The production of the film Zulu began with a partnership between actor Stanley Baker and director Cy Endfield. They formed a production company called Diamond Films to bring the story of the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift to the screen. The script was based on a magazine article written by historian John Prebble. Stanley Baker took on the lead role of Lieutenant John Chard, while Cy Endfield directed the project. They secured a budget of approximately $3 million, which was a significant amount for a British production in the early 1960s.
Casting and Michael Caine’s Big Break
The casting process for Zulu changed the career of Michael Caine. At the time, Caine was a struggling actor with very little film experience. He originally auditioned for the role of Private Henry Hook, a character portrayed as a rebellious malingerer. The director decided that Caine did not fit the role of a rough soldier. However, Cy Endfield noticed Caine’s tall stature and his ability to project an aristocratic air. He offered Caine the role of Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead instead.
This decision was controversial because Michael Caine had a strong Cockney accent in real life. He had to train extensively to speak with the upper-class “Received Pronunciation” required for an officer in the 24th Regiment of Foot. Stanley Baker supported the choice despite the concerns of the financiers. This role transformed Michael Caine into an international movie star. James Booth was eventually cast as Private Hook, the role Caine had originally wanted.
Read more..
Location and Set Construction
The production team traveled to South Africa to film the movie. They chose the Royal Natal National Park in the Drakensberg Mountains as the primary location. The actual site of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift was located about 60 miles away, but it was unsuitable for filming. The original site had been modernized and did not look like the wilderness of 1879. The park provided a dramatic backdrop with steep cliffs and open plains.
The crew built a full-scale replica of the Rorke’s Drift mission station. This set included the stone kraal, the storehouse, and the hospital. Construction workers used local materials to ensure the buildings looked authentic to the period. The set was built to be sturdy because it had to withstand the weight of hundreds of actors during the battle scenes. The production team lived in a nearby hostel and tents during the months of filming.
Working with the Zulu People
One of the most important aspects of the film was the recruitment of the Zulu extras. The production hired over 700 Zulu tribesmen to play the warriors. Many of these men were direct descendants of the warriors who had fought in the actual Anglo-Zulu War. Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the great-grandson of the Zulu King Cetshwayo, played the role of his own ancestor in the film.
The Zulu extras had never seen a motion picture before the production arrived. To help them understand the concept of filmmaking, Cy Endfield set up a projector and showed them a Western movie. The Zulus understood the narrative of a battle on screen and became enthusiastic participants. They were highly disciplined and performed the complex battle maneuvers with precision. Because of Apartheid laws in South Africa at the time, the production could not pay the Zulu extras the same wages as white actors. To compensate for this, Stanley Baker and the crew provided the Zulu community with gifts, including cattle and local improvements.
Challenges of the South African Climate
The cast and crew faced difficult physical conditions during the shoot. The heat in the Drakensberg Mountains often reached over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The British actors wore authentic 19th-century uniforms made of thick red wool. These uniforms were designed for European climates and caused the actors to suffer from heat exhaustion. Michael Caine struggled with the intense sun and the requirement to ride horses in the rugged terrain.
Weather was unpredictable in the park. Violent hailstorms frequently struck the set, causing damage to the mission station buildings and forcing the crew to stop filming for days. The high altitude of the mountains also made physical exertion difficult for the actors. Despite these challenges, the production stayed on schedule. The cinematographer, Stephen Dade, used the Super Technirama 70 format to capture the vast scale of the landscape and the large crowds.
Technical Details and Battle Choreography
The battle sequences required months of rehearsal. The choreography was handled by stunt coordinators who trained the Zulus and the actors playing the British soldiers. They used thousands of dummy rifles and real spears with blunted tips. The sound of the Zulu warriors chanting and drumming their shields was a key part of the production. The shields were made of traditional cowhide to match the historical equipment used in 1879.
The film utilized specific camera techniques to show the “thin red line” of the British defense. The cameras were often placed at ground level to give the audience a sense of being trapped inside the mission station walls. During the final charge, the production used multiple camera units to record the action from different angles. This allowed the editors to create a fast-paced and intense sequence. The blood effects were created using a mixture of red dye and syrup, which was a standard technique for the time.
Post-Production and Music
After filming ended in South Africa, the production moved to Twickenham Studios in London for post-production. This phase included the recording of the musical score and the narration. John Barry composed the music for Zulu. He combined traditional orchestral sounds with heavy percussion to reflect the Zulu war drums. The theme music became very popular and is still recognized today.
Richard Burton provided the opening and closing narration for the film. Burton was a close friend of Stanley Baker and agreed to record the voice-over to add a sense of gravitas to the story. The narration provided the historical context of the war and the list of Victoria Cross recipients. The film was edited to a length of 138 minutes. The final cut emphasized the mutual respect between the British soldiers and the Zulu warriors, which was a central theme of Cy Endfield’s vision.
