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 together with Michael Caine with Richard Burton narrating and was a follow up to “Zulu Dawn”. This film told the tale of the Battle of Isandlwana that took place previously that day. The opening scenes begin with the aftermath of Isandlwana while Richard Burton narrates the telegram by Lord Chelmsford updating the government of the disaster of Isandlwana. Zulus are shown accumulating weapons belonging to the lifeless British troops.
Before the battle, Rorke’s Drift was a mission station operated by Swedish missionary Otto Witt. While Lord Chelmsford brought his men across the Buffalo River and into Zululand from Natal, a company from the 24th Regiment remained behind to watch the mission station that was being used as a hospital and a supply depot by the British. The 2 commanders were Lieutenant John Chard from the Royal Engineers played by Stanley Baker and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th performed by Michael Caine. This was Caine’s 1st 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 also are at the mission station and attempt to have the troops to flee so as to prevent a fight. Witt convinced troopers with the NNC to leave Rorke’s Drift. At that point, Chard orders Witt and his daughter to leave the mission station in their buggy. In the meantime, protective lines of mealie sacks and wagons are being positioned to boost the defensive positions by joining the store room and the hospital. This is carried out under the watch of CSM Frank Bourne performed 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 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 movie ends with Richard Burton narrating. He reads out the names of the eleven men who were awarded the Victoria Cross for the defence 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
Furthermore, 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 most videos based on a true event, there are many discrepancies. Some are for artistic licence although others will be oversights for different reasons.
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 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.
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 performance in the film “Zulu” helped to kick start his career. He gave an excellent performance in the portrayal of the well known defence of Rorke’s Drift.. This article, Writeup on the Film “Zulu” is released under a creative commons attribution license.
