Zulu shows that even history’s darkest moments can inspire rousing cinema
If you haven t yet seen this dignified portrait of heroism, seek it out soon – before somebody bans it for its “colonialism”
Michael Caine in Zulu
Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd./Alamy
The recent ludicrous decision by the Royal Collection to label Lady Butler’s 1880 painting of the defence of Rorke’s Drift with the warning that it has links to “colonialism and violence” prompted me to do something I hadn’t for 40 years, which was to watch the film of this stirring episode in history, Zulu.
Shot in 1963 on location in South Africa, about 60 miles from the scene of the battle and with hundreds of Zulus as extras, its authenticity is striking.