Customer Reviews

Zulu Dawn [VHS]

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'll leave it to others to comment on the film itself, but I do want to warn potential purchasers that the DVD transfer leaves a lot to be desired. The original film is 2.35:1; the DVD is 16:9 letter boxed (not anamorphic)so about a third of the film is missing and it is clearly obvious in quite a few scenes. The quality of the transfer itself, while not awful, is not particularly good either.

If you get this video and the other epic relating to this same time (Zulu) you'll know all about the British and Zulu war in Africa. This film, Zulu Dawn, tells the story of the debacle at Islandhwana where spear-carrying Zulus badly mauled British rifles and effected the greatest defeat of so-called natives on British arms. It sticks pretty close to the actual history of the engagement. The action is the star, but big names appear throughout. John Mills, Peter O'Toole, Burt Lancaster. A first-rate job of filmaking if you like military action and stories of the Thin Red Line of Britain's heyday as a colonial power.
To get the full picture you might also want to get "Zulu", mentioned above, starring Stanley Baker and introducing a very young Michael Caine. This is more along the lines of Gunga Din and portrays the true heroism of the British (Welsh really) at Rorke's Drift, a subsidiry action to the events of Zulu Dawn. Again with considerable historical accuracy. Both films are British made and together make a nice balanced commentary on England's shortcomings and successes in the Zulu War.

I highly recommend this movie to all war or history buffs.This movie is based on the true story of the Battle of Isandlwana in south Africa .The battle was fought on Jan. 22nd 1879 between the 24th regiment under the command of Lt.Gen. Lord Chelmsford and the Zulu nation under King Cetshwayo. To make a long story short, The Zulus crushed and wiped out the entire British regiment largely in part because they outnumbered the British 24,000 to about 1,500, but also due to British arrogance(Which is pointed out time and time again in this movie)and the lack of respect and where abouts of the enemy.An allstar cast including Peter O'toole and Burt Lancaster Star in this Classic. The only Bad thing about this movie is that it is no longer in print, which to me is a real travesty, considering all the garbage that was made that still is in print. In fact i had to buy this movie off an online auction. I hope that the Movie Company that made this Great film comes to it's senses and Redistributes this movie so that it can be enjoyed on DVD as well.

This is a decent movie which attempts to cover its subject well. The anti-British bias of the movie hurts its accuracy. For one, the Zulu Kingdom was not some innocent, put upon people. Shaku Zulu had spend years creating a brutal tribal kingdom that was under his complete control. His seccessors were no less brutal. King Catayweo may have been marginal less dictatorial than Shaku, but only by degrees. Despite this flaw, the movie is still worthwhile. Peter O'Tool lays it on thick by making Lord Chelmsford look the arrogant fool. This was not quite the case. Burt Lancaster does a nice job as Durnsford, and Simon Ward is great as the young gent recruit in the native horse.

The battle scene at Ishlandwana is impressive, but almost totally inaccurate. For one thing the British firepower kept the Zulus pinned for quite a while. The movie shows them charging forward ever invincible. Only when the Britsh fire slackend were they able to surge forward and break the line. The movie does not show this. Also the Zulu prisoners reporting the British position back to the main Impi is pure fantasy! This never happened and is another attempt by the movie to make the British look cruel and stupid! There are some other flaws, but to me these are the most serious.

The production quality is first-rate, and the attention to the flow of historical events is well done, if a little confusing at times. Those not familar with the campaign may have problems following it. Although portrayed as one of the most serious defeats ever in British military history this is also an exaggeration. The Zulu campaign was a embarrassment in some ways for the British, and also an un-wanted conflict, but the ultimate result was a crushing British victory a few weeks later under Chelmsford. Those who want a truly crushing victory of the natives over the Europeans should check out the fate of the Italians in Ethiopia in 1896! That was a true debacle. The British endured their set-back and came back for the final win as they often did. A flawed movie, but worthwhile.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time and I've been waiting ever since the invention of DVD for it to appear. The VHS version I had was by some two-bit Canadian company and it hissed so badly you could barely understand the dialogue. When I saw that the DVD was going to be released I jumped with joy and I had to keep myself from running to the mailbox (like the dork that I am)when it arrived.

So you can imagine my disappointment at the lack of a widescreen version the p*ss-poor extras and worse, the godawful sound and atrocious coloring. What was once an epic looks like something you'd find on late nite TV on a channel with poor reception. I know this movie was made in '79 but does it have to look like an old 8mm porno thats been wasting away in a steamer trunk for two decades?

Many of the reviewers of this DVD like the movie but are critical of the transfer. It is terrible, and my rating is for the transfer, not the movie. There is a solution if you have a region free DVD player: Go to Amazon.fr and order the French release, titled "L'Ultime Attaque." Just turn off the French dubbed version and watch the origianal English. This transfer is pristine with an aspect ratio of 2.35.1. Compared to it, the version offered by Amazon.com is shabby, indeed, and the French transfer is like watching a different movie. Remember, the French version is region 2, so you need a region free player, and shipping makes "L'Ultime Attaque" a bit pricey. Hope this helps.

