Zulu Dawn [VHS]

First off DO NOT compare this to the Stanley-Baker 1964 epic. This is different kettle of fish entirely. I made that the mistake the first time I watched it and I came away dissatisfied. If you are familiar with Zulu, you go in with preconceived expectations. The comparison off the bat can make you prejudice against a fine work.Cy Endfield co-wrote the epic prequel Zulu Dawn 15 years after his enormously popular Zulu. It was intended to be a trio of films - with a third movie Ulundi to round out what Cy had to say about British imperialism - the "Little England" mentality.From point one the contracts are seen. In Zulu you have a small pocket of a few over 100 Brits holding out against 4,400 Zulu - fresh from Islandlwana (the story told in Zulu Dawn). This is a story of courage, will and determination. Is a positive movie. Zulu dawn on the other hand is a heart-rendering movie. Nearly 1400 soldiers and native levies were slaughter in a a matter of hours by over 10,000 Zulus. Why because of Brit arrogance. Lord Chelmsford (Victoria's cousin by the way - which may be why he wasn't punished for this fiasco!!) Treated the Zulu campaign as a lark in the park. He divided his forces in the face of the enemy, not once, but several times, resulting in the disaster at Islandlwana, as well as leaving other pockets of solders held up in the fashion you saw Baker and Caine - for months, in some cases over a year. These death had to fall on Chelmsford's head.The second contracts Zulu saw is a picture of the whole army under Chelmsford. A contrast into the Brits lifestyle vs the Zulu. The contrast of arrogance vs might and true military genius. So the story is less focused on just one or two individuals such as Chard and Bromhead, but only the various commanders and officers. So the personal involvement isn't there.Beautifully filmed, is a a good companion piece to Zulu and Shaka Zulu. Some of my favourite films.Just don't compare it to Zulu and you will find you enjoy the film. However, it does tear the heart, instead of uplifting it as Zulu does. It's a very a very realistic look at the worse military blunder until modern times, and likely STILL the worst defeat by a "modern" equipped army against native warrior warmed with only spears.Just so sad the third film was never completed.

Love the two Zulu movies. Been to Islandwana and Rorkes Drift. Only thing in Zulu Dawn is it takes place in our winter months and in December it is really hot in Southern Africa. They were wearing heavy coats. Still true events in beautiful country.

