenery is truly stunning, the cinematography gives a real sense of Rorke's Drift being surrounded not just by the Zulus but also by the imposing landscape.

The problems with the film come largely from the fact that in large swathes historical accuracy has been thrown out of the window in favour of telling a better story. Changes to events are mostly kept to a minimum as the historic set up is dramatic enough but the changes to characters are where the problems lie. Some of the character changes do allow for the more balanced view of the film but unfortunately a number end up tarring historical figures pretty unjustly, the most common example being Henry Hook.

4/5