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 picture shows Chard as well as some troopers constructing a bridge on the Buffalo River. Bromhead comes back from a hunting trip and the two chat briefly just before scouts arrive informing the officers of the disaster at Isandlwana. Chard is seen to assume overall command as he was commissioned one or two months sooner than Bromhead and though this is standard procedure, it irks Bromhead. They take a look at their options with Lieutenant Joseph Ardendorff of the Natal Native Contingent (NNC) who had been one of the very few survivors coming from Isandlwana. Ardendorff is portrayed by Gert Van den Bergh. The Afrikanner talks about the Zulu “Horns of the Buffalo”? tactics. Bromhead thinks they should leave but Chard decides to stand and fight on ground of their choosing.
The Reverand Otto Witt and his adult daughter are also in the mission station and attempt to have the soldiers to run away in an effort to avoid a conflict. Witt swayed troopers of the NNC to abandon Rorke’s Drift. At this 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 now being lined out to boost the lines of defence by joining the store room and the hospital. 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. Notwithstanding requests from Chard, the Boers leave the British garrison. Immediately the fight begins with ranks of Zulu warriors facing up to 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 sharpshooters in the hillsides start off shooting down into the mission station and the British suffer their very first dead and injured.
The Zulus continue probing with their assaults and in due course get into the hospital, setting fire to the roof in the process. 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 unwell by hacking through the walls of the hospital. The survivors escape the burning hospital across to the final defensive position close to the store house as the battles continued through the night.
By early morning, the Zulu warriors started a war chant in preparation for a last assault. The troops of the 24th reacted by singing “Men of Harlech”. The last attack see the Zulu warriors charge into a hail of British rifle fire as 3 ranks of troops fire volley upon volley straight into the onrushing Zulu warriors. With such heavy losses, the Zulu warriors finally retreat. The British begin to regroup and CSM Bourne carries out a role call. The Zulu warriors reappear on the hillsides looking over the mission station but rather than attacking, they sing in salute of the “fellow warriors”.
The movie finishes with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the eleven men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for the Battle of Rorke’s Drift. The men who were awarded the V.C. 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 film that his daughter was a grown-up. However, his two kids were both infants. In addition he was not the pacifist the film indicates and had made it clear he did not oppose the British intervention with Cetshawayo.
The British weapons were the Martini-Henry which fired a substantial .45 round. It was quite capable of causing huge harm on the human body. In the film, the wounds on shot Zulus are tiny. In one scene in the infirmary, a Zulu warrior who was battling hand to hand with Private Hook was shot in the back and Hook was unscathed. At such close range, the round from the Martini-Henry would have easily gone through the Zulu and killed Hook too.
Nowadays, Rorke’s Drift is a tourism destination for visitors who would like to discover more about the Anglo Zulu War of 1879.
Michael Caine’s role in the film “Zulu” helped to kick start his film career. He gave an excellent role in the portrayal of the famous battle at Rorke’s Drift.. This article, Review of the Film “Zulu” has free reprint rights.