Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An often-forgotten incredible man who fought to become king, 2 Nov 2004
By A Customer
Shaka Zulu still invokes fear in the hearts of black Africans, even to this day. I lived in South Africa for 20 years, and I once asked our elderly maid (Who was a Zulu) about Shaka Zulu. Terror was written all over her face at mention of a man so evil yet so powerful. She never wanted to speak about him again.Folklore indeed, but folklore has its point of origin. What people don't remember is that Shaka had absolute power over his people, and each of their lives. This is portrayed very much in the movie. When I first saw this as a mini-series I loved it, and thought it was an excellent portayel of a mighty warrior with a formidable intellect, that at one time was a real problem for the British, a country that was thousands of years more technologically advanced than his own. In this DVD Henry Cele delivers a perfect likeness of the real Shaka Zulu, an incredibly brilliant man with a strong physique, who had a awful childhood, for which, through brilliant madness, he savagely took revenge, to become ultimate ruler of his world, the Zulu nation. .....How many people have you heard of has done that before ?
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Never leave an enemy behind or it will rise again to fly at your throat.", , 16 Aug 2007
I've first seen this series when it first came out on TV and it had me at awe and having watched the whole series through again I realized that this is still a great story, very well told and well acted. Filmed entirely on location in South Africa, Shaka Zulu offers an often-compelling look at a tumultuous period in African history, centering around the character of Shaka himself, who emerges as a complex figure teetering on the balance between leader and tyrant. What I like most about Shaka Zulu is that it never bows to stereotype and never simplifies the story down to "good guys versus bad guys. The British government is clearly in favor of colonizing Africa through fair means or foul; some of the British feel that this is wrong, though they are outvoted by those who feel that British self-interest (and power) takes precedence over the less powerful native nations of Africa. But it's also abundantly clear that Shaka is far from a heroic leader of his people against European colonialism. His rise to power is shown to be a bloody, brutal story of merciless warfare and the quenching of his own personal thirst for revenge; and in the end, we can see that a "great leader" can destroy a nation as easily as he can create it.
Who can forget Henry Cele? He does a very creditable job as in the title role, radiating the raw power of the war leader while also clearly portraying Shaka's keen and agile mind. The scenes in which Farewell and the others match wits with Shaka are some of the most entertaining, particularly when Dr. Fynn (Robert Powell) tries to direct Shaka toward the study of Christianity; Shaka's reasoned (and alarming, for Dr. Fynn) application of the story of Christ to his own situation is priceless. Edward Fox does his best to portray Lt. Farewell as a fully-developed character, but in this case, the series can be faulted for not being detailed enough, despite the length of the production. The concluding episodes appear to build on aspects of Farewell's character that are insufficiently supported by what we've seen of him in the story. It's worth noting that the listing of Christopher Lee as a co-star is hyperbole: he does appear in the film, but only very briefly at the beginning.
One thing that holds Shaka Zulu back from being a really outstanding epic story is the unevenness of the narrative; while some of the episodes are well-paced and interesting all the way through, others have less to offer. There are good production values and great scenery and hundreds of "real" extras, a refreshing change from the vacuous CGI laden "epics" which flood the cinema. I think the fact this was a mini-series has led to this production being seriously undervalued. While it's far from perfect, it is certainly ambitious, and does capture the epic sweep of Shaka's life and times.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shaka Zulu, 3 Aug 2004
By A Customer
I first saw Shako Zulu when it first came out, and I can partialy remember it. At that time it was a remarkable history of the Zulu Warrior, and I think still rated as one of the best historical films about South Africa, and the people who lived there before white intervention, ie ,the Boers and of course the British, who in turn brought about the downfall of a fine warrior army. After all they were only trying to protect their way of life and culture. I look forward to seeing it again.
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