The 1964 film "Zulu" tells the tale from the defence of Rorke's Drift by the little garrison of English infantrymen who'd been attacked by in excess of 4,000 Zulu warriors. The squaddies 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 film stars Stanley Baker along with Michael Caine with Richard Burton narrating and was a follow up to "Zulu Dawn". This film said to the tale of the Battle of Isandlwana that took place formerly that day. The opening scenes begin with the aftermath of Isandlwana while Richard Burton recounts the telegraph by Lord Chelmsford updating the governing body of the catastrophe of Isandlwana. Zulus are shown accumulating weapons belonging to the dead British troops.
Before the battle, Rorke's Drift was a mission station run by Swedish missionary Otto Witt. As Lord Chelmsford brought the men over the Buffalo Stream and into Zululand from Natal, a company of the 24th Regiment stayed behind to occupy the mission station that was being employed as a surgery and a supply depot by the British. The two commanding officiers were Lieutenant John Chard with the Royal Engineers performed by Stanley Baker along side Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th played by Michael Caine. This was Caine's very first leading role.
The picture shows Chard as well as some troopers building a bridge on the Buffalo Stream. Bromhead returns from a hunting trip and the two talk temporarily just before scouts arrive informing the officials of the catastrophe at Isandlwana. Chard is seen to assume overall command as he was commissioned 1 or 2 months sooner than Bromhead and though this is standard procedure, it irks Bromhead. They have a look at their options with Lieutenant Joseph Ardendorff of the Natal Native Squad (NNC) who had been one of the very few survivors coming from Isandlwana. Ardendorff is portrayed by Gert Wagon den Bergh. The Afrikanner talks about the Zulu "Horns of the Buffalo" Tactics. Bromhead thinks they should leave but Chard comes to a decision to stand and fight on ground of their selecting.
The Reverand Otto Witt and his adult child are also in the mission station and attempt to have the squaddies to run away to attempt to avoid a conflict. Witt swayed troopers of the NNC to abandon Rorke's Drift. At about that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to go out of the mission station in their buggy. At the same time, shielding lines of mealie bags and wagons are to be lined out to raise the lines of defence by joining the store room and the surgery. This is carried out under the watch of CSM Frank Bourne portrayed by Nigel Green.
As the Zulu warriors approached, Boer horsemen show up at Rorke's Drift. Not withstanding requests from Chard, the Boers leave the British garrison. Immediately the fight starts with ranks of Zulu warriors facing up to the Brit defences. The Zulu warriors are mown down by concentrated fire from the soldiers of the 24th and they finally fall back. Following that, Zulu sharpshooters in the hillsides start off shooting down into the mission station and the English suffer their very first dead and hurt.
The Zulus continue probing with their attacks and in due course get into the hospital, setting fire to the roof in the midst. Private Henry Hook, who has so far been described as a good for nothing layabout, just takes over of the scenario inside the hospital where he aids with an escape of the sick by hacking thru the walls of the surgery. The survivors escape the burning hospital across to the final defensive position near to the store house as the battles continued through the night.
By morning, the Zulus started a war song prepared for a final attack. The troops of the 24th reacted by singing "Men of Harlech". The last assault see the Zulus charge into a hail of Brit rifle fire as 3 ranks of troops fire volley after volley down into the onrushing Zulu warriors. Due to such significant losses, the Zulus ultimately withdraw. The English start 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 film concludes with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the 11 guys that were awarded the Victoria Cross for the Battle of Rorke's Drift. The guys who won the Victoria Cross were:
- Corporal William Wilson Allen
- Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
-. Lieutenant John Wake Merriot Chard
- Acting Helper Commissary James Langley Dalton
- Personal Fredrick Hitch
- Personal Alfred Henry Hook
- Personal Robert Jones
- Personal William Jones
- Surgeon Major James Henry Reynolds
- Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess
- Personal John Williams
In addition, 5 men were also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal:
- Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne
- Personal John William Roy
- 2nd Corporal Michael McMahon
- Second Corporal Francis Attwood
- Wheeler John Cantwell
As with many videos based primarily on a true event, there are many discrepancies. Some are for artistic licence although others will be oversights for different reasons.
The film depicts the 24th Regiment of Foot as a Welsh regiment. Though, it wasn't named the South Wales Borderers till 1881, 2 years after Rorke's Drift. There had been a major number (about 25%) of men from Wales in B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot but the bulk came from England.
The Swedish missionary Otto Witt was shown in the movie that his girl was a grown-up. Nevertheless his 2 youngsters were both children. In addition he wasn't the pacifist the film indicates and had made it clear he did not oppose the Brit intervention with Cetshawayo.
The Brit weapons were the Martini-Henry which fired an important .45 round. It was kind of capable of causing great harm on the human body. In the film, the wounds on shot Zulus are little. In one scene in the infirmary, a Zulu warrior who was fighting hand to hand with Personal Hook was shot in the back and Hook was unhurt. At such close range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily gone through the Zulu and finished Hook too.
