: While praised for its respectful portrayal of the Zulu warriors as a disciplined and honorable force, the film takes significant liberties with characterization. For example, Private Henry Hook is depicted as a drunken rogue who finds redemption, whereas the real Hook was a teetotaler and a model soldier.
: Directed by Cy Endfield , an American screenwriter who had been blacklisted in Hollywood and moved to the UK to work. Zulu (1964)
: The Zulu warriors in the film were portrayed by hundreds of real Zulus, and King Cetshwayo was played by his real-life great-grandson, Mangosuthu Buthelezi , a future South African political leader. : While praised for its respectful portrayal of
: Though depicting events at Rorke's Drift, the movie was filmed on location in the more visually dramatic Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa. : The Zulu warriors in the film were
: Produced during the Apartheid era , the film faced scrutiny and was initially banned for Black South African audiences by the government, which feared the depiction of Black warriors defeating white soldiers (alluding to the earlier defeat at Isandlwana) might incite unrest.