ZULU 343
Reception
Zulu premiered at the Plaza Theatre at Piccadilly Circus in London on the 85th anni-
versary of the battle (22 January 1964). In general release, the movie received rave
reviews and was one of the biggest box office hits of all time in the UK (U.S. box
office returns were solid but not as spectacular). Remarkably, Zulu remained in con-
stant theatrical circulation in Britain for the next 12 years before making its first
appearance on tele vi sion. It remains a favorite among war film aficionados on both
sides of the Atlantic.
Reel History Versus Real History
Zulu represents the 24th Regiment of Foot as mainly Welsh. It was based at Brecon,
South Wales, but only a quarter of its soldiers were actually Welsh; a third were
British and the rest were from other parts of the UK. No one sang “Men of Har-
lech”; the regimental march in 1879 was “The Warwickshire Lads.” The film depicts
the entire battle as occurring in daylight hours, but much of the fighting tran spired
at night. Rev. Otto Witt, the Swedish missionary who originally owned Rorke’s
Drift, was unpop u lar, but not a drunk, and his daughter was a young child in 1879,
not a grown woman. Nor was she pres ent at Rorke’s Drift. Actually pres ent but
omitted from the movie was the British padre, George “Ammunition” Smith (1845–
1918), who played a vital part in the battle. The film also mischaracterizes a num-
ber of the combatants. Lt. Bromhead was quite deaf and not very bright. Commissary
James Dalton (Dennis Folbrigge) is portrayed as weak and inept. In real ity Dalton
was instrumental in the decision to stay and fight and in the preparation of the
defensive works. Pvt. Henry (Harry) Hook is depicted, at least initially, as a drunken
malingerer when, in fact, he was an exemplary soldier and a teetotaler. Colour Ser-
geant Frank Edward Bourne was 5'6" and just 24 years old in 1879, but Nigel
Green, the actor who portrays him, was 6'2" and 40 years of age. As for the battle
itself, the Zulu attacks were more relentless and less coordinated than depicted in
the film. Nor did the Zulu sing in praise of the courage of the defenders of Rorke’s
Drift at the end of the battle; they quietly withdrew from the field when Lord
Chelmsford’s approaching column was spotted in the pre- dawn hours. The movie
also omits the fact that the British finished off scores of wounded Zulu warriors
left behind on the battlefield: a grim real ity that, if shown, would have detracted
from British glory.