Zulu Dawn [1979]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Cy Endfield cowrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. 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.

The 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.

Splendidly 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, Zulu Dawn is an unflinchingly honest depiction of British Imperial diplomacy. --Paul Tonks

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Customer reviews

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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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review by: s.vernon date: 2007-08-06 rating:
MORE RELEVANT NOW
eleased in a badly cut version in 1979 just before the resurgent interest in Burt Lancaster for his performance in "Atlantic City and Peter O'Toole for "Stunt Man", this fine historical epic died an ignominious death at the box office, on the second half of a double bill with the horror film "Silent Scream". It was originally planned by Cy Endfield as a companion film to his 1964 classic, "Zulu". That film opened with a voice over of Richard Burton speaking Lord Chelmsford's communication to Prime Minister Disraeli detailing the massacre that befell a British column of about 1,800 British Infantrymen and native contingents at the hands of Zulu warriors at Isandlwana on January 22, 1879. This disaster left the 155 men at the mission post at Rorke's Drift to fend for themselves against several thousand Zulu warriors headed their way. "Zulu Dawn" chronicles the chain of events that led up to the British debacle at Isandlwana, the worst defeat ever suffered by a professional army at the hands of native forces in history.

Director Douglas Hickox keeps the film moving along and the film is an excellent example of adapting historical events to the needs of cinematic form and drama. In a little less than two hours the causes for the war as well as the roots of the disaster are laid out in clear, if simplified terms. The arrogance of the British Empire as personified by Sir Henry Bartle Frere, (John Mills in another stiff upper lip performance) and his chief lieutenant, Frederick Theisger, Lord Chelmsford, (Peter O'Toole, nicely understated and subdued) are in the filmmaker's view clearly responsible for a war that need never have been fought at all. The film also makes clear that Sir Henry initiated the conflict without the knowledge let alone consent of the British Government. But the arrogance and sense of entitlement that blinds Sir Henry to dealing with the Zulu in a just and legal manner affects all the participants involved, from the highest government official to the lowest private. It is the mistaken belief that technology, (exemplified here by rockets, cannons and rifles) somehow gives nations the right to take by force whatever they want. Handing Chelmsford his orders, Sir Henry asks, "Does this cover, Frederick what we both know to be right?" "Most excellently, Sir Henry." He replies. It is as if they both need spoken confirmation that the crime they are about to commit is in fact justified.

This English disdain is not just reserved for the Zulu, but for fellow countrymen as well. After Col. Hamilton-Brown, robustly played by Nigel Davenport refuses his table in order to be with his men still on the march, Chelmsford contemptuously warns his aide-de-camp, Lt. Hartford, sensitively played by Ronald Pickup to, "Learn nothing from that Irishman, except how not to behave." But his real distaste is reserved for Col. Anthony Durnford, a rough-hewn Irishman who has a way with the native troops. With his understanding of the Zulu warrior and his knowledge of the topography, Durnford would obviously be of great use in the coming campaign, but almost immediately there is tension between the two men. And with Burt Lancaster as Durnford it is easy to see why Chelmsford might feel threatened. Even with the use of only one arm, he is a natural leader of men, intelligent and charismatic and unlike Chelmsford he respects the Zulu. It is one of Lancaster's sage portrayals and this time he sports an Irish accent. Dialects were never one of his strong points and this one doesn't completely convince, but it is consistent and it underscores Durnford's isolation among the English who make up most of Chelmsford's staff. More importantly, even at 65, Lancaster has a bravado and dash which makes it understandable how he might warm the heart of beautiful young woman. Fanny Colenso so loved the older Durnford that she went on a one woman crusade to clear his name when the official inquiry into the disaster attempted to shift the blame for it onto him.

A great cast is well used in many telling vignettes. Denholm Elliot as the gentle Col. Pulliene has a moving death scene. Simon Ward as William Vereker represents what is best of the British aristocracy abroad and he quickly becomes disenchanted with the war, ("A very dirty business, indeed.") Michael Jayston as Col. Crealock, Chelmsford's secretary catches all the charm and tact needed for that difficult position. Freddie Jones and Anna Calder-Marshall as Bishop Colenso and his daughter Fanny, having lived among the Zulu are righteously indignant at the prospect of war. Ronald Lacey as Correspondent Norris Newman delights in skewering the official lies about the war. Peter Vaughn as Quartermaster Bloomfield, whose obsession in accounting for every cartridge and shell would have such horrific consequences is marvelous. Simon Sabela makes a very impressive King Cetshwayo in one of the opening sequences to the film and Bob Hoskins as tough Sergeant Major Williams is a lot of fun. With great battle scenes and a rousing score by Elmer Bernstein, "Zulu Dawn" is a worthy companion to "Zulu".

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review by: date: 2007-06-16 rating:
Not very good...

The title of the review says it all really!

I'm an enthusiast of the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879 and have read alot of material on the subject and can safely say the film is riddled with historic inaccuracies including not only the details of the story itself but the uniforms worn, weapons used etc.

On the plus side I did feel it did a good job of demonstrating the confusion and chaos of battle and the special effects where vastly improved on those of 'Zulu' (When people get shot/stabbed you actually see blood) and the film sucessfully portrayed Lord Chelmsford for the fool he was.

To sum up if you want to see a much better film on the subject of this war then watch 'Zulu'. Its a much better film though it too is flawed in many places


review by: date: 2006-11-08 rating:
A historic disaster on a disastrous DVD
"One Zulu is only one man, and I'm afeared of no one man. But the Zulu, they come in the thousands, like a black wave of death in the thousands."

Zulu Dawn isn't in the Zulu league, but if you're interested in the period and can overlook a few historical errors, it's a good addition to that curious subgenre of British epics celebrating their humiliating military defeats. In its determination to set some of the colonial myths straight that it does tend to overlook the Zulus' own imperial ambitions, divided leadership and tactical stupidity, but it's well staged with an exceptionally strong cast of familiar British faces and a wildly miscast Burt Lancaster offering one of the screens worst Oirish accents. The battle's a long time coming, but is worth the wait, and the film is genuinely spectacular, with director Douglas Hickox pulling off a particularly impressive river crossing sequence to the accompaniment of Elmer Bernstein's stirring score. However, if you don't get off on troop deployments and crowd scenes of colourfully clad British soldiers on the veldt, you'll probably find it heavy going.

Sadly, as others have noted, this is a very shoddy DVD - cropped from its original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio to 1.85:1 and with an inferior sound mix (the theatrical release prints had an excellent stereo soundtrack) and no real extras to speak of despite plenty being available. A very poor show indeed. It's worth noting, however, that the French PAL disc not only boasts a good transfer in the original 2.35:1 ratio with removeable French subtitles but also includes the theatrical trailer and is well worth seeking out from Amazon.fr.

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