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Zulu Dawn
1979
ZULU DAWN depicts the bloody Battle of Isandhlwana, in which 30,000 Zulu warriors wiped out nearly 1,500 British troops stationed in Natal. The film focuses most sharply on the preparations for battle and the political situation in the region at that time. Taking Zulu chief Cetshwayo's defiant stance on tribal customs as a .. Read more
| Starring | Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport |
|---|---|
| Director | Douglas Hickox |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
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Zulu Dawn
ZULU DAWN depicts the bloody Battle of Isandhlwana, in which 30,000 Zulu warriors wiped out nearly 1,500 British troops stationed in Natal. The film focuses most sharply on the preparations for battle and the political situation in the region at that time. Taking Zulu chief Cetshwayo's defiant stance on tribal customs as a declaration of war, General Lord Chelmsford sends in hundreds of British troops in order to squash the spear-carrying Africans with superior fire power. The sheer number of Zulus, however, overwhelms the British infantry.
| Starring | Burt Lancaster, Peter O'Toole, Simon Ward, Nigel Davenport, Michael Jayston, Peter Vaughan, John Mills |
|---|---|
| Director | Douglas Hickox |
| Studio | MOSAIC MOVIES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 52 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure |
| Language | English |
| Released | DVD: 05 Jan 2004 Production year: 1979 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Zulu plonked us down in the heat of battle and didn't have the time to tell us why Britain and the Zulus were arguing so violently. But because the 1964 epic was such a big hit, star Stanley Baker and writer/director Cy Endfield conceived this prequel, although by the time it came out in 1979 Baker had died and Endfield was sidelined. There's spectacle in abundance here but little of the characterisation that made Zulu so memorable. American Burt Lancaster doesn't quite fit his uniform or have the required stiff-upper lip, though the assembled British stalwarts certainly do as they blunder on towards the massacre of Isandhlwana, the bloody aftermath of which opened this film's illustrious predecessor.
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Confusing historical action adventure, very similar to Zulu but failing in its cross-cut attempt to show both sides.
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Most helpful member's review
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17 out of 25 people found this review helpful
Cowboys and Zulus
The film ‘Zulu’ is a great film and is still making money. When Hollywood decided to do another film about the Zulu Wars, for some reason, they decided to do it by first omitting all the ingredients that made the first film so good.
Instead of having a contest between two differing officers played by consummate actors, they littered it with any handy old actor who could wear a bad beard and say lines on horseback.
Burt Lancaster, who in years of making films, has never learnt to act, adds a painfully bad Irish accent to the mix.
Peter O’Toole looks hung-over and constipated, which probably helps him to look like a general.
‘Zulu’ had characters that we grew to know and care about. This travesty has character actors wandering over the screen in a mishmash of horses and extras. Bob Hoskins, wearing a badger’s bum on his face is almost comical at times, but for the wrong reason.
The music is just noise and the battles are a mess and without that feeling that people are involved in them.
Cliché, sentiment and loads of bucks cannot match drama, acting and intensity.
This is Zulu Corn. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
17 out of 25 people found this review helpful
Cowboys and Zulus
The film ‘Zulu’ is a great film and is still making money. When Hollywood decided to do another film about the Zulu Wars, for some reason, they decided to do it by first omitting all the ingredients that made the first film so good.
Instead of having a contest between two differing officers played by consummate actors, they littered it with any handy old actor who could wear a bad beard and say lines on horseback.
Burt Lancaster, who in years of making films, has never learnt to act, adds a painfully bad Irish accent to the mix.
Peter O’Toole looks hung-over and constipated, which probably helps him to look like a general.
‘Zulu’ had characters that we grew to know and care about. This travesty has character actors wandering over the screen in a mishmash of horses and extras. Bob Hoskins, wearing a badger’s bum on his face is almost comical at times, but for the wrong reason.
The music is just noise and the battles are a mess and without that feeling that people are involved in them.
Cliché, sentiment and loads of bucks cannot match drama, acting and intensity.
This is Zulu Corn. -
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Zulu Dawn
ZULU DAWN depicts the bloody Battle of Isandhlwana, in which 30,000 Zulu warriors wiped out nearly 1,500 British troops stationed in Natal. The film focuses most sharply on the preparations for battle and the political situation in the region at that time. Taking Zulu chief Cetshwayo's defiant ...
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