Review of Zulu (1964) by Matthew C — 05 Mar 2014

Not as grand or moving as some other epics of the day, but Zulu is a large drama that takes its historical tale seriously and takes its time in preparing us for just one battle. One very big battle. Historical inaccuracies aside, of which I'm aware there are many, Zulu is enjoyable if only for the question of how Baker and Caine are going to hold off 4000 Zulu warriors with only 100 British soldiers, some wounded or sick.

Goes to show how defensive positions and guns over spears can grant huge advantages. The cinematography does justice to the landscape and the characters often bring color to the otherwise blues and greenish grays of Africa.

Caine is not the Michael Caine you know today but much younger and in an arch of carefree officer to embattled brave warrior. Jack Hawkins plays the reverend wonderfully but as this is the only representation of the Church in the movie and it's inaccurate, I found Hawkins' character greatly annoying and a flaw in the movie.

Ulla is beautiful but underused. Not one of the pillars in historical films but a solid effort that I can check off the list.