Law as Bromhead! Hope not |
mike snook 2
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That's a bit unkind, Leigh! Like Caine, Jude Law is a great British talent - and a tremendously successful national export of which we should be proud. Well done him I say. I hope he does do it. It needs doing - if for no other reason than that the real history, to which Zulu bears no resemblance, is now so much better known. I volunteer to write the script and act as historical consultant (my two for the price of one offer!!). All it will take is a (moderately sized) cheque!!! No, come to think of it, two moderately sized cheques (or one big one!)
I think RD was a much tougher fight for both sides than the rather hammy portrayal of 1964 really lets on - though I hasten to add of course that I loved it in its day and that it exerted a major influence on my life - indeed defined my life. Wow - that's powerful cinema! More for the spectacle, the photography and the romance, than the script or the accuracy of the history. Even so, its almost half a century old now, so a remake is long, long overdue. But I intrude into Sheldon's area and so will beat a hasty retreat. As ever Mike |
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Dawn
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I agree, Mike, I think Jude would make a great Bromhead. As for script, see my other post under Books.
Dawn |
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Chard / Costner . |
Sapper Mason
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As we are appearing to lean towards a re-make of Zulu ( about time ! ) let`s make it more accurate and at least give DALTON a beard and include " Ammunition Smith " this time round ! , give Chard a batman he actually had and even though M Caine mentioned his " batman " we never saw him ! , by the way when casting the role of Chard has anyone noticed the strong resmblance ( c 1879 ) of Kevin Costner to Chard ? , we might as well carry on tradition of Americans as British soldiers , remember Burt Lancaster & Charlton Heston in their respective roles as Durnford and Gordon of Khartoum ? . We have a flood of knowledgeable folk who could be called upon to at least give factual advice as to the men and conditions of the time , " Sapper " |
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Coll
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Mike
I'd very much like to see a film about Rorke's Drift that you wrote the script for You do Rorke's Drift and I'll do Isandlwana ! See if we can get them wrote, made and released around the same time There's a challenge, although I too would have to also act as the historical consultant on my film. Can you imagine my vision of events ?! Hope you do seriously consider writing a script. Coll |
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mike snook 2
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Dawn
Well done you. Sounds promising - I very much look forward to reading it one day. You're only allowed one day off though - editing it through is not to be delayed!! Coll As usual it's a matter of too few hours in the day - given that I have to keep a roof over my head by means of the day job. I've just embarked on a part-time PhD, which will absorb most of the spare-time writing capacity for the next couple of years. (There will be a new book based on the PhD thesis at the end of that time - subject will be Sudan 1884-5). If, however, a well-heeled Hollywood paymaster was to come along and commission a Zulu screenplay, then we might be talking. Perhaps in the meantime, while I'm waiting for 'something to turn up', I should buy a lottery ticket..... after all that's only 14 million to one isn't it. I'm afraid to say I discovered some very rude remarks about your hero the other day, but I'm going to keep them to myself for the time being to give the poor old boy a bit of a break. As ever M |
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Coll
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Mike
Not sure I'd like to know what the remarks were, except to ask were they from a source around the time of the Zulu War, or more recent ? 14 million to one is good odds, compared to those of me ever getting a screenplay onto film ! Coll |
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mike snook 2
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Coll
From a source before the Zulu War c 1875 - and very authoratative. You don't want to know, believe me!! Regards as ever Mike |
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Dawn
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Mike, you know that Coll will pry it out of you, just wait and see!
