- Also Known As:
- Unknown
- Year:
- 1964
- Country:
- Predominant Genre:
- War
- Director:
- Outstanding Performances:
- Premiss:
- Outnumbered British soldiers battle Zulu warriors.
- Themes:
- Christianity | Courage | Destiny | Empathy | Ethnicity | Friendship | Humanity | Identity | Loyalty | Mankind | Materialism | Narcissism | Personal change |
Self-expression | Sexism | Social class | Snobbery | Solipsism | White culture | White supremacy - Similar (in Plot, Theme or Style) to:
- Review Format:
- DVD
English Social Hierarchy
Unusually, this Boy’s Own adventure treats its natives as genetic equals and suggests the British Empire was essentially a mistake.
The story is also very much a part of so-called Black History as well as White – a tacit assumption rare in White movies. (Ironic, given that the film was shot in apartheid South Africa.) The Zulu here never experience the White supremacist stereotyping found in, for example, most Hollywood Westerns regarding Native-Americans. There is not only drama between the Whites, but also between the Blacks and the Whites; effectively doubling the dramatic possibilities.
A subtle exploration of the whys and wherefores of British imperial failure in being not only anti-war but also in being as non-White supremacist as it is pro-Welsh.
This superb war movie mixes violent action with subtle comments on the English class system in the initially-nitpicking relationship between Stanley BAKER and Michael CAINE. This is all beautifully played-out through the high quality of the acting and the solid writing of the fully-realised characters.
Ultimately, the film suggests that the mutual respect of equals in battle can finally trump the need for conflict at all. Hopelessly idealistic, of course, but jolly good fun.
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