Zulu Dawn
Tango Entertainment - Tango Entertainment
Release date: 2005-09-27
DVD
Actors: Burt Lancaster; Peter O'Toole; Sir John Mills; Bob Hoskins
Action & Adventure, Adventure Drama, Atmospheric, British Empire Film, Colonialism, Color, Confrontational, Drama, Feature, Feature Film-drama, Great Battles, Grim, Historical Film, Menacing, Movie, Netherlands, Not For Children, Political Unrest, Sweeping, Tense
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Zulu Dawn
Date undefinedA very good action, war story;this film has it all - glorius scenery,great musical sound track, deep look into the human condition. There are rousing battle scenes and tender moments of comraderie.It is an excellent look into the Victorian emperialistic world.
Zulu Dawn
Date undefinedZulu Dawn is an excellent and historically accurate movie. It seems to have been actually filmed at Isandalwana, Natal where the action took place. Unfortunately, this movie should have come out before the excellent 'Zulu', simply because the massacre at Isandalwana occurred before the fight at Rourkes Drift depicted in Zulu.
It is also not quite as good of a film as is 'Zulu' which is a bit difficult to understand because this is clearly the better and more expensive production. In 'Zulu' the acting is decidedly uneven. In "Zulu Dawn" the acting is very good.
This is the story of the largest, or one of the largest, destruction of European troops at the hand of 'barefooted natives' in history. The British, because of supposed Zulu provocation, invade Zululand. The Zulu prepare for a fight. The British aren't worried--they have little respect for the fighting qualities of the Zulu--and split their force. One force, split off from Gen. Chemsford's [Peter O'Toole's] main force by several miles, chances on a few Zulu herders. At least they think it is just a few Zulu. Zulu Impis have concealed themselves in broken ground in front of the British camp.
The Zulu attack taking heavy casualties from the fast shooting English but things start to go wrong. The movie shows an overly officious ordinance NCO as being tardy in the distribution of ammunition. Other sources claim, however, that the rifles got gummed up and jammed by black powder residues. No matter. The English couldn't maintain their rate of fire and suddenly the Zulu were among them, stabbing with their lethal assegai's [in Zulu the name of the weapon is for the sound of the short spear being jerked from a wound]. Suddenly the entire English force is in disarray and the Zulu are among the tents. They run down and kill soldiers trying to flee.
I'm still not sure why this is not as good of a film as 'Zulu'. Maybe it's because it's a defeat.
Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
Zulu Dawn
Date undefinedGreat acting about a true event in African/British history. It was sad to see how being 'stiff' and following tradional and order defeated the British. Good movie.
