Enjoyable recreation of battle at Rourke's Drift, 1863, filmed in Natal by Stephen Dade almost entirely in deep focus (a good idea). This is by far the best known of his films. The widescreen suits the material well.
Stanley Baker and Michael Caine are the officers, Nigel Greene good as sergeant. With Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Ivor Emmanuel, Paul Daneman, Patrick Magee. Richard Burton narrates. Kept thinking I saw James Fox - didn't. Couldn't help but feel the Zulu warriors weren't presented as well as they might be. Best moments are the huge vocal sounds of the Zulu army.
Just because the women are African, the British censor allowed topless female nudity, which seems bizarre indeed.
John Barry wrote the score and John Jympson edited.
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