Zulu (1964)

This unusual film directed by Cy Enfield, a straightforward working director, not particularly known for brilliant design, sets out to depict the events of a Zulu-British conflict as it occurred at a place called Rorke's Drift in 1879.  Produced by Stanley Baker, this was a passion project of the latter; Not only did he play one of the two lead parts in the film, an actual V.C. soldier, he reportedly sought to possess the actual object awarded to the lieutenant on account of this battle.

The story on IMDb states that Baker believed that he had obtained a copy of the V.C., and died believing so; surprisingly, he did have the real medal and reportedly never knew it. The world is funny that way.

The film's credit this as the "introduction" of Michael Caine, but as with many such examples from films at the time, this was not Caine's first picture. It was the one that finally pushed the actor out of obscurity and into a six-decade film career that has made him a staple of Hollywood and British Film. Caine describes his character as the "snut nose" officer in the film. I can't do better. He's marvellous in it, as is Baker. Overall, it's an iconic piece of precisely the sort of British military wit so finely cut to pieces in Monty Python's the Meaning of Life.

It's likely difficult for a modern young audience to accept the depiction of the Zulus in the film — not because the film treats them badly, but rather because the film treats them excellently... which is bound to produce a sort of irrational resistance rather than a concession to the point. The Zulus are frightening because they're presented as strategic, effective, willing to sacrifice themselves, absolutely able to win the fight and, as soldiers. They are wholly unrecognisable as modern American black people, just as these brits are utterly unrecognisable as, say, me. Both depict persons of other cultures that presented themselves in a fight 150 years ago. Any sense that any modern person might "identify" with any of them, except in terms of say fear or bravery, is delusion. But then, delusion drives quite a lot of political rhetoric these days.

It's worth pointing out that the head of the Zulus depicted in the film, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi of the Zulus participating in the film, was playing his own great-grandfather. The Zulu tribe's historian, a Zulu princess, was employed as one of the technical advisors. The viewpoint of both sides of this conflict were in fact depicted, whatever anyone might think.

The film runs a dense two hours and 18 minutes, probably too long for anyone uncomfortable with scenes of desperate fighting, near-amateur actors actively trying not to hurt each other while filming, while also trying to make it look real, quite a lot of screaming, many depictions of dead lying about and, on the whole, a gruelling, unforgiving depiction of what had to be one of the worst experiences anyone could have. A total of eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the survivors of the 150 British, Welsh, Scottish and Irish defenders of the post.