The 1964 film "Zulu" tells the story from the defence of Rorke's Drift by the small garrison of British soldiers who had been assaulted by in excess of 4,000 Zulu warriors. The soldiers held out while the conflicts raged in to the night of 22/23 Jan 1879. In the daybreak, the Zulus had brought an end to the attack.
The movie stars Stanley Baker and Michael Caine with Richard Burton narrating and was a follow up to "Zulu Dawn". That motion picture told the storyline of the Battle of Isandlwana that happened earlier that day. The initial clips start with the consequences of Isandlwana as Richard Burton narrates the telegram from Lord Chelmsford informing the government of the loss of Isandlwana. Zulus are shown accumulating guns from the dead British troopers.
At the time of the battle, Rorke's Drift was a mission station run by Swedish missionary Otto Witt. While Lord Chelmsford brought his men over the Buffalo River into Zululand from Natal, a company from the 24th Regiment remained behind to watch the mission station that was getting used as a hospital and a supply depot by the British. The 2 officers were Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers played by Stanley Baker along side Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th played by Michael Caine. This was Caine's first starring role.
The film shows Chard and some troopers making a bridge on the Buffalo River. Bromhead comes back following a hunting trip and the two exchange words prior to a scouting party arrives informing them of the devastation at Isandlwana. Chard is seen to assume overall control because he was commissioned a couple of months sooner than Bromhead and whilst this is procedure, it irks Bromhead. They take a look at their choices with Lieutenant Joseph Ardendorff of the Natal Native Contingent (NNC) who had been one of the handful of survivors out of Isandlwana. Ardendorff is portrayed by Gert Van den Bergh. The Afrikanner explains the Zulu "Horns of the Buffalo"? tactics. Bromhead believes they need to leave but Chard makes the decision to stand and fight on ground of their choosing.
The Reverand Otto Witt and his adult daughter also are at the mission station and attempt to have the troops to flee so as to prevent a fight. Witt convinced troopers with the NNC to leave Rorke's Drift. At that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to leave the mission station in their buggy. In the meantime, protective lines of mealie sacks and wagons are being positioned to boost the defensive positions by joining the store room and the hospital. This is carried out under the watch of CSM Frank Bourne performed by Nigel Green.
As the Zulu warriors approached, Boer horsemen show up at Rorke's Drift. Notwithstanding requests from Chard, the Boers leave the British garrison. Immediately the fight begins with ranks of Zulu warriors facing up to the British defences. The Zulu warriors are mown down by concentrated fire from the soldiers of the 24th and they eventually fall back. Following that, Zulu sharpshooters in the hillsides start off shooting down into the mission station and the British suffer their very first dead and injured.
The Zulu warriors keep probing with their assaults and finally fight their way into the hospital, setting fire to the roof along the way. Private Henry Hook, who has thus far been portrayed as a good for nothing layabout, takes control of the situation in the infirmary as he helps with a breakout of the patients by digging through the walls of the infirmary. The remaining soldiers get away from the burning infirmary across to the final redoubt in close proximity to the store house as the conflicts raged into the night.
By morning, the Zulus started a war song ready for a final assault. The troops of the 24th reacted by singing "Men of Harlech". The last assault see the Zulus charge into a hail of British rifle fire as 3 ranks of troops fire volley after volley down into the onrushing Zulu warriors. Due to such serious losses, the Zulus finally withdraw. The British begin to regroup and CSM Bourne takes a role call. The Zulus come back on the hillsides looking down on the mission station however as an alternative to attacking, they sing in salute of the "fellow warriors".
The movie ends with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the eleven men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for the defence of Rorke's Drift. The men who were awarded the V.C. were:
- Corporal William Wilson Allen
- Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
- Lieutenant John Rouse Merriot Chard
- Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton
- Private Fredrick Hitch
- Private Alfred Henry Hook
- Private Robert Jones
- Private William Jones
- Surgeon Major James Henry Reynolds
- Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess
- Private John Williams
Furthermore, 5 men were also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal:
- Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne
- Private John William Roy
- Second Corporal Michael McMahon
- Second Corporal Francis Attwood
- Wheeler John Cantwell
As with all films based on a true experience, there are many different discrepancies. A few are for artistic licence although others will be oversights for various other reasons.
The film shows the 24th Regiment of Foot as a Welsh regiment. However, it was not named the South Wales Borderers until 1881, 2 years later than Rorke's Drift. There was a significant number (close to 25%) of men from Wales in B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot but the the vast majority were from England.
The Swedish missionary Otto Witt was shown in the film that his daughter was grown-up. Yet, his 2 kids were both infants. On top of that he was not the pacifist the motion picture implies and had made it clear he didn't oppose the British intervention with Cetshawayo.
The British weapons were the Martini-Henry which discharged a substantial .45 round. It was easily capable of causing huge injury to the human body. In the picture, the wounds on shot Zulus are tiny. In one scene in the hospital, a warrior who was battling hand to hand with Private Hook was shot in the back and Hook was unscathed. At such short range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily passed through the Zulu and killed Hook too.
