[Film] Michael Caine and Zulu

[Sirnormangall]

Have extensively researched this. Did an article in Argus once upon a time. Received quite a bit of follow up correspondence including from his descendants. I’m a bit of an Anglo Zulu War nerd in truth. Toured the battlefields on horseback, al the way down Fugitives Drift trail. With the late David Rattray. The authority on and the greatest storyteller and orator I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. It’s a truly special and mythical place to visit. The actor Nigel Greene who played Bourne died in Brighton, and I believe lived in Balcombe a short while too. Bourne died on VE Day, the last of the RD heroes.

Anyway, Cy Enfield, Stanley Baxter and the cast of Zulu couldn’t have been more anti Apartheid. They were disgusted by racism towards their fellow men if you read the making of. This provocative suggestion Zulu is somewhat racist couldn’t be wider of the mark and does the rounds in media every few years. Bit like the Great White off Cornwall. Utter bollocks mind, but sells newspapers.

I think Nigel Greene lived in Bourne House on Falmer Road in Woodingdean

 

[Winker]

I'm watching the eagle has landed on tv . . . Do I win £5 ?

You might be better to open the window and let it out

 

[Bakero]

OK, it's the Daily Mail - I've read the linked article; I will go and stick needles in my eyes to prevent me ever reading it again - is that OK with everybody? Yes? - right, well even even if the article's only half true, and slanted at 30 degrees to the right, it's still pretty horrendous. The Government's 'Prevent' (as in prevent terrorism) initiative is accused by the Shawcross report to be prioritising right wing terrorism of over Islamic terrorism ..... although no doubt hotly denied ............ but the things Prevent has listed as being extreme right wing, or at least a reading list for would-be right wing extremists, is ridiculous - films like Zulu and the Dambusters, books/fims like Sharpe, the works of Shakespeare. the works of Chaucer, Lord of the Rings and Yes Minister. Damn it! - I've read/watched just about all of those (only not all the works of Shakespeare, and no more of Chaucer's works than I had to do to get a GCE!) so have I been radicalised?

I think not!

(Daily Mail? yes, yes, you detest it; spit; spit - but read the article first before posturing, eh?)

I read the article, as I mentioned above. It seems the frothing is all from those that haven't read it and think the loony left are trying to cancel Michael Caine.

My understanding of the article was not that those books/shows/films are seen as inherently problematic. Just that they'd been noted as being popular in extremist communities.

Like you, I've read/watched the majority of them. Fairly sure I'm not on a list in Prevent HQ.

 

[The Maharajah of Sydney]

 

[MattBackHome]

The report itself is not uninteresting if anyone is so inclined. Note the absence of the word "Zulu". Same old shite.

Independent Review of Prevent’s report and government response

Read the Independent Reviewer's report, how the government set out to respond to the recommendations and what progress we have made in implementing them.

www.gov.uk

 

[GT49er]

The report itself is not uninteresting if anyone is so inclined. Note the absence of the word "Zulu". Same old shite.

Independent Review of Prevent’s report and government response

Read the Independent Reviewer's report, how the government set out to respond to the recommendations and what progress we have made in implementing them.

www.gov.uk

Yes, I read that (or large chunks of it) too. The Daily Mail article, although obviously skewed towards its readers, reports that pretty accurately. As I said in my earlier post, there is cause for concern that the Government financed body has got its priorities wrong - shying away from one cause for concern, and overly exaggerating what can be considered a threat in the other direction.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You might be better to open the window and let it out

Or get Joel Veltman round?

 

[schmunk]

I'm watching the eagle has landed on tv . . . Do I win £5 ?

I'm watching the new Palace documentary:

"The Eagles have crash landed"...

 

[Bakero]

The report itself is not uninteresting if anyone is so inclined. Note the absence of the word "Zulu". Same old shite.

Independent Review of Prevent’s report and government response

Read the Independent Reviewer's report, how the government set out to respond to the recommendations and what progress we have made in implementing them.

www.gov.uk

Worth noting that the report has been widely criticised. The fact that Shawcross was tasked with writing it was controversial from the outset.

