7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.3 |
In 1879, the British suffer a great loss at the Battle of Isandlwana due to incompetent leadership. Despite the defeat, the Zulus are first humiliated at Rorke's Drift and then crushed at the Battle of Ulundi.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Simon Ward, Denholm Elliott, Peter O'Toole, James FaulknerAdventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Indigenous peoples continents apart had something of a last gasp of supremacy over the course of just a couple of years or so in the 1870s. In the United States, 1876 saw the Great Sioux War have an unexpected (and one would almost expect nearly decisive) victory by a coterie of tribes including the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho at Little Big Horn. Only around two and a half years later, in early 1879, the British experienced something akin to the shock and awe that must have been the last emotions of General Custer and his troops, when their ostensibly easy task of invading Zululand ended in an absolute rout—by the Zulu. There’s a certain arrogance that seems to underpin the somewhat linked ideas of Imperialism (and/or Colonialism) and the more frequently bandied about idea on this side of the pond of Manifest Destiny, and some might argue both of these events were well deserved comeuppances for cultures and governments who simply assumed that lands (and peoples) were there for their taking. One might think the British had learned some salient lessons from such previous disasters as the Charge of the Light Brigade (where after all they were up against another major nation with well armed combatants, let alone some supposed “primitives”), but not only did British stupidity not end with that strategic blunder, even the devastating defeat in the Zulu encounter temper their approach, as the 1885 uprising in Khartoum easily proves (though that incident at least is somewhat more understandable, since Gordon didn’t have overwhelming forces at his command to immediately fight the uprising). Zulu never really rises to the level of the best historical epics, due perhaps as much to the obvious British angle, which may not translate well to American audiences, many of whom will most likely be scratching their heads over some pretty dunderheaded British behavior, including but not necessarily limited to their strategy on the battlefield.
Zulu Dawn is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 (this may mean that Severin has finally forsaken the older MPEG-2 codec for its Blu-ray releases). Severin is touting this as having been restored, and it must be admitted that the elements are in remarkably good condition overall, with one notable exception. Several times throughout the film there are what appear to be a missing frame, leading to just very slight jumps in the fluidity of the motion. It's really noticeable in the clips in the main The History of the Zulu Wars featurette included as a supplement, and at times almost looks like what you see when a PAL source has been converted to NTSC. That anomaly aside, this is really a rather nice looking high definition presentation. My hunch is there has been some noise reduction applied to this release, but there is definitely fine grain (as in fine grain) noticeable when the film is in motion, especially in the many outdoor scenes where it's quite visible in the skies. Colors are nicely robust (if the reds are just slightly on the orange side, as the screenshots accompanying this review show) and fine detail pops quite well in close-ups.
Severin Films is still getting its feet wet in the Blu-ray market and it's a good sign that this release has a lossless audio option. Both a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix as well as a Dolby Digital 2.0 (mono) mix are included on this Blu-ray. The lossless track sounds very good indeed, with dialogue clean (if sometimes a bit hard to decipher due to the accents) and Elmer Bernstein's exciting score well rendered. Anyone who is a fan of Bernstein's amazing work in Hawaii knows how well the composer utilizes ethnic instruments (especially percussion) and voices, and he does much the same thing in this film. While this track is obviously narrow, it has some requisite dynamic range, especially in several key action sequences.
Zulu Dawn has that "veddy, veddy British" dissociative quality, and so most of the emotional heft of these piece comes (perhaps appropriately) from the Zulu. The history here is going to be largely unknown to many Americans, and so the accompanying featurettes are a really excellent and smartly conceived set of supplements, and in fact some may want to start with them before watching the actual film, as they give some good context and background. The performances here are excellent all around, especially Lancaster in a really unusual role for the actor. If the film never quite reaches out and grabs the viewer, it's still an often exciting and moving tale that sheds some light on a particularly ill conceived moment in British Imperialistic history. This Blu-ray offers very good (if occasionally problematic) video, excellent audio and very good supplements, and it comes Recommended.
Warner Archive Collection
1975
1966
New 2K Restoration
1980
1990
Theatrical Cut & Reconstructed Version in SD
1980
1955
1964
1991
1949
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1958
1978
1968
Forces spéciales
2011
1958
1949
1990
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1966
1958
Warner Archive Collection
1990
1987