Nowadays, Rorke's Drift is a tourism destination for visitors who would like to discover more about the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
The movie stars Stanley Baker and Michael Caine with Richard Burton narrating and was a follow up to "Zulu Dawn". That motion picture told the storyline of the Battle of Isandlwana that happened earlier that day. The initial clips start with the consequences of Isandlwana as Richard Burton narrates the telegram from Lord Chelmsford informing the government of the loss of Isandlwana. Zulus are shown accumulating guns from the dead British troopers.
At the time of the battle, Rorke's Drift was a mission station run by Swedish missionary Otto Witt. While Lord Chelmsford brought his men over the Buffalo River into Zululand from Natal, a company from the 24th Regiment remained behind to watch the mission station that was getting used as a hospital and a supply depot by the British. The 2 officers were Lieutenant John Chard of the Royal Engineers played by Stanley Baker along side Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th played by Michael Caine. This was Caine's first starring role.
The film shows Chard and some troopers making a bridge on the Buffalo River. Bromhead comes back following a hunting trip and the two exchange words prior to a scouting party arrives informing them of the devastation at Isandlwana. Chard is seen to assume overall control because he was commissioned a couple of months sooner than Bromhead and whilst this is procedure, it irks Bromhead. They take a look at their choices with Lieutenant Joseph Ardendorff of the Natal Native Contingent (NNC) who had been one of the handful of survivors out of Isandlwana. Ardendorff is portrayed by Gert Van den Bergh. The Afrikanner explains the Zulu "Horns of the Buffalo"? tactics. Bromhead believes they need to leave but Chard makes the decision to stand and fight on ground of their choosing.
The Reverand Otto Witt and his adult daughter also are at the mission station and attempt to have the troops to flee so as to prevent a fight. Witt convinced troopers with the NNC to leave Rorke's Drift. At that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to leave the mission station in their buggy. In the meantime, protective lines of mealie sacks and wagons are being positioned to boost the defensive positions by joining the store room and the hospital. This is carried out under the watch of CSM Frank Bourne performed by Nigel Green.
As the Zulu warriors approached, Boer horsemen show up at Rorke's Drift. Notwithstanding requests from Chard, the Boers leave the British garrison. Immediately the fight begins with ranks of Zulu warriors facing up to the British defences. The Zulu warriors are mown down by concentrated fire from the soldiers of the 24th and they eventually fall back. Following that, Zulu sharpshooters in the hillsides start off shooting down into the mission station and the British suffer their very first dead and injured.
The Zulu warriors keep probing with their assaults and finally fight their way into the hospital, setting fire to the roof along the way. Private Henry Hook, who has thus far been portrayed as a good for nothing layabout, takes control of the situation in the infirmary as he helps with a breakout of the patients by digging through the walls of the infirmary. The remaining soldiers get away from the burning infirmary across to the final redoubt in close proximity to the store house as the conflicts raged into the night.
By morning, the Zulus started a war song ready for a final assault. The troops of the 24th reacted by singing "Men of Harlech". The last assault see the Zulus charge into a hail of British rifle fire as 3 ranks of troops fire volley after volley down into the onrushing Zulu warriors. Due to such serious losses, the Zulus finally withdraw. The British begin to regroup and CSM Bourne takes a role call. The Zulus come back on the hillsides looking down on the mission station however as an alternative to attacking, they sing in salute of the "fellow warriors".
The movie ends with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the eleven men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for the defence of Rorke's Drift. The men who were awarded the V.C. were:
- Corporal William Wilson Allen
- Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
- Lieutenant John Rouse Merriot Chard
- Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton
- Private Fredrick Hitch
- Private Alfred Henry Hook
- Private Robert Jones
- Private William Jones
- Surgeon Major James Henry Reynolds
- Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess
- Private John Williams
Furthermore, 5 men were also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal:
- Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne
- Private John William Roy
- Second Corporal Michael McMahon
- Second Corporal Francis Attwood
- Wheeler John Cantwell
As with all films based on a true experience, there are many different discrepancies. A few are for artistic licence although others will be oversights for various other reasons.
The film shows the 24th Regiment of Foot as a Welsh regiment. However, it was not named the South Wales Borderers until 1881, 2 years later than Rorke's Drift. There was a significant number (close to 25%) of men from Wales in B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot but the the vast majority were from England.
The Swedish missionary Otto Witt was shown in the film that his daughter was grown-up. Yet, his 2 kids were both infants. On top of that he was not the pacifist the motion picture implies and had made it clear he didn't oppose the British intervention with Cetshawayo.
The British weapons were the Martini-Henry which discharged a substantial .45 round. It was easily capable of causing huge injury to the human body. In the picture, the wounds on shot Zulus are tiny. In one scene in the hospital, a warrior who was battling hand to hand with Private Hook was shot in the back and Hook was unscathed. At such short range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily passed through the Zulu and killed Hook too.
Nowadays, Rorke's Drift is a tourism destination for visitors who would like to discover more about the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
About the Author:
Michael Caine's performance in the film "Zulu" helped to launch his film career. He gave an excellent performance in the portrayal of the well known battle at Rorke's Drift.
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