Michael Caine was just 29 when he shot Zulu, the 1964 war classic set during the Anglo-Zulu War. Earning £4000 (around £70,000 today) for his first major film role, he became a millionaire movie star within five years. Yet his time on the South African set wasn’t the easiest for the young actor, who became ill from nerves while watching the dailies and never looked at them again. But he shouldn’t have worried, as the critically acclaimed movie is now considered one of the greatest British films ever made. This is in part due to the levels of accuracy the production went to in hiring actual Zulus, including descendants of those who fought in the battle.
This classic war adventure depicts the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift when 150 British soldiers held off 4000 Zulu warriors. Caine stars as Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, an inexperienced and arrogant officer. In a 2017 Time Out poll of 150 actors, directors, producers, writers and critics, Zulu was ranked 93rd best British film ever made.
Zulu is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.