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Barbara Grant
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Dear Dawn:

If you can whisper into Peter Jackson's ear, please do so! There is an incredible amount of scholarship on this site, and if Mike or others have something to contribute toward a possible remake, that would be great. Since the huge success of Lord of the Rings, many Americans have been thinking, "New Zealand? They make great films." The NZ film industry has proven itself mighty well in the recent past; maybe the Kiwis will be the folks who bring a good Isandlwana flick to the screen.

Barbara
Dawn


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 610
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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And we know he'd make a good job of it too. All we need is a good screenplay. Hey, Mike, have you finished yet?

Dawn
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Robert John


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 205
Location: The Netherlands
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The only problem I can see if they decide to film in New Zealand is whether "Men of Harlech" will be replaced by the "Haka"

Robert

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R J Jones
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Dawn


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 610
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Well, at least it will frighten off the Zulus. Laughing

Dawn
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Haka
Robert John


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 205
Location: The Netherlands
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I'm sure it would, Dawn---it put the fear of God up the Welsh a couple of weeks ago---I don't think they've got over it yet!!!

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R J Jones
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lossie


Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Posts: 2
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I agree it would be hard to better the origional zulu but I'd have to say yes do a remake just so I could get a part in it, that would just about make my day.
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Dawn


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 610
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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Robert
Judging from the scores, the haka certainly works. Laughing

Wait until you see a Maori welcome. In the form of a challenge - more scarier than a haka!

Dawn
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lossie

I'd very much like to be in a film about Isandlwana.

As it is my main interest within the AZW, it would be fantastic to participate in a film about the event, maybe even fighting in a last stand alongside the actor portraying Durnford.

Being a Durnford admirer, I guess an opportunity like that would be the nearest I would get to actually meeting the man himself (so to speak) even though it is only a film.

Also, to walk around the set of Isandlwana camp and being involved in a realistic re-enactment of the battle itself.

So not only will I have watched Zulu Dawn, the documentaries, read the books, discussed it on the forum, but ended up fighting in a big screen version alongside Durnford !

Well, I don't think I could ever better that regarding my AZW interest.

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Eduardo


Joined: 10 Dec 2005
Posts: 13
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How about playing Colour Sergeant George Chambers, barking the, "volley fire by ranks..... at 300 yards..... present...... fire !.... Reload!" and then the "independent fire at will ! " And most important of all keeping your cool while giving the orders, watching the impis rolling towards you like an unstoppable " black wave".......... OK, yes I am a Victorian romantic.
Cheers!
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chiba2000


Joined: 13 Jan 2006
Posts: 5
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Personally I love both ZULU and ZULU DAWN, don�t get me wrong on that. Why re-makes, well what else are there to watch, my 2 DVD�s will be worn down over the years?? Can they be re-made or rather should they, I say of course, with todays movie making capabilities it could be really great and for once the battle scenes can be REALISTIC, there's nothing in the two old movies that really stands out as realistic, terrifying or horrible about the being in the middle of a battle. I'd like to see a re-make of ZULU DAWN where Dunfors men are actually about 500 and not 50 as in the movie, same goes for the English lines...where are the 1300 men anyway?? And there's no sign of the 9 companies of NNC's. And the last stands etc, I'd love to see a new one with "Private Ryan / Band of Brothers" terrifying war realism, where war and close-combat are nothing but HELL on earth. As for ZULU, why not, let them do another one I say, if it's bad at least we got the others to fall back on. And after seeing movie such as ALAMO etc I'm pretty sure Hollywood or why not Peter Jackson can do one, I can already see the brutal night battle scenes etc in the new one, and dying in war is never pretty, as most 50s-70s movies show, it�s supposed to be ugly, so forget a R rate move! I for one keep my fingers crossed.
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ralph dyer


Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 51
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hi all, its fascinating to read all your comments on this subject. my view for what its worth is, it would be nice also to have a series made on the whole campaign, including an insight into home life of individuals and, life in the barracks to the journey over to s. Africa and the entire campaign start to finish. and then the lives of VC winners back in civvy street, if i am correct there were hardships to face after these brave men arrived home. (reminds me of Vietnam) 1 VC winner dying of shotgun wounds, 1 selling his medal for food, and Hooky working in London museum,
after all Coronation street has been going since 1960 and thats based on complete rubbish, at least i have never seen a street with so much happening. even the prime minister got involved in that, ( laughing to myself ) but anyway its an idea. and it just might hold the interest of todays youth, and keep them off the streets.

