"Shaka Zulu" (1986) (mini)TV mini-series

Director:

William C. Faure

Writers:

William C. Faure (writer)
Joshua Sinclair (writer)

Release Date:

24 November 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History

Plot:

Actually, the movie begins and lasts mostly through the reign of George IV, the latter Queen Victoria incidents were classified as the "Zulu Wars". Shaka was dead by then.

Plot Keywords:

1700s | South Africa | Africa | Historical | Zulu

Cast

Edward Fox	...	Lt. Francis Farewell
Robert Powell	...	Dr. Henry Fynn / Narrator
Trevor Howard	...	Lord Charles Somerset
Fiona Fullerton	...	Elizabeth Farewell
Christopher Lee	...	Lord Bathurst
Henry Cele	...	Shaka
Dudu Mkhize	...	Nandi
Roy Dotrice	...	King George IV
Gordon Jackson	...	Prof. Bramston
Kenneth Griffith	...	Zacharias Abrahams
Conrad Magwaza	...	Senzagakona
Patrick Ndlovu	...	Mudli
Roland Mqwebu	...	Ngomane
Gugu Nxumalo	...	Mkabayi
Tu Nokwe	...	Pampata

Runtime:

300 min

Country:

USA | Italy | Australia | South Africa | West Germany

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Company:

Harmony Gold

Trivia:

The UK actors who worked on the project were nearly blacklisted by the UN.

Quotes:

Dingiswayo: When I spoke of that nation, I wanted the name Mtetwa to stand for peace not total war! I wanted my armies to bring subjugation not destruction!
Shaka: To subdue another tribe, you must strike it once and for all. Total war, total subjugation to the paramount king and total destruction to anyone who raises even a whisper against him! Never leave an enemy behind or it will rise again to fly at your throat! There's no other way!
Dingiswayo: Yes, Shaka there is! Faith!
Shaka: IN WHAT!
Dingiswayo: The human being. Reason. In each man's desire to believe in himself and his fellow man.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Kirsten Dunst/Eminem (#27.19)" (2002)

Terrible Cheap Soap Opera Junk

As a student of history with a love for the true story of Shaka, I find this film to be the worst possible distortion of the truth. I can only surmise that the message of the film, World Harmony---Peacefeful coexistence, was the justification for this "Big Brother" New Speak type of propaganda. There is only one English eye witness source writing concerning the true life and time of Shaka and the facts contained therein are not represented in this film. I can only recommend to viewers of my comment: find and read the book "Shaka Zulu" written by an English missionary's son who grew up in the Kraals of Shaka. His book tells the story of a proud people seeking freedom to live their own life in the manner of their own choosing. The Zulus had a tradition in which the stories and legends of the people were passed on by "story tellers". The missionaries son grew up in these story telling circles, speaking Zulu and living Zulu.