WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Tockinit not horrible nor great

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

njmollo "Shaka Zulu" the ten part mini-series is an interesting mix of good film-making and bad film-making. Certain scenes are beautifully done and perfectly paced while others seem to be the work of a bored and untalented film student. The late William C. Faure's talent as a director really starts to shine when the story is told from the Zulu point of view. For instance, the love scene between Nandi and Senzagakona at the river is beautifully played and executed. The scenes with the young Shaka are generally over played and poorly directed. All the scenes with the British are of a poor standard especially the pontificating and condescending opening scene with the Zulu King and Queen Victoria. The best British scenes are the ones involving Christopher Lee. The acting is generally of a very high standard. Edward Fox is as good as always. He plays his part with dash and honesty rarely seen nowadays. Robert Powell is his usual studied and self-conscious self. The beautiful Dudu Kkhize portrays Nandi and for the most part she is very good.The most remarkable performance has to be that of Henry Cele as Shaka. It is hard, if not impossible, to imagine anyone else in the part of Shaka. He is simply perfect in every aspect and is a surprisingly good actor. It is possible to empathize with Shaka, even understand him and this is because of the towering performance given by Henry Cele. He lets you inside the mind of this despot and translates his pain, confusion and arrogance. This has to be one of the best pieces of casting in cinema history. Conrad Magwaza gives a great performance as Shaka's father, Senzagakona. He plays the part with confidence, comedy and charm.The production design and costumes for the Zulu sequences are first class. Also a remarkable amount of historically accurate material finds itself within the script and this has to be commended. The death of Shaka is open to interpretation but it is generally believed that a relative killed him either by stabbing him in the back or poisoning.The contrasting styles of film-making that abound in this production are a shame. An inept scene usually follows an excellent one and visa versa. I am sure this was partly due to the tight scheduling and production constraints.The musical score is dated and histrionic. A low quality keyboard orchestra pervades scenes that need no accompaniment and destroys certain well-crafted moments. The songs are pretty cheesy as well. With the wealth of extraordinary Zulu music that exists, it is a shame that the score could not have utilized its rhythms and instruments to a more satisfying degree.Having so little African history on film, this mini series has to be classed as a classic. The whole experience is rewarding, exciting and surprisingly refreshing.

melvin-forrester As a student of history with a love for the true story of Shaka, I find this film to be the worst possible distortion of the truth. I can only surmise that the message of the film, World Harmony---Peacefeful coexistence, was the justification for this "Big Brother" New Speak type of propaganda. There is only one English eye witness source writing concerning the true life and time of Shaka and the facts contained therein are not represented in this film. I can only recommend to viewers of my comment: find and read the book "Shaka Zulu" written by an English missionary's son who grew up in the Kraals of Shaka. His book tells the story of a proud people seeking freedom to live their own life in the manner of their own choosing. The Zulus had a tradition in which the stories and legends of the people were passed on by "story tellers". The missionaries son grew up in these story telling circles, speaking Zulu and living Zulu.

colin mackenzie i must say i have been having quite a laugh at the ridiculous statements made about this. 1: it was not a propaganda film made by the white government to woo the Zulus, utter trash! the white government wanted nothing to do with it, especially as it was being made by a white south African, it was only made because harmony gold the American TV company got involved. 2: it was not taken from the writings of Francis farewell it was based on henry Finns diary (played by Robert Powell). 3: the savagery certainly was not exaggerated thats me off my soap box. the film is quite brilliant, although not historically correct in many places as Joshua Sinclare has used a lot of poetic licence to make a more interesting story, not that the real story is uninteresting, for television. highly entertaining with very real portrayals of traditional Zulu life, i know i lived with them i am south African. but my saying has always been don't listen to others watch it and make up your own mind, i just don't like people who are ignorant and make comments with out knowing what they are talking about.

trevillian It seems that the best actors were the tribesmen, done on location, and very graphic on the gore. Could tell right away that this wasn't American Television. The Aussie's and New Zelanders, definately make better mini-series than we do.