King Cetshwayo has assembled a huge army in Zululand and the British are concerned. Sir Henry Bartle Frere (John Mills) drafts a demand that Cetshwayo disperse his army or suffer consequences. Lord Chelmsford (Peter O'Toole) approves the message. Cetshwayo replies that he has no intention of crossing the border and the status of his army should be no concern of the British. The British disagree. Lord Chelmsford leads an army into Zululand to forcibly disperse the Zulus. After crossing the Buffalo River into Zululand, Chelmsford camps his troops at Isandlwana. Despite suggestions from the colonial militia to arrange his wagons in a defensive barrier, Chelmsford declines; he views this as merely a temporary camp. The following day, he led a column to reconnoiter in the direction of Ulundi, leaving 1300 men camped at Isandlwana under the command of Colonel Pulleine (Denholm Elliot). Colonel Durnford (Burt Lancaster) had arrived with a mix of native and colonial mounted troops. Not one to sit on his thumbs, Durnford went looking for Zulus and found thousands en route to Isandlwana. After a brief engagement with the Zulus, he retreated toward Isandlwana. Despite having artillery, rockets, and rifles, the unsecured camp could not hold against the sheer number of Zulus that washed over it. As the camp was overrun, Pulleine ordered Lt. Melvill (James Faulkner) to save the flag. Melvill and Lt. Coghill raced toward safety but were killed crossing the Buffalo River. The colors floated away in the current.
The movie has too many characters. We open with Sir Bartle Frere, who figures only in the first act. Then we have the commanding general, Lord Chelmsford, who is the central character. Then there is Colour Sergeant Williams (Bob Hoskins), who provides a view from the ranks. Colonel Durnford is the second lead and the loose cannon character. Quartermaster Bloomfield (Peter Vaughan) cares more about accounting for every bullet than expediting ammunition distribution during the attack, placing some of the blame for the catastrophe on his attention to details. Norris "Noggs" Newman (Ronald Lacey) is a newspaper reporter who has a contentious relationship with Chelmsford, viewing the whole Anglo-Zulu War as a manufactured one for political ends. Lt. Vereker (Simon Ward) is a newly minted officer who floats between commands, presumably meant as a binding agent between the various figures; he should have been eliminated since he is a fictional addition.
Entertaining and educational. Good popcorn fun.
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