Zulu Dawn

1979 "The sun dawned bloodied... two great armies met face to face... and the earth trembled to the sound of the Zulu death chant!"
6.6| 1h57m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 15 May 1979 Released
Producted By: Lamitas
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership.

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Reviews

Lawbolisted Powerful
Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
berberian00-276-69085 Well, let me put it this way - there is still no good movie on British Colonial History in Africa. "Zulu Dawn" (1979) is just a small episode from the British lore in (South) Africa. The Zulu Nation got the prestige as the most warlike African tribe, more so from the novels of Rider H. Haggard than from some documentary or other objective historical account. I see that far away corner of the world as off shot from European history rather than anything else. My childhood imagination and my mind were also irreversibly influenced by the Tarzan stories - for me, as a child, those were the only true criteria for the unrivaled flora and fauna of Africa, everything you want!How do we get more for the Cinema and Our Civilization from the Black Continent. That's an essential question. Wilbur Smith - God bless him for his talent - has been a wellspring for information on modern South Africa, both historical fiction and international involvement. From the Wikipedia source I will enumerate the Filmography based on Smith's novels: Dark of the Sun (1968), Gold (1974), Shout at the Devil (1976), Covert Assassin (1994), Diamond Hunters (2001). There are more plots from the Author for which I am not aware. You can put here easily the classic "Khartoum" (1966) about defeat of British General Gordon in Sudan against an invading Muslim army led by a religious fanatic, the Mahdi. "Four Feathers" (1939) and (2002) is about the same historical episode. That's all about Africa, take or leave stories such as "Out of Africa" (1985), "Blood Diamond" (2006), etc.I again come back to the Zulu Wars theme. You can't abstain from South African history, neither being European or American or Cosmopolitan. I have been there on a journey some 15 years ago. It's a bizarre landscape with some 6-7 million Whites and 35 million Blacks/Colored. Until lately this was country of Apartheid - Blacks were not allowed to vote. They were not allowed to have sexual relations with Whites, also. The African National Congress was a former Communist Party banned in the 1960s. It's leader Nelson Mandela was released in 1990s when the system was reversed. The Boers are the strangest ethnic enclave in the world - they are "Afrikaans" from the reformed Dutch Church and Dutch Language. Their total xenophobia helped them create and preserve the South African Republic from middle of 19th century. Thence the Boer Wars 1899-1902 and thence the Union of South Africa from 1910. Enjoy It!P.S. South Africa is the cradle of humankind, believe it or not. The oldest remains from Hominids are found there some 2-3 million years old. What is more disturbing for the precarious European Ego is that there are also Rock Painting, some as old as 30 000 years, which is indication for continuous Human Evolution older than the Lascaux Caves in France ...
Prismark10 Zulu Dawn has some incredible photography with an epic feel it seems a lot of the plaudits for that should go to the second unit team rather than the director Douglas Hickox, who was more of a hack and unfortunately this epic was over his head and thus he delivered a less than engaging and loose film that also went over budget.The film recounts the defeat of the bellicose British forces intent on invading Zululand as the British forces are split and soon taken by surprise by the Zulus.The film has the usual cyphers from the arrogant, pompous nobility (Peter O'Toole), the experienced Sergeant Major type (Bob Hoskins), the more sensitive and noble officer (Simon Ward), the natural heroic leader of men (Burt Lancaster). There is some craftiness with Peter Vaughan as the jovial Quartermaster accounting for each bullet.There is a large cast and a larger cast of extras which makes you think what would the film had turned out if someone like Richard Attenborough had directed this film with a stronger script. This is a diffuse story, a lot of fine actors with little to do, and although the battle scenes are fine, you do wonder why the Zulus are shown as nothing more than warriors running with spears while some of the British soldiers are having a noble death.
Timbuktu5 As a history nut who is particularly interested in this particular historical event, I was very disappointed with the movie. Granted, the costumes and staging was quite authentic, but the Hollywood portrayal of this "British Little Big Horn" was truly boring.The amount of film footage dedicated to marching or parading troops has to have been unprecedented in film history. Eveytime I heard triumphant background music begin, I knew I had to prepare myself for another laborious scene of meaningless filler. Obviously, the producers had invested heavily into "staging" and were determined to get their money's worth.Despite the outstanding cast, their dialogue was, again, boring and their characters were never developed. Whenever Peter O'toole or Burt Lancaster finished a scene, I would cringe with disappointment. Their given lines were so weak and meaningless that I could hardly believe these were the same two great actors who portrayed Lawrence of Arabia and the Bird Man of Alcatraz respectively.There are worse epics, but this one is not much better.
bkoganbing Zulu Dawn is a big budget prequel to the fine 1963 film Zulu which starred Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. That film concerned the freshly victorious Zulus from the battle of Isandlwana where they nearly annihilated a British army and were marching on a post at Rorke's Drift. Zulu Dawn tells of the Battle of Isandlwana and the incredible incompetence in underestimating the fighting spirit of the warlike Zulus.They underestimated the military skill of Cetawayo their king who used their numerical advantage and also took advantage of certain problems with British weaponry and tactics. The engagement at Isandlwana was not unlike the American cavalry annihilation at Little Big Horn. Lord Chelmsford the British commander played by Peter O'Toole made a lot of tactical errors including leaving his cavalry under Colonel Anthony Dumford who is played by Burt Lancaster on the other side of the Buffalo River out of Zulu Territory. General Custer also split his command, but it was he who died there. O'Toole also failed to properly set up fortifications in the base camp that was established. He could have learned something from the Boers who actually had a name for circling the wagons for defense called a Laager. It was probably the biggest blunder and I can't think who else would have been responsible, but O'Toole's character Chelmsford.Lancaster's cavalry came to the rescue of O'Toole's infantry and was annihilated and only 50 men and 5 officers including O'Toole survived the attack. O'Toole's character Chelmsford spent the rest of his life trying to affix blame to anyone else, but him. The film is told in fine documentary style with no embellishments. It needs none in telling the story of one of the United Kingdom's biggest military blunders.