Live Life Team
Genre: Action-Adventure
Director: Cy Endfield
Starring Cast: Michael Caine, Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins
The story of Zulu begins in early 1879; the British Army suffers one of its most terrible defeats when a Zulu force kills 1,500 of its troops in a bloodbath. After this battle, a Zulu force of over 4,000 advances on a small British settlement at Rorke’s Drift fortified by only 139 Welsh infantrymen.
Telling the story of a small unit of British troops defending themselves against overwhelming enemy numbers in a last ditch battle, Zulu is perhaps now most famous for featuring Michael Caine in his first key film role. Caine stars as Lt. Bromhead, a young nobleman with little combat experience. Containing some unforgettable scenes in a blazing hospital and in the boundary walls of the of the soldiers’ remote outpost, Zulu is a “Boys Own” story of military honour and daring. The troops’ anticipation of an unavoidable Zulu attack allows a steady increase of tension over the movie’s initial hour, which is further spiced up by the interaction of the characters.
Only 500 Zulu’s were able to take part in the making of the film, so to make up 4,000 for battle sequences artificial pre-digital figures were used, and a careful viewer will see these without legs on the hilltops.
Over time Zulu has become massively iconic and a much admired piece of cinema history. If you have missed out on it, wait no longer because Zulu is an absolute must see.
