Zulu Dawn review – fine ensemble cast show arrogance that led to British imperial disaster

Peter O’Toole, Burt Lancaster and Denholm Elliott are all present and correct for watchable return to colonial clash in South Africa This 1979 film is effectively the stolid prequel to the massively successful Zulu from 15 years earlier, the stiff-upper-lip bloodbath that showcased vivid performances from Stanley Baker and Michael Caine. That was about the battle of Rorke’s Drift between the British army and the Zulus; Zulu Dawn is about the disastrous rout that preceded it: the battle of Is...

By Peter Bradshaw