It's suprising so many comments are tailoured on the accuracy of the film rather than the entertainment value. This is an exciting film, with a good plot, good acting and is more entertaining to watch than most new releases.

The battle scenes are spectacular.

If the film were 100 percent accurate it would be unwatchable. One of the outcomes of this battle was that boy soldiers (<16) could not be sent on similar expeditions - to prevent similar mutilation and torture. The basic message that the British screwed up as a result of poor leadership is accurate. When European soldiers and settlers encountered Zulus from fortified positions (even circled wagons) the results were mass slaughter of Zulu warriors.

As a Brit I don't mind addmitting that British (and Dutch)settlers were "not nice" to native people. Hollywood has produced more inaccurate movies than this (e.g. Brave Heart and Mel Gibson's War of Inndependence movie).

The US Army made similar mistakes with Native Americans, who opposed the manifest destiny of expansion. Is there an accurate Hollywood treatment of Custers last stand?

This is a good well made movie that is entertaining and broadly speaking accurate.

ZULU DAWN is a superb companion film to the classic ZULU, particularly since both films were written by the same man, Cy Enfield. ZULU DAWN climaxes with the Battle of Isandhlwana, which immediately preceded the Battle of Rorke's Drift, accurately portrayed in ZULU. While the Battle of Isandhlana is important, the real significance of ZULU DAWN lies in its revelation of how the British governor of South Africa orchestrated the war against the Zulu. Moreover, the British governor, Sir Henry Bartle-Frere, acted against the wishes of Queen Victoria and Parliament, resulting in the bloody defeat and near annihilation of the British 24th Regiment of Foot at Isandhlwana. The arrogance and carelessness of the British is shocking and the humiliating defeat of the British army in South Africa strikes the viewer as completely justified. The fact that good copies of ZULU are hard to find is pitiful enough, but the unavailability of ZULU DAWN is a real tragedy. It's extremely difficult to rent; it's been out of print so long that most recent video rental establishments have never been able to acquire it. I myself have only encountered two copies for sale ever, and I bought both of them (one went to my uncle, who turned me on to ZULU DAWN in the first place). Keep an eye out for ZULU DAWN in used video stores and exchange shops.

Zulu Dawn is probably one of the more entertaining war movies out there regarding the colonial wars. I am bit puzzeled by many of the previous reviews written on this film. It seem that many of the reviewers expects historical accuracy from movies. How can such expectation be after watching movies like Braveheart, Patriot, Windtalkers or Pearl Harbor??

Zulu Dawn gives a pretty good coverage of the initial stages of the Zulu War, one of many wars of aggression fought by the British Empire during the 19th century although it no worst then the wars of aggression United States wages against the American Indians during the same period. While not historically accurate per say, it gives a nice accountability of the British arrogance and greed versus the natives' defiance toward the imperial order.

Top notch cast with Peter O'Toole, Burt Lancaster and Simon Ward helped this movie considerably. Bo Hoskins as one of the sergents definitely add color to the cast. The events in the movie lies from the British point of view. Like all movies, there were historical free plays given to add spice, tension and characters to the historical events. Thats to be expected....!!

The battle scenes were well done and British mistakes well presnted even if they may or may not be historically accurate.

The DVD edition of this movie is not in Widescreen at all. Its in pan and scan mode like the VHS. I guess the company who came out with this edition can't find the widescreen version. It almost looks like they just took the VHS version and clean it up for DVD. That is quite disappointing to say the least and I expect that the price of this movie will drop considerably because of it. The image is also pretty average, okay on my outdated big projection TV but I am willing to guess that it may look bit crappy on a better TVs out there. This is also a very strip down DVD with no extras.

Most people who buy this DVD now will only do so to replaced their old VHS tape. For the other fans, I would strongly recommend waiting for a massive price drop before buying this P/S version, the initial price is definitely too expensive for such a low quality material. After all, if we waited this long, what's another few months?

This is an excellent movie, Bob Hoskins performance as the Colour Sergeant alone make the film worth watching. I am glad to finally see it on DVD as my tape version has nearly worn out. However it suffers in perpetuating old myths such as the lids on the ammunition boxes being screwed down as a major cause for the disaster for the British (these boxes were only made of wood and would quickly have yielded to one rifle butt being applied with vigor). Also it is interesting to note that this battle is made into a much greater Zulu victory then in fact it was. While no doubt inflicting a devastating blow to the British, it was a very pyrrhic victory at best to the Zulus, who took very heavy casualties they could ill afford. The film does not mention or explore Catayweo's own comment on hearing of the battle that "An Assegie has been thrust into the heart of the Zulu people".

Enjoy the movie for what it is, a movie with some great performances, but for the history of this battle read some of the excellent books available; particularly by Ian Knight.