A kind of British "The Alamo" and one of the great action epics, "Zulu"
was a huge popular success, at least here in the UK but was otherwise
underrated, (it was completely overlooked by both Oscar and BAFTA). It's
about the Battle of Rorke's Drift in which a battalion of 100 British
soldiers held out against a Zulu army of 4,000, suffering great losses
in the process. Cy Endfield directed the picture and co-produced with
Stanley Baker who also stars as the commanding officer though it is
Michael Caine, in his first notable part, as Baker's second-in-command,
who walks off with the picture. Since almost all the black actors are
nothing more than cannon fodder it's unlikely it would be made today but
as a picture of men in war it is very fine indeed.
The films reviewed here represent those I have liked or loved over the years. It is not a list of my favourite films but all the films reviewed here are worth seeing and worth seeking out. I know many of you won't agree with me on a lot of these but hopefully you will grant me, and the films that appear here, our place in the sun. Thanks for reading.
Friday, 29 March 2019
ZULU
A kind of British "The Alamo" and one of the great action epics, "Zulu"
was a huge popular success, at least here in the UK but was otherwise
underrated, (it was completely overlooked by both Oscar and BAFTA). It's
about the Battle of Rorke's Drift in which a battalion of 100 British
soldiers held out against a Zulu army of 4,000, suffering great losses
in the process. Cy Endfield directed the picture and co-produced with
Stanley Baker who also stars as the commanding officer though it is
Michael Caine, in his first notable part, as Baker's second-in-command,
who walks off with the picture. Since almost all the black actors are
nothing more than cannon fodder it's unlikely it would be made today but
as a picture of men in war it is very fine indeed.
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