Trivia for
Zulu (1964) More at IMDbPro »

• This was Michael Caine's first major film role. He watched the rushes, but was so nervous that he was sick, and never watched rushes again.
  
  
• Michael Caine visited the officers' mess of the Scots Guards at Pirbright to perfect his accent.
  
  
• Stanley Baker had no difficulty raising finance because producer Joseph E. Levine said he would back any project Baker wanted to do. Baker said there was a project he was planning. Levine asked what it was called and Baker replied, "Zulu". Levine said, "Zulu! I like that title. I will back you". Baker told this in a radio interview in England, and this account is confirmed by his widow in one of the "extras" on the Paramount DVD of the film.
  
  
• Because the Zulus who were playing the extras in the film had never seen a movie, Stanley Baker held an outdoor screening of a Gene Autry movie for them so they would have an idea of what movies were all about.
  
  
• The opening and closing narration is read by Richard Burton.
  
  
• Because the film was shot in South Africa, the cast and crew were lectured on the need to refrain from fraternizing with the topless tribal dancers since the penalty for interracial sex in the country at the time was seven years hard labor.
  
  
• Jack Hawkins was upset at the way his character (Rev. Witt) was shown on film, and refused to attend the opening.
  
  
• In the real battle for Rorke's Drift on which this film was based, only 17 British soldiers were actually killed.
  
  
• According to a recent book Stanley Baker intended the role of Private Hitch to be played by "the actor from "That Was the Week That Was" (1964) whose surname begins with a K". He was alluding to Roy Kinnear without realizing that the series also starred David Kernan. When Kernan turned up on the set Baker realized his mistake but hired him anyway.
  
  
• Because of the apartheid laws in South Africa at the time, none of the actors who portrayed the Zulu warriors were allowed to attend the premiere of the movie.
  
  
• Because of the strict apartheid laws enforced in South Africa at the time, the Zulu extras could not be paid equivalent rates to their white counterparts. To get around this, director Cy Endfield gifted all of the animals bought for this film (particularly cows) to the tribes - a gift far more valuable to them than the money that had been denied them.
  
  
• The 700+ Zulu extras were largely descendants of the actual warriors who took part in the battle, among them the then chief of the Zulu Nation, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, taking the role of his predecessor, Cetawayo.
  
  
• Michael Caine originally auditioned for the part of Private Henry Hook, but was beaten to it by James Booth.
  
  
• James Booth's character, Private Henry Hook, was required to be in the field hospital which were mostly interior shots. Therefore he did not travel with the cast and crew to South Africa for the filming.
  
  
• During the first combat scenes, the powder charge is significant. In the later battle scenes, the rifles buck less because the powder charge is less. This was because at close range, even blanks were still dangerous.
  
  
• The film was shot in the Royal Natal National Park, which is about 90 miles southwest of Rorke's Drift (the Amphitheater mountain forms a dramatic backdrop in the movie). The area surrounding the actual Rorke's Drift is nowhere near as mountainous as in the film.
  
  
• Stanley Baker owned John Chard's Victoria Cross (and other medals) from 1972 until his death in 1976. Originally thought to be what is known as a "cast copy", the Victoria Cross was later proven, after a series of tests, to be the original. Unfortunately, Baker died never knowing he had the real VC.
  
  
• Joe Powell's role was much bigger but he became ill during the period when his scenes were to be shot.
  
  
• The then Minister of Native Affairs banned the film for screenings to black South Africans as "it might incite them to rise up in revolt".
  
  
• Director Cy Endfield wanted a camera crane that was lightweight when disassembled so that it could be packed and transported through the African bush. Ken Eddy designed the first Filmair Giraffe camera crane for the job and in so doing began the world's best known camera crane company. This key piece of film gear is still used in the movie industry.
  
  
• In real life, Pvt. Henry Hook (played by James Booth) was nothing like the hard-drinking, insubordinate, malingering malcontent portrayed in this film. In fact, Hook was never a discipline problem and was known among his fellow soldiers as somewhat of a prude.
  
  
• The rifles in the film are Martini-Henry single-shots in .450/577 caliber. The weapons seen in the film are period-correct short lever versions (the design was modified in the 1880s with a longer lever to aid extraction.
  
  
• In real life, Lt. Bromhead, played by Michael Caine as an arrogant "upper class twit", was extremely deaf. It was much more for this reason - rather than the few months' precedence in gaining his commission which Chard (Stanley Baker) claims in the movie - that Bromhead agreed to relinquish command. Chard's precedence, historically, was closer to three years than to the much more dramatic matter of months.
  
  
• In real life, both Chard and Bromhead were considered less than remarkable officers by their superiors and were overage (Chard was 32 and Bromhead 33) for their rather junior rank of Lieutenant. The defense of Rorke's Drift galvanized their careers with Chard ending as a Colonel at the time of his death (of cancer at 49) and Bromhead reaching Major before succumbing to typhoid at 46.
  
  
• Colour Sergeant Bourne, shown as a much older man in the film, was actually only 24 years old during the defense of Rorke's Drift and was the last defender of the post to die - as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel on VE Day, 8th May 1945, at the age of 91.
  
  
• Commissary Dalton was in no way the upper class twit he comes across in the film. In fact, he was the most experienced soldier there. Also Dalton played a major part in the defense and battle plans of the garrison. Chard and Bromhard would turn to him for advice on many issues.
  
  
• Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, from a long line of Zulu warriors and royalty, played the part of his ancestor, King Cetywayo in the film. "I played my great grandfather. The director had actually identified a radio announcer (to play the part) but when he saw me he said that he saw a family resemblance and persuaded me to take part as an extra".
  
  
• The night before the crew went to Africa, the director, Cy Endfield, told Michael Caine that he watched his audition tapes and that he was horrible in them. When Caine asked him why he hired him, Cy told him that there was something in his performance that made him interesting.
  
  
• During the shooting of the movie Paramount sent a telegram to producers in Africa to immediately fire Michael Caine because they had seen the rushes and decided that he was giving a terrible performance. Caine read that telegram before the producers, because the secretary gave him to read it. Afterwards he was very nervous waiting to be fired and he couldn't mention this to the producers because he would get that secretary into trouble. After a few days he mentioned it to one of the producers, making up a story of how he read the telegram. The producer told him he wasn't fired - and warned him to keep away from his mail.
  
  
• During the filming of the movie one of the technical advisers was the princess of Zulu tribe, and was also historian of the tribe. She knew perfectly the strategy of the battle so she drew it on the sand and 'Cy Edfield' shot it exactly how she drew it.
  
  

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