This review discusses the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Blu Ray 2013 Severin release compared to the older DVD version.. This to best guide potential purchasers; Amazon unfortunately combines reviews of all versions which in turn can confuse those seeking guidance. I also discuss the Film and its extras .CONTEXT OF REVIEW:Here it really matters. I watched and listened to the Blu Ray version using my Oppo 103 Darbee Ed. player set to 40, image seen on my Mitsuibishi DLP 54inch screen, sound thru my Snells left/right and Polk center speaker . Audio selected, via disc option, was;Dolby Digital.. Sound processed by an Onkyo TX-SR707,a relatively higher end Receiver I have reviewed on Amazon. A second sound option on the disc itself (DTS-HD) was experimented with but the Dolby Digital 2.0 worked best. Lastly, I own the much older DVD version. I watched that DVD completely to accurately compare and contrast it with the newer Blu Ray. I was eager to hear the older DVD for reasons made clear below. Of all things, the audio transfer in the older DVD is atrocious. I note this Blu version comes with a companion DVD as well. I did not watch that DVD. There may be distinctions between the two DVDs given their difference in year of production. I will eventually watch at least a portion of the companion DVD and edit this review if such is merited.IMAGING: THE BLU IS SO MUCH BETTER!The DVD imaging is significantly inferior when compared to the Blu version.. DVD imaging, eg, with darkened night scenes, stock film, and what is seemingly varying camera/film crews yield poor to often distracting video imaging. Images often evidence excessive film grain.The Oppo and 2013 Blu Ray, however, can only do so much with the film as produced.. The 1979 film, on Blu Ray, shows its age. Someday, hopefully, a fully restored video version will be offered (as was done with Zulu, discussed below)., Frame by frame restoration will pay off handsomely. But I emphasize this Blu Ray still yields a rich, usually very clean, gorgeous image and is a huge improvement over the older DVD version. Some grain is present, but largely the image is very pleasing. For those who possess and enjoy the older DVD, I urge you to upgrade and purchase the Blu version. This notwithstanding my audio criticisms set forth below.FILM RESORATION AND ASPECT RATIOSome other details deserves a note. According to Severin, the film is restored;. here that means, as much as I can tell, only a return to the the film's original 2.35 /1 aspect ratio. All to the very good. However, as set forth below, this film is not fully restored overall. Not the film's imaging , not the film's audio which remains far less that what is needed.In sum: The 2013 Severin Blu Ray is huge improvement in video imaging over the older DVD..AUDIO: THE SERIOUS PROBLEM CHILD OF THIS MOVIEIf you read the older DVD version audio reviews, you will often read severe criticisms of the film's muffled, unintelligible dialogue. Most critics report that the sound is simply awful even when great audio equipment and volume controls are used. I could not agree more. With my equipment listed above I was unable to enjoy the DVD movie as dialogue was frequently beyond comprehension. I even used my headphones, but to no avail. Curiously, the limited music score and background sounds of the Zulu are fine in the DVD. But in the end, the poor audio on the older DVD version simply ruins most people's ability to enjoy the film. That version merits one star.There seems to be a similar criticism-but often not to the same degree-regarding the Audio quality of the newer Blu Ray. Some find the Blu Ray a waste of money due to continued audio issues. Here I somewhat disagree. Please remember I am using very good equipment and, as it turns out,, that makes all the difference in the world as to sound.Although poor sound engineering/transfer continues to evident in the Blu version, it is nonetheless far better than the DVD. Peter O'Toole, eg,, can be heard fairly well. Not so in the older DVD. I believe the older DVD is Mono. The Blu offers Dolby Digital 2.0. And although on occasion the Severin dialogue isn't as clear as desired, it is usually clear enough to be heard and understood. Accordingly, the Blu's audio now permits a relatively pleasurable experience. Just not the best. Again, a restored re-engineered version of the audio is more than warranted. If it ever occurs, I will be first in line to buy it.AN IMPORTANT TEST:I followed up for this review by playing the same Blu thru a lesser system (found in my bedroom). That consists of an older Panasonic Blu player connected to an older Samsung LCD television, using its internal speakers. There the Blu's audio was markedly inferior to that discussed in this critique using better equipment.. Very frustrating. The Video, however, was the same: very good to excellent.Conclusion: Used with good external speakers this Blu version of Zulu Dawn is worth its price. It provides a very good to great experience. On an older TV and without use of good external speakers via reliable sound processing as that provided in decent receivers,this 2013 Blu's audio will still prove quite disappointing. I am convinced the conflicting blu ray audio evaluations reflect the choice of speakers used when playing this recent Blu version. TV speakers will not do in most cases. An average receiver and use of external mid-range speakers is all this Blu requires.THE FILM:The film itself is based on a true, tragic story. It was shot at or nearby the actual locations of the 1879 conflict. It is an exciting film to those who enjoy (as I) history of such military and political clashes. It is a well-done prequel, in the sense of actual time line, to the succeeding events captured in Michael Caine's Zulu. Caine's Zulu is now available in Blu Ray without any Audio/Video distractions. It is a far superior video imaging/audio Blu transfer. Many also rate the Caine Zulu as far superior in story line and acting. I agree. But unlike some, I believe this film stands on its own.The two movies actually work very well together. (Think of the pair simply as Part 1/Part 2) . Zulu Dawn (watched first) enhances the overall experience of the Zulu (Caine) film by setting in context the circumstances that brought about the Brit-Zulu conflict in 1879, leading up to where Caine's Zulu story essentially begins ( Rorkes Drift). Indeed, the last words in Zulu Dawn are that a reddened sky is hovering over Rorkes Drift .The sheer number of cast in both Zulu movies is itself stunning. No CGI! The film's location/ settings, are in Africa in both movies and visuals are simply beautiful. So too the varying British uniforms. Skin color and tones are finely captured. I discuss Caine's Zulu because there is much inevitable discussion and comparison here on Amazon between the 2 movies when reviewing Zulu Dawn. I do wish to note that the Caine Zulu has wonderful extras, alone a reason to buy the 50th Anniversary Blu Ray. Caine's Zulu music (wonderfully done by John Barry) was recorded in Africa during pre-shooting. Zulu music and rhythms are the basis of a wonderful written musical score. Zuluindigenous musical influence on the Caine movie is not to be lost here. Zulu dancing etc is also wonderfully discussed. Caine's Zulu Blu Ray movie and its' extras merit 5 stars. But...., back to Zulu Dawn.Zulu Dawn Blu also has extras of substantial value. The movie Zulu Dawn was inspired by Ian Knight's book detailing the history of the 1879 Brit-Zulu war. The author- in a well filmed extra- returned to the film's locations and provided outstanding explanations that are so illuminating that, in my opinion, this particular "extra" should be watched preceding the watching of Zulu Dawn and, for that matter, Caine's Zulu. It fills in the blanks and truly makes the film far more interesting. It also assures viewers of the film's overall accuracy in where the battle occurred,what happened, and why.I rate the Severin Blu Ray version of Zulu Dawn 4 stars. Had the audio problems been completely resolved, I would have scored it 4 and 1/2 stars but not 5. As mentioned above, video could be improved. This rating assumes/requires use of good equipment. As qualified: Highly recommended. Enjoy!PS: I strongly urge you to look up "Zulu Dawn" on Wikipedia. Great review and offers a wonderful, detailed list of actor/character descriptions; quite helpful to understanding the film!

Zulu Dawn tells the story of the British invasion of the Zulu kingdom in 1879, and the battle of Isandlwana. It was filmed in 1979, so take that into consideration concerning the quality of the movie compared to what people expect in the 2020s. I don't want to dive into the plot. I figure that if you are looking at buying this movie, you know what happened at Isandlwana. The film itself highlights the utter stupidity of the British at that moment in time, and how they stirred up a wasp nest. It does an extremely good job of capturing the terror and confusion that the British soldiers must have felt when the Zulu Army appeared. The acting is ace, and the script is fast moving. If you are interesting in military history, then this movie is for you. Watch it, and then watch Zulu (Rorke's Drift).

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Perfetto

私は，この作品で取り上げられたイサンドルワナの戦いの予備知識がなく，ボーア戦争とは違う話かな，という程度で鑑賞させていただきました。ズールー族の兵士たちの数とその移動のシーン，英国軍の当時の最新式の兵器が全く役に立たず，次々に戦死する英兵たちの姿の映像を，ただただ息をのんでの鑑賞でした。この当時の英国とアフリカについて，あらためて史実を学び，今後も鑑賞しようと思います。火力の優勢を過信し，ズールー族の戦意の高さや身体能力，関連する情報をないがしろにした英国軍の大敗は，その後の近・現代戦に通じる教訓となる印象も受けてもおります。

Gute Bildqaulität für das Alter.Moderne Filme sind zwar in der Bildqualität besser, aber diesen Abstrich muss man bei der digitaliesierung machen.Ansonsten guter Film.