Product description

Zulu Dawn [VHS] [1963]

Price: £7.48
RRP: £14.99
Average customer rating: 3.0

Binding : VHS Tape
EAN : 5016292101443
Label : Mosaic Movies
Manufacturer : Mosaic Movies
Publisher : Mosaic Movies
Release date : 2001-08-20
Title : Zulu Dawn [VHS] [1963]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Parental Guidance
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1979-01-01
Running time : 113
Studio : Mosaic Movies
Theatrical releaseDate : 1979-05-15

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cy Endfield cowrote the epic prequel IZulu Dawn/I 15 years after his enormously popular IZulu/I. Set in 1879, this film depicts the catastrophic Battle of Isandhlwana, which remains the worst defeat of the British army by natives--the British contingent was outnumbered 16-to-1 by the Zulu tribesmen. pThe film's opinion of events is made immediately clear in its title sequence: ebullient African village life presided over by King Cetshwayo is contrasted with aristocratic artifice under the arrogant eye of General Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole). Chelmsford is at the heart of all that goes wrong, initiating the catastrophic battle with an ultimatum made seemingly for the sake of giving his troops something to do. His detached manner leads to one mistake after another and this is wryly illustrated in a moment when neither he nor his officers can be bothered to pronounce the name of the land they're in. That it's a beautiful land none the less is made clear by the superb cinematography, which drinks in the massive open spaces that shrink the British army to a line of red ants. pSplendidly stiff-upper-lipped support comes from a heroic Burt Lancaster and a fluffy, yet gruff, Bob Hoskins. Although the story is less focused and inevitably more diffuse than the concentrated events of Rorke's Drift that followed soon after, IZulu Dawn/I is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --IPaul Tonks/I

Customer reviews

review by: Alan date: 2009-06-16 rating:

Superb Movie
This is a great movie depicting the battle of Isandlwana where the British and colonial army was slaughtered by the Zulu impis in Jan 1879.The movie boasts fantastic location shots and while maybe not quite as good as the movie Zulu there is plenty in Zulu Dawn to hold your attention.The transfer in the movie is not 100% and the picture quality decreases here,a bit grainy but still watchable. br /The movie is highly enjoyable although historically not quite accurate but certain things have only come to light in recent years,eg being the soldiers in the movie show starvation of ammo this is questionable as they would have had sufficient ammo on them,more than likely the problem was with the Martini Henry rifle jamming up with constant firing,the heat,the crimped cartridge that would swell in the breach,this has been put to the test and is accurate.The soldiers were not all together some were as far away as one and a half kms from the base,the grass was long and with the lull in firing from the rifles the highly trained,mobile Zulu warrier would have no difficulty in smashing through these lines and eventually reach the mass of soldiers and do the same. br /After this battle the British army would not use drummer boys again in the field due to the horrific scenes that were confronted the following day,disembowment,meat hooks used,disembowment was reguarly used by the Zulu it was to let the spirit,soul go free and not come back and haunt them. br /Zulu Dawn is well worth a watch and truly is a great movie and comes highly recommended as does the movie Zulu. br /Hope review is of help.

review by: Azuretower date: 2009-03-03 rating:

Zulu Dawn.
This is effectively a prequel to the earlier film Zulu, but while it is filmed against a lush backdrop, it does not compare particularly well with its predecessor. br /It manages to partly describe the mismanagement which resulted in this crushing defeat for the British army, but you are left feeling it could have been so much more. br /

review by: date: 2009-02-18 rating:

A Botched Opportunity
Zulu Dawn (Dir: Douglas Hickox, 1979) is a sadly typical example of the degree to which a British story can become distorted due to the need to secure American finance - and with it to import a "Hollywood star" and an "American perspective" - in order to get the film made. And that - in a nutshell - explains what Burt Lancaster is doing in a film about the British in Southern Africa during the Anglo/Zulu wars of the late nineteenth century. And believe you me, that is his only reason for being there. br / br /The need - presumably contractural - to cast Lancaster in both an heroic role and a sympathetic light unbalances and therefore ruins the film as a whole. His acting style (strictly 1940s Hollywood) is as out of harmony with that of the other players as his accent (strictly Hollywood Oirish) is out of tune. And sadly, his presence is too ubiquitous to be ignored. To underline the impression, Elmer Bernstein scores the film as though it were a Hollywood western, which by the end - for all I cared - it might just as well have been. br / br /The pity of it is that I think Douglas Hickox set out to make a good film. Visually, it is well shot. The cast (with the exception of you-know-who) is very strong - on paper, at least. The subject matter - the defeat of British forces by the Zulus at the battle of Isandlwana in 1879 - is good. But this film ain't. br / br /Zulu Dawn represents a lot of money spent, and a largely good cast assembled....for nothing. It was, and remains, a botched opportunity. br / br /

review by: croydon music date: 2008-01-18 rating:

Brilliant and spectacular history lesson.
Original film Zulu tells of the bravery of the 100 or so men who defended Rorkes Drift. Zulu Dawn tells the story of the complete disaster that preceded it. br / br /Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole) thinks he has been clever by ignoring Queen Victoria's wishes and provoking an Anglo-Zulu war, with a little help from Sir Henry Bartle (Sir John Mills). Lord Chelmsford also feels he is qualified to ignore advice from thoese around him, in particular Colonel Durnford (Burt Lancaster). br / br /A series of distasterous military decisions culminate in a spectacular showdown with the Zulus. The battle scenes are much more spectacular, chillingly convincing and historically spot on, than in the previous film. This might be a bit of a downer for those who thought that the original film 'Zulu' was an accurate and complete history lesson. br / br /O'Toole and Lancaster are brilliant in their roles, with top class support from Bob Hoskins, Simon Ward, Peter Vaughan, Denholm Elliott, Nigel Davenport and Sir John Mills. br / br /Why didn't this do better at the box office ??? This is probably a better film than Zulu, but I suspect the little matter of the most breathtaking military disaster in British history, might of put some off.

review by: date: 2007-12-19 rating:

A good solid film
For just 99p, this was a true bargain. Not expecting much due to the price and with a lot to live up to because of Zulu (1964), I was surprised to find myself captivated throughout. br / br /Despite having studied history, I have not studied this period and cannot therefore make comment about the accuracy. In terms of acting quality, script, story lines etc, the film scores highly with me. My only criticism is that the deployment across the river scene was drawn out and overly dramatic - especially the music. Although a very important part of the campaign, I found myself ashamedly wanting to fast forward. This and Burt Lancaster's inability to master a non US accent, is why I give the film an optimistic 4 stars.

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