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Sheldon Hall


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 377
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Chiba (if I may),

What you are talking about here is not "realism" but FASHION - changes over time in ways of doing things. "Realism", whatever you mean by it, did not start with SAVING PRIVATE RYAN - it was a development of what had gone before, to which Spielberg and company added a new spin with fresh camera, sound and special effects techniques (which are already becoming cliches by over-use in other films - somebody ought to come along with a new twist pronto!). 50/60s/70s war films may look "pretty" to you now, but they seemed "realistic" at the time to past generations - ditto 20s/30s/40s films, which I'm sure look positively quaint to you (if you've seen any) - and they can still be powerful if you look at them with an educated eye and an open mind.

Anyway, as machine guns, tanks and land-mines weren't used at either Rorke's Drift or Isandlwana, it's hard to see how any remake of Z or ZD could capture the same effect as SPR or BOB (sorry about all these acronyms...). And if you'd seen the box-office receipts of THE ALAMO, you'd know why a remake of either film is extremely unlikely!
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Ralph

For a man of the Victorian labouring classes - and an ex-soldier at that - to find a nice, cushy indoor job at the British Museum, he was in clover! Is it not more likely that he managed to land that job BECAUSE he had earned a decoration? I'm sure the excellent biography goes into this in detail (and all his other unsuccessful job applications, I seem to recall) but it's a bit late tonight to look it up now.

Peter
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ralph dyer


Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 51
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peter,
that of course is possible, but my point was not to highlight one individual. it was in fact that i would like to see a series based on the whole campaiagn and, on the mens lives in Victorian times. home lives, army service and some insight into how life was for them after the war.
general opinion has been based on a new film, i just thought that another alternative could be a series made for tv.
and if Henry hook did obtain his position through his exploits at Rorke's drift i say good for him, along with all the other soldiers in any theatre of battle they deserve support from all of us. god bless them i say.

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Haydn Jones


Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 124
Location: Gloucester
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Hi All

My first post, at least on this new version of the forum, so I hope you'll bear with me.

Ralph

Funny you should mention Coronation Street. Only this morning my wife pointed out an article in the February Sainsbury's magazine which featured an article on the actress Michelle Collins, ex of that other British soap, Eastenders, in which she says, " The first thing that ever scared me on screen was Zulu which a friend of my Mother's took me to see at the age of seven". It seems even soap stars can be "Hooked"!! Laughing

Chiba

Like Sheldon Hall, I'm not convinced there is any mileage in remakes of either Zulu or Zulu Dawn. But if it's more blood you're after then I believe there is a DVD available of Zulu Dawn outtakes which features theatrical blood aplenty and several different versions of the demise of Bob Hoskins!

(Incidentally, talking of "Zulu Dawn", I've got quite a nice photograph of Isandlwana Hill surrounded by an early morning mist (my very own Zulu Dawn!) which I would be happy to e-mail and share with anyone who is interested.)

Finally, on a more serious note, I do sometimes wonder if the aftermath and consequences of the AZW are too easily forgotten. As such, I personally would like to see any new feature film concerning the Zulu focus on the plight of Cetshwayo from, say, his flight from Ulundi in 1879 through to the controversial circumstances surrounding his death. The film could include his captivity, the subsequent division and maladministration of Zululand, his return and the ensuing Civil War which culminated in the rout at Ondini in 1883. As regards a title for this "epic", I offer up a choice of four; "uSuthu", "Bayete" "Great Elephant" or my personal favourite, "The Slandered One".

As I have said before to my friends, it seems to me that Cetshwayo's story is one that has all the ingredients for a Hollywood classic. and in days gone by, for a Shakesperean tragedy. Perhaps the biggest tragedy of all is that it is true.

Haydn
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Remake of Zulu
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