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Zulu Wars - DVD
Martin Everett


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 786
Location: Brecon
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Dear All,

This review by a serving soldier appears in the January issue of 'Soldier' magazine. Any ideas who is selling it?

Zulu Wars, out to own on DVD now

THIS fantastic production looks at the rise and fall of the Zulu nation. Narrator John Hurt is a superb orator and the visuals are provided by reconstructions filmed on location in South Africa. Expert commentary provided by historians is interesting for audiences both familiar with and new to the subject. Period photographs and eye-witness accounts further enrich the film. Zulu Wars is definitely a worthwhile purchase for anybody with an interest in the topic or in history in general.

LCpl Chris MacCallum, 233 MI Section, Int Corps

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Martin Everett
Brecon, Powys
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Sawubona


Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 1179
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Martin, there are several DVD's by that title but I believe that the one that John Hurt narrates is actually the three DVD set with discs dedicated to Shaka's rise and fall, the Battle of Blood River and the AZW. Apparently a series of made-for-television documentaries, it's quite good although targeting a "newbie" audience". You'll probably find nothing new here and possibly a few things with which you might take issue (apparently none of the Boers owned muzzle-loaders in 1838?), but I found it entertaining and will no doubt watch it again.

John Hurt does an excellent job (no surprise), the character actors are believable, the photography and "sets" are well done, and a good sense of scale is maintained with limited resources. Face it, it's a challenge to recreate Blood River or Isandlwana with 100 reenactors, but it's done here better than most. Unless I'm confusing it with something else, Ian Knight is in it quite a bit as well.

It's definitely a worthwhile investment, and more so because it can readily be had for short money. With its high bang-for-your-buck factor, I'd give it two thumbs up.

I think I got my copy through Amazon, but it's drifting around on Ebay and elsewhere.
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rich


Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 897
Location: Long Island NY USA
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This is probably the only 'docu' on the AZW that I have which leads me to say is couldn't there be a more up to date docu done which uses the participation and specific bailiwicks of some of you here, i.e, Martin? John Y?, Peter E, Keith S,etc etc etc etc. Many names can follow. Why can't the BBC (hey they have pounds to spare) make some calls and take out the pen and paper and video recorder.. Wink ..just asking...

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Michael Boyle


Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 595
Location: Bucks County,PA,US
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Martin

Yes, John hurt narrates the trilogy "Shaka King of the Zulus", "Blood River" and "Red Coat Black Blood" sold on one disk as "Zulu Wars". One source being -

http://www.naval-military-press.com/dvd-zulu-wars-pr-21734.html

(I'll second Sawubona's review, although the first part I'd term 'Shaka Lite'! )

Another "Zulu Wars" is the production by Ian Knight including John Laband and Lizwe Buthelezi -

http://www.kwazulu.co.uk/talk.html

Another is Robert Powell's "Zulu Wars 1879", part of the History of Warfare series -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zulu-Wars-1879-Robert-Powell/dp/B0002SCZQ2

For those of us in the States, History Channel will be airing the episode "Road to Isandlwana" from the series "The Zulu Wars" on Dec. 28 at 0700 -

http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=173435&action=detail

(I believe one of the episodes in this series is "Rorke's Drift 1879 - Against All Odds" if this in fact from the "History of Warfare" series.)

[Pity this comes a bit late for anyone's Christmas list!]

Best

Michael
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Bill Cainan1


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 107
Location: Lampeter
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Michael

According to Ian Knight's "Companion" the first feature film on the AZW appeared in 1914, made by the Edison Company and was shot entirely in Florida ! It had the title "Rorke's Drift" Ian tends to think nothing has survived of the film. However, have you, or anyone on "that side of the pond", heard of this film. Does it still exist ?

Bill

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Michael Boyle


Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 595
Location: Bucks County,PA,US
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Bill

I had no idea! I often enjoy watching Edison's old films from the Library of Congress site -

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edmvhm.html

and have enjoyed his re-enactments of the 2nd A-BW (filmed in New Jersey I believe!) -

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/papr:@FILREQ(@field(SUBJ+@od1(Battles--South+Africa--Drama+))+@FIELD(COLLID+mi-edison))

but I've never come across anything on the A-ZW. The site seems to include every Edison film extant (hundreds of them from 1891 to 1918 but there are no entries for 1914) as well as the history and overviews. I'll search elswhere and see what I can come up with. (The site has only a handful of films after 1905 so many may have been lost.)

[For anyone who has never seen any of these films or this site, enjoy the films and consider this a Christmas present perhaps!]

Best

Michael

[Not sure why the second link got broken up but you can either copy and paste it or reach it from the home page.]
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Bill Cainan1


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 107
Location: Lampeter
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Michael

Many thanks. To find the 1914 "Rorke's Drift" film would be absolutely amazing.

With fingers crossed.

Bill

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Bill Cainan
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Zulu Wars - DVD
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