And only day's rest before editing? I was hoping for a least a week. Actually a book with such a big subject needs a bit of distance before the editing starts. And like you, the day job keeps getting in the way; such an inconvenience. Dawn |
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Coll
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Mike
That sounds ominous. Dawn Unlikely. If the remarks are as bad as they seem to be, I'd rather remain uninformed. I thought there was nothing more to be said that was negative about him. It appears I was wrong. Coll |
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mike snook 2
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Dawn
Yes you're right of course - but don't leave it too long. The important thing is to try and write every day, almost to the exclusion of everything else in life - it never writes or edits itself, I have learned, despite many hours of staring blankly at the screen willing it to do so!! The alternative of course is not to start in the first place! Now that you have, you're trapped! It's the 'polishing' process that is the most critical to success. Sharp intake of breath.... and on you go! It's never over till it's over. As ever Mike |
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Sheldon Hall
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As I've said before, whether or not a Rorke's Drift "remake" ever gets made, there is one thing you can be sure of: strict historical accuracy will be the last thing on the filmmakers' minds. How would the addition of facial hair (or any other irrelevant physical feature) produce a more cogent account of the battle for students of history, I wonder?!
And what is the authority for describing Jude Law (talented actor though he is) as "powerful box office"? Most of his films, especially those in which he has had the leading role (notably the ill-fated remake of ALFIE), have been box-office flops. I can't see anyone ponying up the necessary eight- or nine-figure budget for a star with such an erratic track record. Still, stranger things have happened in the film world... |
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Barbara Grant
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I can't add much to this discussion except to mention the excellent film, "Gettysburg." Why "Gettysburg," you may ask? Because, for me, one of the most exceptional sequences was the battle at Little Round Top. Horribly devastating, and toward the end, the Federal forces, low on ammunition, used bayonets.
That's true to life. I suspect that a true-to-life treatment of RD would work well in our day, now that audiences have gotten used to (at least to some degree) a more realistic portrayal of battlefield interactions in important engagements--which Rorke's Drift certainly was. Mike--good luck with the PhD. Barbara |
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mike snook 2
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Thanks Barbara. Most kind. Did a battlefield tour at Gettysburg with the old British Army Staff College in the mid-90s. We all a speaking part which we had to research and present on the precise spot on the battlefield where the events occurred. I was lucky enough to get the Defence of Little Round Top by 20th Maine and of course the rest of Strong Vincent's brigade. It was an inspiring subject. I like to think the old ghosts of the 20th Maine would have been looking down and were proud to think that the Brit staff college came all that way to talk about them.
M Sheldon Surely Cold Mountain was a bit hit wasn't it? Good film. The point though is this - that Zulu was good by 1964 standards but that with a bit of effort we could do what is at heart a really great story a whole lot better now - or if not 'better', at least differently. All great stories will stand more than one version - especially when separated by more than 40 years. A remake will come. Because they always do in the end... All Saw a trailer for 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' on t' box last night. I think due for release in Nov. Looks promising. Appears to feature defeat of Spanish Armada. Perhaps it will inspire a resurrection of British History. Same Elizabeth and also Rush as Walsingham, and Clive Owen as...well guesswork... but he looked like he might be Drake, Frobisher or Howard or some other sea dog. I particularly enjoyed Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of Sir Francis Walsingham in the first Elizabeth film. M |
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Sheldon Hall
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Barbara,
Now "Gettysburg" is one film where the facial hair is quite spectacular! I recall finding great amusement from the trailer, in which each successive star to appear seemed to have an incrementally larger and bushier moustache and/or beard (Tom Berenger's almost full-body wig is a hoot, though doubtless historically accurate). I do actually like the film (and bought it on DVD at the weekend), though it goes on far too long, mainly because each main actor - and there are a lot of them - has to have his own set-piece lasting about ten minutes or so. Mike, "Cold Mountain" was a considerable disappointment both commercially and critically (despite Renee Zellweger's Oscar). The central problem, I think, was the total lack of emotional/sexual chemistry between Law and Nicole Kidman, which left the film without a heart. You're right that there is nothing inherently wrong with a remake (or sequel/prequel, for that matter), but there's no guarantee that one would surpass or equal "Zulu" in its own terms. I only pray that Shekhar Kapur - director of the two "Elizabeths"s and of the appallingly bungled recent version of "The Four Feathers" - doesn't set his heart on it. I wasn't a great fan of "Elizabeth" and the trailers I've seen of "Elizabeth II" (sic!) don't fill me with any great optimism either... |
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Law as Bromhead! Hope not |
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