‘Stop throwing those spears’

Once upon a time the film Zulu was a staple diet of every television Christmas so those of you who were not cinemagoers in the early 1960s have probably seen it.

It tells the true story of when around 100 British troops fought off 4,000 native warriors in 1879 at Rorkes Drift in South Africa. Earlier that day about 1,000 troops had been killed at a nearby camp by an army of 20,000 warriors.

Both sides fought bravely in what was an unjust war brought about by colonial politicians. The film, which was entertainment not a documentary, proved very popular but was not entirely accurate.

Today Zulu is best remembered for giving Michael Caine his first starring role for which he was paid £4,000. To dispel one urban myth, he never did say stop throwing those bloody spears' in the film. Nor did one of the natives exclaim when he hit a soldier with three on-target spears: 180!'.

Caine played Lieutenant Bromhead as an upper class, slightly limp wristed officer, whereas the real life man was an all-round sportsman, partly deaf and very popular with his men. He eventually died from fever in 1891.

Michael soon became an international star and I had the pleasure of interviewing him on the set of The Fourth Protocol at Elstree some years ago, where he had started as an extra. Sir Stanley Baker produced the film and starred as Lieutenant Chard.

The real life officer became a big hero in Britain after his return and received a Victoria Cross medal. Sadly he died from mouth cancer in 1897 and Queen Victoria sent a wreath that read: a mark of admiration in regard for a brave soldier from his Sovereign.' Stanley had made several films in Borehamwood prior to Zulu including Captain Horatio Hornblower in 1951, Knights of the Round Table in 1954 and Hell is a City in 1960. In the early 1970s he bought Chard's medals which included what he assumed was a replica VC After Stanley died from cancer in 1976, the medals were sold and it was discovered the VC was authentic and was worth a fortune!

James Booth, who played the layabout Private Hook in the film died earlier this year. When the film was released Hook's relatives protested as in real life he had been an excellent soldier and teetotal. In real life Hook purchased his discharge for £18 a year after the battle, returned home only to find his wife, thinking him dead, had sold his house and remarried! He ended his days as a cloakroom attendant before dying in 1905.

James made Rentadick and Percy's Progress at Elstree in the 1970s which were not exactly classics. After Zulu he turned down Alfie, which of course helped Caine secure stardom.

Character actor Nigel Green played Colour Sergeant Bourne having previously appeared in Corridors of Blood and Gorgo at MGM Borehamwood. He was the epitome of the tough but caring sergeant who kept everything together. In real life, Nigel had a drink problem and suffered from depression resulting in his early death from a drug overdose in 1972. The real Bourne lived to the ripe old age of 91 and was the last survivor when he died in 1945.

When Zulu was made, I was still a pupil at Hillside School and ironically my English teacher was married to Dickie Owen who played the soldier with his leg in bandages, clobbering natives with his club. I remember him coming to pick up his wife at the school while he was playing a mummy in a horror film at Elstree, so he obviously had a thing about bandages!

Zulu was shot in South Africa and the interiors were originally to have been done at Elstree but went to Twickenham Studio. They were unable to use the actual battle site as the scenery was considered too bland.

One matter the film skipped over was that by the end of the battle many of the soldiers' bright red scarlet tunics had been ripped up to protect their hands from the burning hot rifle barrels and to pad their shoulders. After the fight the Government made them all national heroes but then wanted to charge them for replacement tunics!

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