 

[MattBackHome]

Yes, I read that (or large chunks of it) too. The Daily Mail article, although obviously skewed towards its readers, reports that pretty accurately. As I said in my earlier post, there is cause for concern that the Government financed body has got its priorities wrong - shying away from one cause for concern, and overly exaggerating what can be considered a threat in the other direction.

Indeed, thats a fair charactertisation mate.

To spell it out for the usuals on this thread, no one, even at Prevent, has suggested that Zulu itself incites extremism.

I quite like Shawcross actually, and think he makes some decent points, despite being a bit bonkers. He's got a good writing style.

 

[jakarta]

Well reading Chaucer, Shakespeare and Tolkien certainly made me want to firebomb a Mosque, sadly there are none in Sullington...

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

He only said "Fire at Will". They never revealed if they killed him or not.

I was just about to post that they didn’t necessarily hit him when they fired at him.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

I am proudly one of the wokerati but I don’t see much problem with this film. It was of its time in its depiction but certainly isn’t over the top. If a film of the events were made now I would expect it to be better on context and characterisation but this wasn’t. I don’t think we take anything like enough of an objective and analytical look at our imperial past but this isn’t part of that process and I can’t see anyone opinions/actions being changed by watching it.

 

[Questions]

My best Michael Caine impressions always use to include the line, “Stop throwing those bloody spears”

Well…… it was funny back then.

 

[jakarta]

My best Michael Caine impressions always use to include the line, “Stop throwing those bloody spears”

Well…… it was funny back then.

A pedant writes...

Assegais were stabbing weapons, they were not thrown. Carry on Sergeant Bourne.

 

[Questions]

A pedant writes...

Assegais were stabbing weapons, they were not thrown. Carry on Sergeant Bourne.

Well that was

A pedant writes...

Assegais were stabbing weapons, they were not thrown. Carry on Sergeant Bourne.

Shaka

 

[carlzeiss]

Will have to find my Blockbuster card when I get home as it's a film that has escaped me so far therefore will wait before passing judgement until I have had a chance to viddy .

 

[Brovion]

I am proudly one of the wokerati but I don’t see much problem with this film. It was of its time in its depiction but certainly isn’t over the top. If a film of the events were made now I would expect it to be better on context and characterisation but this wasn’t. I don’t think we take anything like enough of an objective and analytical look at our imperial past but this isn’t part of that process and I can’t see anyone opinions/actions being changed by watching it.

It's a good point. Also at the end when they survey the carnage the Michael Caine character (I think) when asked how he feels replies 'Ashamed'. That's almost like a line from a potential woke 2023 re-make: British officer ashamed of his part in an imperialist adventure as opposed to gleefully saying something along the lines of "Well we certainly socked it to those black boys, what?"

I think this is one of those occasions where the right-wingers desperately want lefties to try and get it 'cancelled', so they can bleat about 'cancel culture', and the lefties, certainly on this thread, are rather annoyingly refusing to play ball.

 

[Eeyore]

Michael Caine blasts 'bull***t' claim his movie Zulu incites extremism

The film, which also starred Richard Burton and Stanley Baker, depicts the 1879 Battle of Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu war, in which 150 British soldiers successfully held off 4,000 Zulu warriors.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Legendary historical pic, does it really incite extremism?

So, dissecting the article to how it should have been printed.

'The film was among many titles to be mentioned in February's report by Prevent's Research Information and Communications Unit (RICU), which described how far-Right extremists promoted 'reading lists' on online bulletin boards'

Thus Zulu has been promoted as part of suggested inspiration by the far right. It doesn't mean it is, but it may be something to look out for amongst many other things.

So as usual. it's a non article turned into an article about something that hasn't actually happened.

It's the far-right who actually think it promotes extremism...

 

[theboybilly]

One for posters of a certain age: who was the first person killed in the film 'Zulu'? Three go's, no conferring. WELL?

Wasn't it the Zulu warrior who attacked the Clergyman's daughter in the Kraal?

Edit: miles too late