Dave’s Collection – Zulu (1964)

Possibly the strangest thing about this one is the fact that I purchased it for a business management course assignment in college. We were supposed to compare the struggle for power and control within the film to our course material. Pretty much everyone failed because it just seemed too abstract to compare, but at least I gained a decent movie for my collection. I couldn’t believe it was actually good. Zulu is a true story about a British army trying to hold their ground even though they are grossly outnumbered against the Zulu forces. Some 4000 against about 140 who are crazy enough to stick around instead of just retreating. The struggle for power and who is in charge of the group is the main focus and then of course the battle itself. Although it is based on historical fact, my understanding is that the film has taken some liberties; imagine that.

The acting is interesting with Stanley Baker and a young looking Michael Caine. The two lieutenants bicker back and forth about the correct strategy for dealing with the Zulu and who is rightfully in charge of the men. It is interesting to see how the two interact as they try to persuade each other that their strategy is the best. Aside from the two main characters there are mainly people who are their to just fluff it up. Some of them are good actors and some are bad, but they have less important screen time. The only thing that matters for the side characters is how they represent human nature when faced with overwhelming opposition and a broken chain of command. Basically, the only two important characters are those that are struggling for power over the men.

The directing did not impress all that much. The movie seems rather long at some points and that slows down everything, but all of the scenes where the lieutenants are arguing help to keep interest while the film comes to the climax in the battle. The battle is probably the most laughable battle sequence I have ever seen in a serious movie. I could not stop laughing the first time I saw it. I am sure that even when it was released that people would had a hard time taking it seriously, but I was not around when it was released so I guess I will never know. That is the main complaint about the directing, but it provided so much enjoyment that I have a hard time knocking Cy Endfield for it. The writing is the glue since it truly is interesting to see how everyone argues and picks sides and tries to make things work the way they want it to. Without that aspect of the film it would have been the most dry and boring movie aside from the relatively short battle scenes.

Overall, Zulu provides more laughs than it probably should, but the historical and dramatic value are enough to overcome those unintentionally funny moments. I sometimes wish that they could have done better with the action sequences, but they were just so funny that I really can’t picture the movie without them. It would be like Star Wars without the cheesy dialogue. It is a flaw that somehow adds value to the film. The movie might be a little on the rough at some points, but I think it could have made a PG-13 rating in today’s standards; possibly even PG back in its time since PG-13 did not even exist. The Technicolor blood does not even come close to looking real and the nudity reads more like the nudity you would expect to see on the Discovery channel. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a historical war movie or those who like war strategy. As for how much it relates to business management, well, I still haven’t figured that out.

The Skinny Version

Raw Score: 806,776
Sharon Movie? No

Director: Cy Endfield
Writer: John Prebble and Cy Endfield
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/History/War

Subscribe to Dave’s Movie Reviews; it’s free!
Subscribe
Dave’s Movie Reviews