The 1964 film "Zulu" tells the tale from the defence of Rorke's Drift by the little garrison of British soldiers who had been attacked by in excess of 4,000 Zulu warriors. The troops held out as the struggles raged through the night of 22/23 January 1879. In the early morning, the Zulus had ceased 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 try to get the men to run away in order to stop a fight. Witt swayed troops of the NNC to leave Rorke's Drift. At that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to go out of the mission station in their buggy. At the same time, defensive lines of mealie sacks and wagons are now being lined out to improve the lines of defence by joining the store room and the hospital. This is conducted under the watchful eye of CSM Frank Bourne performed by Nigel Green.
As the Zulu warriors made their way to attack the garrison, Boer horsemen arrive at Rorke's Drift. In spite of requests from Chard, the Boers get away from the British garrison. Soon enough the assault begins with lines of Zulu warriors squaring up with 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 riflemen in the hillsides start up shooting down into the mission station and the British suffer their 1st deaths and injuries.
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 film concludes with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the 11 men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for the Battle of Rorke's Drift. The men who won the Victoria Cross 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
On top of that, 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 movies centered on a true situation, there are plenty of discrepancies. A few are for artistic licence though others will be oversights for different factors.
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 picture that his daughter was grown-up. Bear in mind, his two kids were both infants. On top of that he wasn't 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 significant .45 round. It was easily capable of inflicting substantial damage on the human body. In the film, the wounds on shot Zulu warriors are small. In one scene in the hospital, a warrior who was fighting hand to hand with Private Hook was shot in the back while Hook was uninjured. At such close range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily passed through the warrior and killed Hook too.
Today, Rorke's Drift is a tourist destination for people who really want 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 try to get the men to run away in order to stop a fight. Witt swayed troops of the NNC to leave Rorke's Drift. At that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to go out of the mission station in their buggy. At the same time, defensive lines of mealie sacks and wagons are now being lined out to improve the lines of defence by joining the store room and the hospital. This is conducted under the watchful eye of CSM Frank Bourne performed by Nigel Green.
As the Zulu warriors made their way to attack the garrison, Boer horsemen arrive at Rorke's Drift. In spite of requests from Chard, the Boers get away from the British garrison. Soon enough the assault begins with lines of Zulu warriors squaring up with 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 riflemen in the hillsides start up shooting down into the mission station and the British suffer their 1st deaths and injuries.
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 film concludes with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the 11 men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for the Battle of Rorke's Drift. The men who won the Victoria Cross 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
On top of that, 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 movies centered on a true situation, there are plenty of discrepancies. A few are for artistic licence though others will be oversights for different factors.
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 picture that his daughter was grown-up. Bear in mind, his two kids were both infants. On top of that he wasn't 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 significant .45 round. It was easily capable of inflicting substantial damage on the human body. In the film, the wounds on shot Zulu warriors are small. In one scene in the hospital, a warrior who was fighting hand to hand with Private Hook was shot in the back while Hook was uninjured. At such close range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily passed through the warrior and killed Hook too.
Today, Rorke's Drift is a tourist destination for people who really want to discover more about the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
About the Author:
Michael Caine's performance in the film "Zulu" helped to kick start his film career. He gave an excellent performance in the portrayal of the famous battle at Rorke's Drift.. This article, Review of the Movie "Zulu" has free reprint rights.
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