These days Rorke's Drift is a tourism destination for visitors who would like to find out more about the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
The film stars Stanley Baker along with Michael Caine with Richard Burton narrating and was a follow up to "Zulu Dawn". This film said to the tale of the Battle of Isandlwana that took place formerly that day. The opening scenes begin with the aftermath of Isandlwana while Richard Burton recounts the telegraph by Lord Chelmsford updating the governing body of the catastrophe of Isandlwana. Zulus are shown accumulating weapons belonging to the dead British troops.
Before the battle, Rorke's Drift was a mission station run by Swedish missionary Otto Witt. As Lord Chelmsford brought the men over the Buffalo Stream and into Zululand from Natal, a company of the 24th Regiment stayed behind to occupy the mission station that was being employed as a surgery and a supply depot by the British. The two commanding officiers were Lieutenant John Chard with the Royal Engineers performed by Stanley Baker along side Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th played by Michael Caine. This was Caine's very first leading role.
The picture shows Chard as well as some troopers building a bridge on the Buffalo Stream. Bromhead returns from a hunting trip and the two talk temporarily just before scouts arrive informing the officials of the catastrophe at Isandlwana. Chard is seen to assume overall command as he was commissioned 1 or 2 months sooner than Bromhead and though this is standard procedure, it irks Bromhead. They have a look at their options with Lieutenant Joseph Ardendorff of the Natal Native Squad (NNC) who had been one of the very few survivors coming from Isandlwana. Ardendorff is portrayed by Gert Wagon den Bergh. The Afrikanner talks about the Zulu "Horns of the Buffalo" Tactics. Bromhead thinks they should leave but Chard comes to a decision to stand and fight on ground of their selecting.
The Reverand Otto Witt and his adult child are also in the mission station and attempt to have the squaddies to run away to attempt to avoid a conflict. Witt swayed troopers of the NNC to abandon Rorke's Drift. At about that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to go out of the mission station in their buggy. At the same time, shielding lines of mealie bags and wagons are to be lined out to raise the lines of defence by joining the store room and the surgery. This is carried out under the watch of CSM Frank Bourne portrayed by Nigel Green.
As the Zulu warriors approached, Boer horsemen show up at Rorke's Drift. Not withstanding requests from Chard, the Boers leave the British garrison. Immediately the fight starts with ranks of Zulu warriors facing up to the Brit defences. The Zulu warriors are mown down by concentrated fire from the soldiers of the 24th and they finally fall back. Following that, Zulu sharpshooters in the hillsides start off shooting down into the mission station and the English suffer their very first dead and hurt.
The Zulus continue probing with their attacks and in due course get into the hospital, setting fire to the roof in the midst. Private Henry Hook, who has so far been described as a good for nothing layabout, just takes over of the scenario inside the hospital where he aids with an escape of the sick by hacking thru the walls of the surgery. The survivors escape the burning hospital across to the final defensive position near to the store house as the battles continued through the night.
By morning, the Zulus started a war song prepared for a final attack. The troops of the 24th reacted by singing "Men of Harlech". The last assault see the Zulus charge into a hail of Brit rifle fire as 3 ranks of troops fire volley after volley down into the onrushing Zulu warriors. Due to such significant losses, the Zulus ultimately withdraw. The English start 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 film concludes with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the 11 guys that were awarded the Victoria Cross for the Battle of Rorke's Drift. The guys who won the Victoria Cross were:
- Corporal William Wilson Allen
- Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead
-. Lieutenant John Wake Merriot Chard
- Acting Helper Commissary James Langley Dalton
- Personal Fredrick Hitch
- Personal Alfred Henry Hook
- Personal Robert Jones
- Personal William Jones
- Surgeon Major James Henry Reynolds
- Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess
- Personal John Williams
In addition, 5 men were also awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal:
- Colour Sergeant Frank Bourne
- Personal John William Roy
- 2nd Corporal Michael McMahon
- Second Corporal Francis Attwood
- Wheeler John Cantwell
As with many videos based primarily on a true event, there are many discrepancies. Some are for artistic licence although others will be oversights for different reasons.
The film depicts the 24th Regiment of Foot as a Welsh regiment. Though, it wasn't named the South Wales Borderers till 1881, 2 years after Rorke's Drift. There had been a major number (about 25%) of men from Wales in B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot but the bulk came from England.
The Swedish missionary Otto Witt was shown in the movie that his girl was a grown-up. Nevertheless his 2 youngsters were both children. In addition he wasn't the pacifist the film indicates and had made it clear he did not oppose the Brit intervention with Cetshawayo.
The Brit weapons were the Martini-Henry which fired an important .45 round. It was kind of capable of causing great harm on the human body. In the film, the wounds on shot Zulus are little. In one scene in the infirmary, a Zulu warrior who was fighting hand to hand with Personal Hook was shot in the back and Hook was unhurt. At such close range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily gone through the Zulu and finished Hook too.
These days Rorke's Drift is a tourism destination for visitors who would like to find out more about the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
About the Author:
Michael Caine's performance in "Zulu" helped to jump start his film career. He gave a fantastic performance in the story of the famous defence of Rorke's Driftduring the Anglo Zulu War.
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