Shaka Zulu

Amazing Story, Production
One of the best movies/series I have ever seen; the story is epic and well-told, and the acting and cinematography are fantastic.

What I liked best was the ambivalent nature of all of the main characters, not the two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs typically encountered in movies (and series). Shaka, while certainly a great leader, warrior, and king, is also certainly an utterly ruthless, blood-stained tyrant; this production does an amazing job of illustrating these and other facets of the man. As other reviewers note, Henry Cele was just amazing in this role.

The English characters were also portrayed well; the leader, Lt. Farewell, is depicted as a well-intentioned rogue seeking ivory, but ultimately his relationship with Shaka changes him. Normally he might not be a very sympathetic character, but compared to the British colonial officials in Capetown, he is practically a paragon of wisdom and virtue. The Scottish doctor meanwhile attempts with rather...

Quite rewarding!
When Nandi and her unborn child are saved by the ancient witch doctor, he proclaims: "A force has been generated that in time will rock the foundation of the African sub-continent."

Indeed the prophecy shaped the event and Shaka was the ruthless founder of southern Africa's Zulu Empire... In less than a decade, the paramount chieftain of the Zulu clan revolutionized the techniques of tribal warfare and fashioned an efficient and terrifying fighting force that devastated the entire region...

Set against the emergence of British power in Africa during the early 19th Century, the film provides some valuable insights into comparative cultures...

Shaka (Henry Cele) is a man of considerable height, thin, with athletic body and white teeth who can read and write... He is a great warrior, tactically, strategically and physically... He rearms his army with a long-bladed, short-shafted stabbing spear, which forced them to fight at close quarters... He goes for...

Africa's Warrior King Returns To DVD In This Re-release Of 1986's Controversial Miniseries
Run Time: While the listing as of the review date charts this at 300 minutes, this is in error. The miniseries runs approximately 8 hours and 40 minutes on this release.

DVD Details: If you own the prior DVD release and are only interested to know if this is a noteworthy upgrade, I'm not sure it's worth a reinvestment. While the picture is cleaned up with this remaster, it doesn't make a huge difference overall. Also, there are no audio option choices and the soundtrack can still feel a bit thin at times. No new special features are included either. The interviews with William C. Faure, Dudu Mkhize and Henry Cele are carried over. In short, if you already own--I wouldn't bother with this as an upgrade. If you don't own it, I do recommend it.

Sadly, I am old enough to remember when the epic 10-part miniseries "Shaka Zulu" debuted on American television in the mid-eighties. At the time, TV miniseries were a prominent and successful genre on network stations...

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